Wildfire charter launched at Royal Welsh Show
The inaugural Wales Wildfire Charter was launched at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show.
Outlining the commitments of the Wales Wildfire Board, which is comprised of key agencies from across Wales, the Wales Wildfire Charter sets out the board’s approach to managing the risk of wildfire, minimising its impact on the environment and the communities of Wales.
Iwan Cray, Chair of the Wales Wildfire Board and Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our new Wildfire Charter is built on the knowledge and experience partners on the board have gained over the last decade in dealing with the impact of wildfires across Wales.
“Under the collaborative approach of the Strategic Arson Reduction Board, we have seen considerable successes, achieved through a great deal of determination and hard work by all the agencies involved. However, wildfires across Wales continue to present a clear and present danger to our environment, economy and communities. In recent years, we have seen the early signs of plateauing in incident numbers, indicating a new approach is needed to ensure we can deal with the emerging challenges we are facing.”
Andrew Wright, Deputy Chair of the Wales Wildfire Board and Senior Specialist Advisor – Plant Health and Knowledge Transfer at Natural Resources Wales said: “Our wildfire charter is formulated around three key themes, each designed to ensure we are able to focus on the areas which not only require the most attention but will also have the biggest influence in improving our understanding of wildfires and how the Board can positively manage their impact.”
The Wildfire Charter themes include 'Partnerships', 'Environmental and Community Resilience', and 'Prevention and Protection'.
