Are you Firewise?

Belfast Hills Partnership have teamed up with the NI Fire & Rescue Service and Police Service NI to encourage local communities to work together to reduce their risk from wildfires.

Wildfires continue to be an annual problem in the Belfast Hills.  These fires not only have a direct negative impact on nature, but also pose a potential threat to local communities. Belfast Hills Partnership are teaming up with the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) and Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) to provide simple practical steps the local community can take in their homes and gardens to reduce the impact from wildfires.

Wildfires are started by people either accidentally, for example by discarding cigarette butts, or they’re started deliberately with malicious intent. Climate change is only exacerbating the problem, as there are longer periods of hotter, drier weather. This causes vegetation to dry out for longer, increasing the season we’re prone to fires.

Those who live close to open spaces, heathland, or woodland, have a heightened potential for damage to their home as a result of these wildfires. However, it is the embers, not the fire front itself, that threatens homes. Research shows that embers can be blown by the wind, often igniting new fires several miles away from the initial fire. With some residential areas of Belfast within a couple hundred metres of previous wildfires, there is a clear need for action.

Introducing Firewise

To address this issue, Belfast Hills Partnership are introducing the Firewise initiative to the Belfast Hills to ensure that local communities are best equipped ahead of this wildfire season. Based on best practise from other regions, the Firewise initiative provides helpful suggestions on easy, practical steps for homeowners living in affected or at-risk areas to help them protect their properties and reduce their risk from wildfires.

The typical wildfire season has just begun here, and we have seen first-hand the impact some of these fires have had on the communities around the Belfast Hills. We feel it is important to equip residents with the right knowledge on mitigating the risk to property from wildfires. For this purpose, the Belfast Hills Partnership has produced a leaflet to support communities on this issue. We are also happy to come out to groups and talk about their concerns; potentially setting up the first Firewise community in Northern Ireland.

– Patricia Deeney, Belfast Hills Partnership

Wildfires can often divert emergency services from their typical line of duty. The NIFRS highlight how prevention is the key to ensuring the safety of local communities.

Working together with Belfast Hills Partnership, we are committed to preventing wildfires to protect lives, wildlife, property and the environment. These incidents, which are largely preventable, are extremely challenging for our Firefighters, requiring significant resources and often taking crews away from their local community. We want our Firefighters to be ready and available to respond to emergencies in their local areas when they are needed most. We are urging everyone to act responsibly when enjoying their countryside and play their part in reducing the risk of wildfires.

– NIFRS Group Commander Andy McVeigh

Wildfires destroy wildlife, property and endanger the lives of the community. Together with our partners we are committed to raising awareness through community engagement and targeting criminal activity.

– Inspector Irwin, Police Service of Northern Ireland

What is Firewise?

Firewise is an international programme based on research by the world’s leading fire experts on ignition of homes from wildfire. The programme encourages communities to work together to reduce the risk to homes from wildfire by taking practical steps in the area around the home and garden. Wildfires across the globe are increasing as the planet heats up, and here in the UK and Ireland we are seeing more and more. No longer is it something which only happens abroad. We need to be prepared.

Check out belfasthills.org/firewise for more information and to download a copy of the leaflet. Or contact the Belfast Hills Partnership by phone on 028 9060 3466 or by emailing [email protected] if you’d like to know more.