UKC

https://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2020/03/23/firefighters-diverted-from-cov...
This is an area close to where a large fire took place last April from a portable BBQ and a ban on these was put in place. Now it looks like supposed "controlled burning" for grouse has caused more problems.

I could see Meltham moor on fire for the last few days. Bloody grouse shooters and their irresponsible practices. It's a bit gobsmacking when you consider that air quality has improved due to this emergency. And so the gamekeepers muir burn.........They're burning on blanket bog despite a voluntary ban and areas that they easily now. And get this. In England they get £45 a hectare from the taxpayer for the privilege.

Can anyone enlighten me as to what "covid-19 work" FIREFIGHTERS could actually be doing ??

I think the issue is occupying and stretching depleted fire crews (due to increased self isolation measures) on what appears to be a preventable incident.

 

Imagine firefighters on a moor, putting out a fire that for many, many reasons should never have been started in the first place and a call comes in for a house fire, or RTC? Not only are they are miles from the road, they’re also miles from population centres thereby vastly increasing response times.  

So they're no more on "covid-19" work than I am.

To the dislikers - all I did originally was ASK. It was a question !

But to go back to my original question/point, Firefighters are no more likely to be dealing with people (possibly or actually ) with covid-19 when putting out a moor fire than I am here at work.

The fact that the moor fire was quite possibly arson is disgusting at any time.

Before Covid 19:

NHS austerity measures ->  backlog for ER are the ambulances waiting in front of hospitals or driving around finding an ER with a room -> Firefighters becoming first responders until ambulances are available again. 

Add Covid 19; ER is even busier, Ambulance crew now also need to do PPE and decontaminate ambulances in suspect cases (add an hour), firefighters being first responders, now also wearing PPE and decontaminated after a suspect case. 

But this is the case anyway. Covid or not.

You're right. Fire fighters do amazing work but a description of them as Covid-19 workers is a bit off. I understood your post and question quite well.

As above, they also act as first responders to medical calls should paramedics be overwhelmed. 

Don't know about the UK but Firefighters in Guernsey frequently assist Paramedics moving patients, they are also often trained as first responders.

I think if I was putting a lot of immobile people in a temporary location with loads of stored O2, I'd consider fire cover pretty important. 

Saw a fire engine called out to a heath burn near my house today whilst out with the dog.

I understand that burning has been put on hold, at least on those tracts of moorland owned by water boards and other utilities.

That's good news. Can't understand why they don't mow it in suitable locations. I guess it's just a case that they've always done it this way.

The practice wasn't confined to grouse shooting estates. Quite a lot of Pennine hill farms used to do it at the start of the year. We called it "swealing" though I've also heard it referred to as"tatching". I think it may have been on ground that hadn't beem mown the year previously, possibly due to a spell of bad weather.

Not seen it done much recently, same with lime spreading.

Burning carries on here on the moorlands, that is burning the old grass back  to encourage new growth for the sheep. They have some good old fires sometimes and we can watch it from the house, standard practice and been going on for years.

but of course, just because it's traditional doesn't mean it should continue if best practice has evolved in the intervening years. I can think of plenty of activities that used to be common place, like organophosphate dips

There's been a half hearted and poorly publicised attempt by the Moorland Association to discourage it in the current climate. Unless the government outlaws it, the estates will continue. 

I think the Scottish Estates have been a bit more proactive

The proponents of 'controlled' burning and under an illusion of control. You cannot control nature and so their efforts are folly. This is just another reason to end the killing industry of the rich landowners. Let's put an end to the rape of our land and give up are attempts to 'control' our natural habitats.

Seen a friend just now and apparently the next farmers up to them burnt the mountain out yesterday, the controled burn went a bit out of control! Panic stations when it got to the forestry and they phoned the foretry felling operators to come and move their machines, but luckily no damage done, apart from the mountain gone. 

Looked up the valley yesterday afternoon and thought the sky looked a bit odd, a few miles away from here, very red and smoky looking clouds, now I know. Think they have to finish burning by April 1st so they have all been waiting for a bit of dry weather and a rush now. 

Still, so long as the grouse moors and rich landowners have all the bad publicity, the hill farmers can carry on as always.

I thought it was the 14th?

Or, and I know this is a radical idea, they could both be held to account. From memory all those who want it controlled arent asking for a exception to be made for farmers. If you know of such please provide a link.

It’s the 15th though not many south of the border will keep going that long as it generally gets too dry and birds start nesting. In a normal year most estates will have knocked it on the head by the beginning of April.