Fire chiefs have revealed how efforts to fight the record number of rural blazes across Norfolk this summer were hampered because of difficulties getting water from farms.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service experienced its busiest period ever as the county sweltered in the summer heatwave, with more than 3,000 incidents and almost 9,000 calls from the public.
Firefighters attended more than 60 wildfires, but fire officers have revealed how they struggled to get water from farmland because of a lack of the right sort of adaptors to enable their engines to get access to farmers' supplies.
Norfolk County Council, which runs the fire service, is holding talks with the farming community and the National Farmers' Union over how to get more of those adaptors in place.
The matter was discussed at a meeting of County Hall's scrutiny committee on Thursday (September 22).
Conservative councillor Fabian Eagle, whose Brecks division includes Ashill, where a major blaze damaged more than a dozen homes in July, asked whether the right types of adaptors had been available to enable water supplies at farms to be tapped into.
Scott Norman, deputy chief fire officer, said: "That's a conversation we have going on with the farming community and the NFU.
"There's a number of different adaptors and a number of different standpipes and pumphouses that farms have.
"What we have recognised is that we struggled to get water to the incident ground - and farmers have an abundance of water below in reservoirs and pits.
"It's a key piece of work. We've had an initial meeting and have a further meeting next month of how we help."
Mr Norman said the fire service would not be able to carry all the different sorts of adaptors, so talks were about whether farmers would buy them.
The council meeting also focused on what progress has been made since inspectors said the fire service required improvement in a report this summer.
The inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found 15 areas ‘requiring improvement’ had not improved since the last inspection in 2019.
Ceri Sumner, the recently appointed director of the service, told councillors there was a "significant way to go", but that work to improve was already under way.
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