Cumbria fire crews well prepared for wildfires but lack drones

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 07:08 · Archive

Cumbria Fire and Rescue has been found to be among the best prepared fire services for wildfires but has no drones.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue has performed better than most fire services in England and Wales for wildfire preparedness, according to Freedom of Information requests by the Country, Land and Business Association. The CLA's analysis revealed that over half of fire services are missing basic wildfire kit, with over half having no wildfire personal protective equipment and almost half failing to meet their target response times on average in 2025 and 2026.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue does not lack protective equipment. The county has nine specialist wildfire teams with all staff receiving basic wildfire training. Average response times over the last three years have been around ten minutes, within their fifteen-minute target.

However, the FOI request revealed that Cumbria Fire and Rescue has no drones, which London Fire Brigade has said are 'crucial' for surveying incidents from above. The lack of drones is among the wider concerns about wildfire funding and equipment across fire services.

Scott Cameron, Group Manager for Prevention and Protection at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'Wildfires are an increasing risk and something we take extremely seriously in Cumbria.' He noted that Cumbria firefighters have been deployed to support major wildfires elsewhere in the country, including in Derbyshire and Wales this summer.

Performance has not been consistent. In one incident this year, Cumbrian crews took 81 minutes to respond to a call, well over the fifteen-minute target. The CLA has called for urgent reform and funding for crews to tackle the rising wildfire threat.

How it is being reported

• Cumbria wildfire crews among best prepared for wildfires but have no dronesCumbria Fire and Rescue outperforms most services in wildfire preparedness, but FOI findings show it has no drones amid calls for better wildfire funding.News & Star · 9 Oct, 06:00
• Cumbria wildfire crews among best prepared for wildfires but have no dronesCumbria Fire and Rescue outperforms most services in wildfire preparedness, but FOI findings show it has no drones amid calls for better wildfire funding.Whitehaven News · 9 Oct, 06:00
• Cumbria wildfire crews among best prepared for wildfires but have no dronesCumbria Fire and Rescue outperforms most services in wildfire preparedness, but FOI findings show it has no drones amid calls for better wildfire funding.Westmorland Gazette · 9 Oct, 06:00
• Cumbria wildfire crews among best prepared for wildfires but have no dronesCumbria Fire and Rescue outperforms most services in wildfire preparedness, but FOI findings show it has no drones amid calls for better wildfire funding.NW Evening Mail · 9 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Cumbria Fire and Rescue · Country, Land and Business Association · London Fire Brigade · Cumbria · Derbyshire · Wales

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