Suffolk Fire and Rescue urge public to be vigilant as they prepare for a busy summer
Temperatures could reach 30 degrees Celsius in the East of England this weekend
Suffolk Fire and Rescue say they've learnt from last year and are preparing for another busy summer due to expected heatwaves.
This comes as an amber heat health alert is in force across Suffolk from this morning up to Monday.
The UK Health Security Agency says it's important everyone ensures they keep hydrated and cool while enjoying the sun.
Andy Smith from Suffolk Fire and Rescue told us how the dry heat has been impacting the fire service over recent years:
"When we do get prolonged periods of hot and dry weather, we also see more incidents.
"We had lots of fires in 2022... to compare that to the previous year, 2021, we only saw 100 of this type of incidents in the same period, so obviously the weather conditions do have an impact on the amount of work that we see from fires in the open...
"The way we do things within Suffolk is we learn from last year.
"We are seeing that we're expecting a prolonged period of dry and hot weather again this year... So we are starting to prepare for that.
"From a pre-planning perspective... we will ensure that we've got all the resources we need to deal with any incidents that come in.
"But what we are trying to do is get the public to help us to try to reduce the number of fires that we are seeing throughout that period."
What can the public do to help?
Andy gave us some advice that the public can follow during the summer so fires are less likely to occur:
"Being aware when you're out in the countryside about the impact you're having on the countryside and the potential for risk of fire.
"Avoiding campfires and barbecues when you're out in the open.
"Other things like disposing of cigarettes properly, taking litter home, obviously litter itself can be a source of fuel if a fire starts, but also it can be an ignition source - glass, in particular, can magnify the sun's rays and be that ignition source that the crops or the dry heat need to start the fire.
"So it's about being vigilant to those things.
"While you're out, pick them up, take them home or drop them in a bin if you're passing one, but just don't leave them out there in the open."
What to do if you think a fire is starting
Andy told us what to look out for:
"You may see some smouldering or the early signs of whisper smoke and what I'd say is, if it's something that can be stamped out or put out easily with buckets of water, then obviously that's something the public could do.
"But what we'd say is not for them not to get involved if it's any bigger than that - ring 999 and get us out to the incident.
"I'd encourage members of the public to download the 'What 3 Words' app, which is a good way of identifying your location when you're out in the open.
"'What 3 Words' will identify the location down to 3 metre square.
"By giving that information to our control, they can easily send resources to the right location straight away, which prevents any dangerous escalation of the incident."