The initiative, developed in partnership with the NFU and local farmers, enables fire crews to use special adapters to connect quickly to water bowsers and other farm-based water sources.
The shared venture highlights the strong community spirit of Suffolk鈥檚 farmers, who recognise the value of making their water resources available to the fire service 鈥� not just to protect their own land, but to support efforts to tackle fires across their local and neighbouring areas.
Rapid access to additional nearby water sources will prove invaluable when tackling crop fires and other types of fires in more remote locations because onboard supplies can be rapidly depleted 鈥� a fire engine's 1,800-litre tank, depending on the hose flow rate and equipment used, can empty in just three to six minutes.
It also reduces the need for complex water relays and lowers the number of resources required on scene, allowing SFRS (Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service) to operate more efficiently to protect people, property, crops, and wildlife.
The proactive move by SFRS preceded the recent call by the NFCC (National Fire Chiefs Council) for all UK fire services to carry the coupling adapters, following the NFU鈥檚 urgent appeal for greater rural fire preparedness across the farming and emergency sectors.
SFRS Chief Fire Officer Jon Lacey said: 鈥淒uring the relentless summer of 2022, our crews fought 370 wildfires in July and August alone. I was therefore very encouraged by the idea that a simple adapter could help our firefighters work more efficiently when tackling fires in the open, and I was keen to get the trial underway as soon as possible.鈥�
The adapters are currently carried on fire engines at Ipswich East, Princes Street (Ipswich), Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, and Lowestoft, and have been fitted to two water carriers and the Service鈥檚 three all-terrain UniMogs.
The idea for the trial was first raised at the NFU Suffolk AGM in November 2022, following SFRS鈥檚 most severe wildfire season in over a decade. Momentum grew after SFRS Station Manager and Equipment Officer Alex Smith met NFU Suffolk Chair Glenn Buckingham at the 2023 Suffolk Show.
Mr Buckingham, who was one of many Suffolk farmers to have experienced a stubble fire on his land in 2022, was keen to support the initiative. 鈥淭rials in other counties had already shown the approach works, and I wanted farmers in our area to benefit from the same collaboration,鈥� he said.
鈥淔armers are ideally placed to help if a fire breaks out nearby. Not only do we have large quantities of stored water, we also have equipment like cultivators to create fire breaks, and telehandlers to move materials or machinery out of danger.鈥�
Mr Smith was equally keen: 鈥淔ollowing our meeting, we spoke to farmers to gauge how willing they would be to purchase their own couplings, and an overwhelming 95% said they would be happy to 鈥� which indicated a real appetite to get things underway,鈥� he said.
The couplings鈥� effectiveness was demonstrated later that year during a house fire on the A140, when a local farmer used a homemade adapter to supply water to SFRS crews on scene.
Chief Fire Officer Lacey said: 鈥淓ven though the current weather has taken a cooler turn and the immediate risk of large-scale wildfires is reduced, harvesting is underway 鈥� and we know that farm machinery, particularly during intense or prolonged use, can sometimes be a source of ignition.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to remain vigilant, ensure combine harvesters are fitted with powder extinguishers, and keep an eye out for signs of smoke, overheating, or mechanical faults.鈥�
If the trial is successful, it will be rolled out to additional stations. There is also potential to map participating farms鈥� water supplies into the service鈥檚 control systems, improving future coordination.聽