The UK Government has announced a £97 million investment in national resilience assets as part of measures to strengthen wildfire response capability ahead of the summer months.
The funding will support what the Government describes as the largest upgrade of national resilience fire assets in almost 20 years, including new specialist equipment and vehicles for Fire and Rescue Services.
Dedicated off-road appliances will also be introduced to improve access and operational effectiveness in challenging terrain, supporting crews responding to wildfires and other complex incidents.
The new wildfire response teams will be hosted by Fire and Rescue Services in Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland, London and South Wales.
The teams will be able to deploy to incidents across England from the end of June, providing additional specialist capability during the peak wildfire season.
According to the Government, crews have undergone intensive training in wildfire response techniques, including tactical burning, with firefighters also learning from international colleagues experienced in large-scale wildfire incidents.
Building Safety Minister Samantha Dixon said: “This country benefits from a dedicated Fire and Rescue Service operation and, as incidents continue to evolve in complexity, it’s critical that we back those on the front line with the latest equipment.”
Dixon added: “Last year witnessed some of the most devastating wildfires in our recent history and, as we head into peak season, we’re delivering the resource, training and assets needed to minimise the escalating risk.”
The Fire National Resilience Programme was established following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 to provide specialist capabilities, personnel and resources for Fire and Rescue Services responding to major national emergencies.
The latest investment will support the modernisation of existing resilience assets and improve the national response to incidents including wildfires, flooding and structural collapse.
National resilience capabilities were deployed more than 1,000 times during 2025, highlighting the increasing demand placed on Fire and Rescue Services and the need to maintain specialist response resources.