Through the new programme, teams of specialist firefighters will be positioned in key areas and ready to respond to fires across England – delivering help to people on the ground more quickly and taking pressure off local services as the number of incidents continues to grow.
The teams have undergone intense training over spring and summer, upskilling in the latest strategies like tactical burning, and travelling to South Africa and Poland to learn from the international community.
In the wake of devastating wildfires last year, which included widespread damage across North York Moors National Park, today’s announcement will provide crucial protection to precious countryside and communities.
State-of-the-art kit, like dedicated off-road vehicles, will also be available through a wider £97 million investment to fund the largest scale upgrade of National Resilience assets in almost twenty years.
Building Safety Minister, Samantha Dixon, said
This country benefits from a dedicated fire and rescue service and as incidents continue to evolve in complexity, it’s critical that we back those on the frontline with the latest equipment.
Last year saw some of our most devastating wildfires in recent history and as we head into peak season, we’re getting on and delivering the resource, training and assets needed to minimise the escalating risk.
The Fire National Resilience programme was established after the 9/11 terrorist attack, recognising that specialist capabilities, personnel and resources were needed to enable fire and rescue services to respond effectively to a national-scale catastrophic incident.
The significant cash boost will ensure the dedication of our fire and rescue services is matched with the most up-to-date assets, funding a huge overhaul of existing vehicles and equipment.
This will crucially strengthen the country’s national response to the largest and most complex of incidents, from flash flooding to raging wildfires and collapsed structures.
These specialist capabilities were used over 1,000 times in 2025 alone to tackle a diverse range of incidents, with devastating wildfires identified as a growing demand on the service.
The wildfire teams will be located strategically and hosted by fire and rescue services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, London and South Wales – deployable to incidents across England by the end of June.
