‘There should have been more planning over wildfires’

When Michael Morgan spotted flames tearing along a road in Stourbridge on the hottest day of the year, he stopped his car to ring 999.

He was shocked to find the call answered by people working for London Fire Brigade, some 100 miles away.

As thousands of people rang the West Midlands service to report lots of fires breaking out on 13 August – including the devastating Stourbridge wildfire – calls had to be diverted elsewhere.

In total, London Fire Brigade said it answered 754 calls in support of West Midlands Fire Service and Staffordshire Fire Service, as part of national arrangements.

The unprecedented demand on call handlers and firefighters, as well as the loss of dozens of homes, has led to calls for the government to make rapid improvements.

Martin Starkey, the regional chair for the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for the West Midlands, said: “The fire and rescue service for many years now, since 2008, has faced a decline in firefighters [and] appliance availability.

“I would like to see more firefighters so that fire crews aren’t stuck on incidents as long as they are at the minute, and investment in the equipment both that we wear and what we use to fight these fires.

“There should be more pre-planning involved on a national scale to assist fire and rescue services when they are stretched.”