A national response after a record summer
Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted the inaugural Wildfire Resilience Summit, around which the government announced the measures and its intention to develop England's first Wildfire Action Plan.
Between January 1 and August 16, 2026, fire and rescue services in England and Wales attended 1,132 wildfires. A fire in Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes. The summer was the hottest on record, with the Met Office estimating that climate change made its extreme heat roughly 130 times more likely.
Dedicated air support replaces ad hoc arrangements
Funding for the Ministry of Defence will establish the UK's first permanently based military aerial firefighting capability. Services in all four UK nations will be able to seek help reaching fires on remote moorland, steep slopes and other terrain that is difficult to access.
Military assistance has previously been arranged case by case under the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities framework, known as MACA. That framework will remain the route for requests, but the new dedicated capability is intended to make aerial support available.
For the A400M fleet, the announcement marks a reversal of the ministry's position only weeks earlier. UK Defence Journal reported that, in a written answer published September 9, 2026, defense minister Louise Sandher-Jones said UK wildfire response was the responsibility of civil authorities. She added that "the Department has no plans to adapt the RAF A400M Atlas fleet for aerial firefighting purposes."
RAF helicopter crews have already carried out water drops overseas. In July 2025, Chinooks from 1310 Flight operated from RAF Akrotiri using underslung Bambi buckets, dropping around 450 metric tons of water on a wildfire in Cyprus, according to UK Defence Journal.
The government also cites the ministry's own exposure to fire risk. As the UK's second-largest landowner, it says, the department needs an aerial firefighting capability both to adapt to rising wildfire risk and to protect military training areas.
Addressing gaps in detection and coordination
Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee found the previous system for obtaining aerial support inadequate: some regions received none during major fires. It also identified unreliable water supplies and difficulties coordinating resources nationwide when multiple large fires burned simultaneously. The Fire Brigades Union warned that firefighters and the public had knowingly been placed at risk during severe wildfire seasons.
A new Wildfires AI Unit, to be based in COBR's National Situation Centre, is intended to speed up detection, track how fires spread and help coordinate the response. Academic institutions, public bodies and technology partners are involved in the initiative. Airbus, Google and VodafoneThree were among the companies attending the summit.
Options under discussion range from satellite monitoring and space-based early warning systems to network-as-a-sensor technology, with the aim of spotting ignitions sooner and following fires in real time. Separately, the government and Met Office are working to strengthen forecasts, regional risk assessments and warnings to the public.
The government plans meetings between ministers and closer cooperation with devolved administrations to coordinate policy and exchange expertise. Recent fires have struck Scotland's Cairngorms, Northern Ireland's Mourne Mountains, Wales' Rhinogydd mountains and locations across England.
The summit followed the government's first Climate and Nature Security Taskforce meeting in September 2026. The taskforce is intended to identify the UK's most significant climate and nature security risks and help shape policy.
Equipment for crews and restoration for peatlands
Specialist wildfire teams and outdoor protective equipment will receive up to £45 million. Gear designed for building fires can be unsuitable for extended work outdoors; the planned lighter, more breathable equipment is intended to let firefighters work safely for longer.
Another £25 million is allocated to restoring peatlands in England. Rewetting peat helps the soil hold water and creates natural firebreaks. Natural England will administer the money through its Peatland Restoration Grant Scheme, which is scheduled to run from April 2027 through April 2029.
Farmers and land managers will also receive financial support for creating ponds and clearing highly flammable material from areas at high risk of fire.
Restrictions remain under consideration
The government is considering tighter local restrictions, potentially including bans on high-risk items such as disposable barbecues. MPs have recommended pairing restrictions with public awareness campaigns modeled on those used in Australia, aiming to discourage activities that can ignite fires in dry weather and make risky behavior less socially acceptable.
