During the main wildfire period, Fire Control continued to manage the demands of the major incident whilst also coordinating the response to 453 additional incidents across North Yorkshire and the City of York. This included supporting the rotation and welfare of crews, maintaining liaison with operational commanders and partner agencies, and coordinating 41 regional mutual aid resources during a period of exceptional operational pressure. The incident required significant additional commitment from Fire Control personnel, with staff working additional hours and demonstrating considerable flexibility to sustain operations over a prolonged period. Despite these pressures, Fire Control maintained effective service delivery throughout the incident, reflecting a strong, professional and resilient performance.

During the early stages of the incident, Fire Control responded well to the rapid escalation and evolving nature of the incident through the effective mobilisation of resources, dynamic management of appliances and continual communication with incident ground commanders and partner agencies. This was achieved despite the challenges associated with maintaining a fully consistent operational picture whilst information continued to develop on scene. Learning identified that situational awareness during the earliest stages of the incident may have been further strengthened through a more structured and consistent flow of information from the incident ground as the scale and complexity of the incident rapidly evolved.

As the incident progressed, improvements in the structure, consistency and flow of information significantly enhanced situational awareness and supported more effective coordination across command levels. This was further strengthened through close working between Fire Control, incident ground commanders and supporting functions, helping to reduce pressure within the Control environment and improve operational continuity.

The incident also reinforced the benefits of increased resilience within Fire Control during major and protracted emergencies. Whilst existing arrangements enabled the Service to maintain an effective response throughout the incident, staffing levels frequently relied upon additional hours and flexibility from personnel to sustain resilience. A proposal to move towards a minimum staffing model of three personnel within Fire Control was already under consideration prior to the incident but had not yet been implemented. The experience gained during the wildfire provides further evidence in support of this approach, demonstrating how additional resilience can enhance situational awareness, increase capacity to manage concurrent incidents and reduce reliance on extended working arrangements during periods of sustained operational demand.

Fire Control also played a significant role in coordinating national resilience activity, working closely alongside the Strategic Holding Area (SHA) to streamline mobilisation arrangements, improve clarity and support sustained operations. This coordination helped alleviate pressure on both the incident ground and within Control, enabling national resources to be integrated smoothly and proportionately as the incident developed.

The Dynamic Cover Tool (DCT) was a key enabler throughout the incident, supporting informed and risk-based decision making to maximise the availability and deployment of resources. This enabled Fire Control to balance the demands of the incident ground whilst maintaining appropriate response cover across the county.

What Worked Well

• Fire Control maintained effective business as usual service delivery across
• North Yorkshire and the City of York throughout a prolonged major incident
• Staff managed rapid escalation well, adapting to high demand, evolving information and increased complexity
• Consistent and effective use of the Dynamic Cover Tool (DCT) supported risk based decisions and protected community response standards
• Strong coordination of national resilience activity, working effectively with the Strategic Holding Area (SHA)
• Additional support, including Duty Tactical Officers, strengthened forward planning and anticipation of resource demand
• Close liaison with crews, commanders and senior managers supported welfare, relief planning and informed business continuity decisions
• High levels of professionalism, teamwork and resilience were demonstrated throughout.

Learning Opportunities

• Review Fire Control capacity and resilience for prolonged incidents
• Continue to strengthen Fire Control’s integration within strategic and tactical command arrangements.