The incident demonstrated a high level of professionalism across all levels of the Service. Operational personnel, commanders and specialist roles applied their training effectively within a complex and evolving environment, adapting to rapidly changing conditions while maintaining a safe and proportionate response. The overall outcome, no loss of life, no injuries, and protection of critical national infrastructure, reflects the strength of this capability and the effectiveness of decision-making under pressure.

NYFRS entered the incident with established preparation and training arrangements, supported by recent wildfire continuous professional development (CPD) and defined incident command training pathways. This ensured that commanders operating at all levels had an appropriate foundation of knowledge aligned to identified risks.

Pre-existing investment in wildfire capability, including training an in-house Wildfire Tactical Advisor (WTA) contributed positively to the overall effectiveness of the response. The WTA provided structured, evidence-based guidance through SMEAC briefings, which enhanced situational awareness and supported both tactical and strategic decision-making. This contributed to increased confidence and consistency across command levels.

The incident also demonstrated the value of multi-agency training and well established professional relationships. Existing collaboration through the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), supported by joint local training – including JESIP* training for all incident commanders, Tactical Coordinating Group (TCG**) training for middle managers and Multi Agency Gold Incident Command (MAGIC***) for strategic leaders, enabled effective interoperability, shared understanding and coordinated working throughout the response.

While all personnel have knowledge and understanding of wildfire risk, regularly refreshed through a structured competency framework, practical experience varied.

Station personnel based in moorland risk areas were more likely to have real world operational exposure, particularly to deep seated peat fires and rapid fire spread in remote terrain, conditions that are inherently difficult to replicate through simulation. However, there is an opportunity to explore how we may strengthen experience across the wider workforce – particularly for personnel with more limited exposure due to the absence of comparable risk or operational wildfire demand within their station areas.

While officers demonstrated a good level of experience, this incident identified an opportunity to further strengthen confidence through additional education and development in the application of back burning**** tactics.

Looking ahead, the incident reinforces the need to continue evolving knowledge, competence and training in line with emerging risks. Wildfires are becoming more complex, influenced by climate change, land management practices and changing fire behaviour. This requires a shift from traditional assumptions towards a broader, more adaptive understanding of wildfire dynamics, drawing on national and international learning.

Overall, the Service demonstrated a strong foundation of knowledge and competence, which was instrumental in achieving a safe and effective outcome. The learning identified provides a clear opportunity to broaden specialist knowledge, improve consistency across the workforce, and ensure that training and development continue to evolve to meet the increasing demands of large-scale and protracted wildfire incidents.

*JESIP – A national framework that supports effective multi-agency interoperability during major incidents.

**Tactical Coordinating Group (TCG) – A multi-agency group that coordinates and oversees the tactical response to an incident, translating strategic intent into operational activity.

***MAGIC (Multi Agency Gold Incident Command) – A multi-agency training programme for strategic (Gold) commanders, focused on leadership, decision making and interoperability during major incidents, in line with JESIP principles.

****Back burning – A controlled technique where fire is deliberately used to remove fuel ahead of a wildfire, reducing its intensity and spread when it reaches a control line.

What Worked Well
• Strong levels of professionalism, knowledge and competence were evident
across operational, command and specialist roles
• Established wildfire CPD, incident command pathways and in-house
Wildfire Tactical Advisor (WTA) capability supported assured decision
making
• Effective multi-agency working was enabled through established LRF
relationships and joint training, including JESIP, TCG and MAGIC.

Learning Opportunities
• Strengthen workforce experience by expanding targeted training and
exercising for personnel with limited exposure to large scale wildfire
incidents
• Enhance confidence in back burning tactics through additional education,
development and scenario based learning
• Evolve training and competence frameworks to reflect increasing wildfire
complexity driven by climate change, land management practices and
changing fire behaviour.