West Yorkshire fire crews step up moorland blaze training

West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service crews fought blazes on Marsden Moor and Ilkley Moor in 2023

Fire crews in West Yorkshire are to step up their moorland wildfire training in a bid to reduce incidents as the busy Easter holiday approaches.

In recent years, both Ilkley Moor and Marsden Moor have suffered devastating damage from blazes.

Over the next few days, fire crews are due to carry out extra training and will test equipment on moorland.

But Andy Flynn, fire service wildfire officer, asked people to do their bit and enjoy moor areas "responsibly".

Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) are in place on moors across West Yorkshire, banning bonfires and the use of barbecues, sky lanterns and fireworks.

Last year, firefighters were called to a spate of eight separate incidents in just four months on Marsden Moor, with many miles of birdlife, frogs and soil destroyed.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has asked people to enjoy moors such as Ilkley and Marsden safely to avoid a repeat.

People should enjoy West Yorkshire's moorland "responsibly", the fire service urged

Mr Flynn, from WYFRS, said: "Typically, when Easter arrives and the weather starts getting drier and warmer we do unfortunately see an increase in moorland fires.

"We don't want to stop people in West Yorkshire enjoying our beautiful countryside - but we do want everyone to enjoy it responsibly."

"Little things can make a big difference," he added.

"Things like taking rubbish home and obviously not BBQing or lighting fires on our moorland.

"These types of fires cause pollution, kill vulnerable wildlife and can take up a huge amount of firefighting resource, so we really want to avoid these types of fires in 2024."

Fire service wildfire officer Andy Flynn urged visitors to avoid barbecues and take rubbish home

Wildfire emergency planning by WYFRS has been stepped up significantly since a fire service review in early 2020 found that crews had "insufficient dedicated wildfire capability" to tackle two fires in Marsden and Ilkley in 2019.

Firefighters in high-risk areas, such as Ilkley, have since received specific moorland firefighting and rough-terrain driving training, as well as training for using special protective equipment designed for tackling wildfires.

A major report by the Forestry Commission found there were 51,555 wildfires reported in the Yorkshire and the Humber region in the 12-year period to 2021.

Across England, 4,026 wildfires were recorded in special conservation areas like the West Yorkshire moorland sites, with 14,326 hectares (55 sq miles) burned.