Fire service approves plans to respond to rising risks from climate change
A plan that aims to strengthen Shropshire firefighters’ response to threats posed by climate change has been approved by councillors.
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Shropshire & Wrekin Fire Authority forecasts increasing risks from flooding, wildfires, and blazes in electric vehicles, solar panels, and battery energy storage systems over the next three years.
The fire authority also says it has been involved in a ‘very high’ number of water rescues involving death or serious injury, at a rate that is around three times higher than the national average.
The county also suffers from a higher than national average number of suicides and attempts by people to take their own lives in its rivers and waterways.
Made up of Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service chiefs and councillors from across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, the fire authority has consulted on its Community Risk Management Plan for 2025-28.
Simon Hardiman, Shropshire’s chief fire officer, told the meeting at Shrewsbury Fire Station on Wednesday that the number of rescues from flash floods carried out by the service in the last three years was “more than the rest of my career.”
Recent rescues included from a car being up to its roof in water on the Battlefield Link Road, in Shrewsbury, following an incident of flash flooding.
Shropshire Councillor David Minnery (Lib Dems, Market Drayton West) added: “Ten years ago you we would have never thought anyone would need to be rescued from their car in Battlefield.”
A report to councillors from Mr Hardiman and Scott Hurford, the service’s Head of Transformation and Collaboration, said: “Stakeholders expressed strong support for the service’s proactive measures to address climate-related risks.
“Enhancing water rescue and wildfire response capabilities was particularly well-received, as was the strategic focus on Shrewsbury’s unique challenges.”
Plans include basing a fire engine on the west side of Shrewsbury during severe weather because their equipment sometimes cannot get from the station at St Michael’s Street and over the Welsh Bridge when Smithfield Road floods.
Telford councillor Paul Davis (Labour, Haygate & Park) said: “There is significant work to be done across the flood plains in Shropshire.”
The plans include extending water rescue training and resources across the county and integrating community education to increase awareness of climate-related risks.
The report said: “As climate change intensifies, the service will enhance its water rescue capabilities, strengthen wildfire response, and develop a comprehensive water supply strategy to address drought conditions.
“In Shrewsbury, resource realignment, such as relocating a fire appliance during extreme weather, will improve response times and resilience against flooding.”
The fire service is also planning to “enhance its ability to respond to risks posed by stored energy systems, such as electric vehicles and battery storage units, ensuring firefighters are equipped to handle these complex incidents safely.”
They are also developing a comprehensive plan for moving water to critical areas.
SFRS is increasingly called to incidents involving rivers like the Severn and the Tern as well as the Shropshire Union Canal, local pools and lakes.
Responding crews are involved in the rescue or recovery of people and animals and protecting infrastructure and the environment.
Over the past seven years, Shropshire’s annualized other fatality/injury rate (which mainly comprised of water incidents) is 2.07 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the national average of 0.82 per 100,000.
Over the seven year period to April 2024, fire and rescue crews attended 200 rescue or evacuation from water incidents in the county. They are concentrated along the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Ironbridge and Bridgnorth. The report says this is ‘likely to be due to a combination of ease of accessibility, urban population density and increased nighttime economy.’
Suicide attempts are significantly higher in Shropshire when compared to England with 1.819 fatalities/ injuries recorded in Shropshire and 1.073 for England per 100,000 population. This likelihood of other fatalities/ injuries occurring is rated as very high.
Councillors approved the three year plan.
