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In mid-August, Sean Cayford, a firefighter based in Bridgend, revealed that crews were informed there were no available pumps or fire appliances throughout their entire brigade region. “I’ve never heard that before but that was heard again later in the wildfire season. That was startling,” he remarked. Sean described a particularly intense day spent dealing with an incident atop Tredegar mountain, where they could observe six or seven category three wildfires—the most severe type—spread across the horizon in all directions. Despite assistance from brigades across the UK, Sean said the team continued to face a critical shortage of firefighters. “We were stretched so thinly,” he explained, highlighting the toll this took on morale. The grueling wildfire incidents, often lasting eight to twelve hours, resulted in physical injuries, including lower limb injuries and heat illnesses, leaving many firefighters unable to return to duty.
Gemma Thomas, who works in the fire service’s control centre, shared that the number of daily calls during the summer spike far surpassed normal levels. Usually handling between 200 and 300 calls, the busiest day saw nearly 2,000 calls. “It was just relentless in there,” she said, recounting the intense pressure her team faced. Sometimes, the volume of incident requests overwhelmed their capacity to respond. As the first point of contact for people facing potentially devastating circumstances, Gemma described the mental strain: “It was so stressful, mentally draining, that you’re getting home from work absolutely shattered to think right I’ve got to back and do it all again tomorrow.” To manage the pressure, staff had to take brief breaks one at a time, but fatigue remained widespread both at work and at home. Despite this, she praised the “phenomenal” support from management and the understanding shown by firefighters tackling the blazes on the ground. Nonetheless, Gemma expressed doubt that such conditions could be maintained over the long term and emphasized the need for more firefighters.
A forthcoming climate change and resilience summit, hosted by First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth in Merthyr Tydfil, will gather key figures from fire services, police, local government, farmers, and climate organizations to plan future responses. Gareth Tovey, executive council member for Wales, criticized the response to the wildfires, stating there had been “poor preparation” that forced crews with specialized skills, such as water teams, to be diverted to wildfire duties. This left large parts of south Wales without backup crews, and firefighters suffered injuries due to inadequate protective equipment. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) reports a shortage of around 400 firefighters in Wales, a problem Tovey says has been warned about for years. While army support was brought in, he cautioned it was not a comprehensive solution because soldiers lack necessary firefighting expertise. An FBU survey revealed 69% of firefighters felt grossly under-equipped, with only 8% confident in their gear. Nearly half said welfare facilities during wildfire deployments were lacking.
Funding for firefighters is decided through local authority levies, which form part of budgets set by the Welsh government. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is seeking emergency assistance from the government to cover an additional £500,000 in wildfire-related costs incurred this summer. At one point, north Wales firefighters were managing six wildfires simultaneously, a record number. A recent report from the UK’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee criticized the nation’s preparedness and resilience during the extreme wildfire conditions, recommending a nationally funded campaign for wildfire prevention and better integration of wildfire risk indicators into weather forecasts. The Welsh government noted that fire services independently determine their staffing and budgets, advising that this summer’s experience should inform future planning. Speaking ahead of the summit, ap Iorwerth acknowledged the heightened danger this summer’s fires presented and stressed the importance of practical measures to minimize wildfire risk and enhance response. Fire services across Wales, including South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, highlighted their ongoing commitment to learning and adapting in the face of climate-driven challenges and underlined the necessity of collective efforts to protect communities
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