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Abstract
This paper reviews the status of wildfire risk in the United Kingdom and examines some of the key issues in U.K. wildfire management. Wildfires challenge the resources of U.K. Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs), especially in dry years, yet FRSs are poorly equipped and trained to deal with wildfire. A brief geography of U.K. wildfires is presented using fire statistics from the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) active fire database. Citizens' awareness of U.K. wildfires is reviewed using Community Risk Registers and CLG reports. Residents have little awareness because wildfire reporting is of poor quality, severe wildfires occur sporadically, they do not result in loss of life, and "property" is defined narrowly so that environmental assets are not adequately considered. In addition, this paper examines how government policy on habitat management in moorlands does not adequately address wildfire risk management.
Parent Publication
Citation
McMorrow, Julia. 2011. Wildfire in the United Kingdom: status and key issues. In: McCaffrey, Sarah M.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. 2011. Proceedings of the second conference on the human dimensions of wildland fire. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-84. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 44-56.
