Major incident declared by North Yorkshire's fire service
It follows a surge in call outs following the heatwave
A major incident's been declared by the fire service in North Yorkshire.
It follows surge in fires across the county due to the heatwave.
The service has taken the step of declaring a major incident to ensure that its partners are on standby to support if necessary.
Around 14 other fire services around the country have also done the same after a rise in the number of call outs following the UK's hottest ever day.
Speaking about the step Dave Winspear, Director of Transformation at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said:
“We have responded to a number of significant incidents today, with 4 – 8 pumps being deployed simultaneously. Our resilience plans have been truly tested. Our Service has coped well and maintained the ability to respond to risks and threats to life across the City and county.
“Declaring a major incident is a procedural step in ensuring that our partners are aware of our level of response and that they are ready to step up to support us if needed. We are experiencing a protracted period of hot weather and we want to be sure that we have taken all necessary steps to keep the public safe.”
The Service will review its major incident status along with its partners today (20 July).