It’s been a busy week for NIFRS with almost 600 gorse fires fought including last night’s incident near Rasharkin.
And with the recent dry weather, the Fire Service is reminding people to follow fire safety advice to help prevent gorse fires.
They say fires can be started by carelessly throwing a cigarette from a car window, leaving a glass bottle on the ground and not extinguishing a barbecue properly. They damage wildlife habitats and tie up emergency services’ time.
Last year (2017/18) the Fire Service attended 2,072 gorse fires across Northern Ireland, representing a 27% increase from the previous year. Since 1 April this year NIFRS has responded to 934 gorse fire incidents.
NIFRS Wildfire Lead, Group Commander, Mark Smyth said the current dry spell is providing a tinderbox landscape with conditions ripe for gorse fires to take hold.
“Often the dry conditions, like we have seen in recent weeks, can lead to an increase in the number of gorse fires we attend. Whilst many of these are started deliberately gorse fires can also be caused accidentally by something as simple as throwing a cigarette from a car window, leaving a glass bottle on the ground or not extinguishing a barbecue properly. A seemingly innocent mistake could well cause a severe gorse fire that destroys acres of countryside and ties up firefighting resources for prolonged periods,” he said.
He says the Fire and Rescue Service doesn’t want your summer to be affected by fire or tragedy and he’s appealing to the public to take simple fire safety steps, act responsibly and be aware.
Mr Smyth said tackling gorse and wildland fires is extremely challenging for firefighters.
“It means deploying firefighters and equipment to remote locations. This can be for a prolonged period of time with our crews working under hazardous and intense heat to bring the fires under control. These fires can easily spread and even a slight change in wind direction can pose a serious risk to life, property and the environment,” he added.
And he said it’s not just the larger fires on hillsides and mountains that impact upon resources, the smaller fires also need to be dealt with quickly as they have the potential to spread and develop into bigger fires.
He added that such incidents puts additional pressure on people and resources.
Important advice:
Extinguish cigarettes and other smoking materials properly. Never throw cigarette ends out of car windows.
Only use barbecues in designated and safe areas and never leave them unattended. Keep children and ball games away from barbecues. Ensure that barbecues are fully extinguished and cold before disposing of their contents.
Avoid using open fires in the countryside.
Do not leave bottles or glass in woodlands. Sunlight shining through glass can start a fire. Take them home or put them in a waste or recycling bin.
If you see a fire in the countryside, report it immediately to the Fire & Rescue Service. Don’t attempt to tackle fires that will take more than a bucket of water to put out. Leave the area as soon as possible.
Report any suspicious behaviour to the police.
Just had an update from @NIFRSOFFICIAL on the gorse fire outside Rasharkin. Major fire but thankfully no properties at risk. Firemen/women working hard to bring under control in very difficult circumstances. Can’t praise their efforts enough. pic.twitter.com/E2AkCbT1Ps
— Philip McGuigan (@mcguigan_philip) July 4, 2018
Busy week for NIFRS due to the prevailing weather conditions, almost 600 gorse fires tackled, Command Room operating to support and coordinate service delivery and contingency arrangements, great effort by all our personnel @NIFRSOFFICIAL pic.twitter.com/xRiSjpNEGa
— NIFRSWalmsley (@NIFRSWalmsley) July 4, 2018
We are currently dealing with a significant gorse fire in the Rasharkin area, one of many today, we would ask everyone to consider the attached safety advice @NIFRSOFFICIAL https://t.co/yAUG2j4oL5
— NIFRSWalmsley (@NIFRSWalmsley) July 4, 2018
