CFO Ben Brook, Warwickshire FRS and NFCC Climate Change lead, to present
Minutes:
The Chair invited CFO Ben Brook (BB), Warwickshire FRS and NFCC Climate Change lead, to give his presentation.
BB informed members of the NFCC’s approach to Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability, particularly in relation to the large number of wildfires that hit the country during the Summer. BB set out both the legal and moral/ethical duties on the fire sector to act in relation to contributing to the UK’s net zero target.
BB reported that there had been 976 wildfires in the UK so far this year related to the record high temperatures - a huge increase on previous years. Flooding events were also becoming more frequent with the changing climate. BB argued that climate change was an emerging and growing risk that needed to be taken into account by FRSs in their Community Risk Management Plans. This also needed to be reflected in emerging Fire Standards and in the Fit for the Future document.
BB talked about the toolkit that was being developed by the NFCC to help FRSs to understand the future risks and how to be best prepared to tackle them. He appealed to members to send him any examples of good practice in this field that could be included as part of the toolkit. It was hoped that the toolkit would be ready for use within the next 6 months and following that, a process of evaluation and stakeholder feedback would take place.
Members’ comments and questions:
· Further detail was sought on the grant funding available to FRAs to increase their sustainability. BB said that he was working with a successful bidder to develop best practice that would be included in the toolkit.
· The sheer pace of climate change impacts was raised and whether services could be prepared for the impacts in an increasingly short timeframe. Had the NFCC been working with colleagues internationally who might be further down the line in terms of impacts than the UK? BB said that the use of data for predicting extreme events needed to be improved, with more emphasis on prevention. The Climate Change Committee was due to release a report on wildfires in the near future which would be very helpful. The NFCC lead on wildfires, Paul Headley, would be attending the FSMC meeting in December to talk about his work. NFCC were engaged closely with the Metro Fire Chiefs in the US, AFAC in Australia & New Zealand and FEU in Europe.
· What more could the sector be doing to join up and capture all the data on wildfires and other events in order to build a case to put to the Home Office for greater resourcing? BB said that the NFCC was leading on debrief sessions following the Summer’s wildfires and this would feed into further discussions with Government. This would also support the NFCC’s project on the Economic and Social Impact of Fire & Rescue.
· The point was made that wildfires were often started by people’s behaviour resulting from a lack of understanding of the risks. Whilst this has clearly been exacerbated by climate change, links needed to be made to education and overcoming ‘psychological distance’.
· The importance of joining up with the devolved administrations over flooding prevention work and general catchment management was emphasised, particularly in relation to the River Severn. BB agreed that the discussions needed to be more wide-ranging than just wildfires and to take into account less well-known issues such as the impact of soil degradation on buildings.
· The Chair of Cheshire FRA outlined some of the actions they were already taking in relation to climate change, including building the first zero carbon fire station in the country. Early sight of some of the data in the toolkit was requested in order to further help planning. BB agreed to share this with the CFO.
· What more could be done to make things under the direct control of FRAs, such as buildings and vehicles, more sustainable? BB said that the NFCC was working to ensure that climate change preparation was embedded in all their work strands, including property, procurement etc.
· Members asked if the statistics from the presentation could be shared. BB agreed.
Decision:
Fire Commission noted the presentation.
Action:
BB to share wildfire statistics with LGA colleagues for circulation.