Firefighters and control staff described unavailable fire engines and requests they could not meet, while South Wales Fire and Rescue Service discusses investment with unions.
Firefighters and control-room staff in South Wales told the BBC that summer wildfires left colleagues injured and stretched emergency cover to the point where some requests from incidents could not be met. One firefighter said crews were told in mid-August that no fire engines were available anywhere across the service’s region.
The accounts follow a summer in which North Wales firefighters managed six wildfires simultaneously—more than ever before. The Fire Brigades Union said it had warned authorities for years about preparedness and alleged that chronic underfunding had knowingly put firefighters and the public at risk.
Sean Cayford, a firefighter in Bridgend, said colleagues had suffered lower-limb injuries and heat illness, with many still unable to work. Even with help from brigades elsewhere in the UK, he said, there were not enough firefighters.
Control-centre worker Gemma Thomas said staff were sometimes unable to fulfil requests from incidents. She described exhausted colleagues taking short breaks one at a time and said the workload could not be sustained long-term. Thomas called management support “phenomenal” but wanted more firefighters.
| Period | Calls |
|---|---|
| Usual volume | 200–300 |
| Busiest day of summer 2026 |
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| Almost 2,000 |
The Fire Brigades Union said crews climbed hills in unsuitable boots and non-breathable clothing designed for house fires because there was not enough wildfire equipment. Gareth Tovey, the union’s executive council member for Wales, alleged that the lack of suitable equipment caused injuries.
Tovey said specialist crews, including water teams, were redirected to wildfires, leaving vast parts of South Wales without backup crews at some stages. The union put the firefighter shortfall across Wales at 400.
Separately, the UK’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee found that the fires exposed weaknesses in national preparedness and left firefighters working in extreme conditions, according to the BBC. The parliamentary committee called for a UK government-funded prevention campaign and wildfire-risk indicators in weather forecasts.
Fire services receive public funding through local-authority levies, within council budgets set by the Welsh government, the BBC explained. The Welsh government said it does not provide core fire-service funding: individual fire and rescue authorities decide staffing needs and set their budgets. It said those authorities should take the summer’s wildfires into account.
At a climate change and resilience summit in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales’s First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth said the country needed both prevention measures and the capacity to respond. He declined to confirm additional funding, citing financial challenges.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service praised staff’s response and said changing climate risks required it to keep adapting and strengthen its ability to handle sharp increases in demand. It said it was discussing the investment needed with unions.
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service was applying to the Welsh government’s emergency assistance scheme to cover additional wildfire costs. Those costs were expected to exceed £500,000, with the full financial impact still being assessed.
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