A British parliamentary committee called for water supply rules for major fires on Oct. 21 after low pressure prolonged a water carrier refill during the Stourbridge fires, raising concerns about emergency preparedness.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee proposed minimum standards for firefighting water supply and pressure, alongside a national protocol for communication between water companies and fire services. It also wants companies to test their ability to support firefighting, particularly in areas at high wildfire risk. The proposals have not been enacted.
The Stourbridge fires on Aug. 13, 2026, destroyed 19 homes and damaged 18 others, the committee reported. At one stage of the response, crews spent almost 40 minutes refilling a water carrier because of reduced pressure, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). The council said pressure problems continued for several days.
In an NFCC survey conducted this summer, 81% of responding UK fire and rescue services said they had changed response plans for areas where firefighting water is difficult to access. Half of UK services answered the survey. A further 58% of respondents said they had taken additional measures after significant water supply outages.
Fire services rely heavily on hydrants and networks operated by water companies. The NFCC says existing legal duties have not produced consistent expectations for supply or accountability. It also reports that average charges for hydrant installation and maintenance rose 85% between 2014 and 2024, with fire and rescue services bearing the added cost.
The committee cited low pressure at the 2022 Wennington fire as an earlier example, although the reason for that pressure drop remains contested.
NFCC figures show that crews in England and Wales responded to 1,132 wildfires from Jan. 1 through Aug. 16, 2026. They attended 1,017 during all of 2025. Provisional Met Office data put the UK’s average temperature for June through August at 16.5 degrees Celsius, the highest summer figure in records beginning in 1884.
At a Sept. 15 hearing, Gabrielle Edwards, interim director for strategy, governance and climate at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said water companies already had a legal duty to prepare for emergencies. She said officials would examine the specific firefighting issue. The committee has asked the government to publish a cross-government Wildfire Action Plan by the end of 2026.
