Tameside Moorland Fires Residents Update

The wildfire on Saddleworth moors which first started over three weeks ago, is now out and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service yesterday (July 17) withdrew all crews from the incident. Over the last week, GMFRS has scaled back resources from all three incidents in Tameside, Bolton and Denshaw and for the last few days firefighters have monitored all of the areas on the moorlands in Saddleworth to ensure the fires are fully out. Equipment that has been used to tackle the blaze will now be removed from the moorland and recovery work with partners will begin.
 
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service would like to thank the local community for all of their support and generous donations during this challenging time.
 
If you would like to keep up-to-date please follow @manchesterfire for regular updates or visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk
 

• Air Quality - The air quality has greatly improved. All the temporary air quality monitoring sites have now been decommissioned as 24 hour average readings have now returned to the normal expected levels . The routine air quality monitoring stations remain in place, details of these are available from https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/ 

Public Health England Advice - Now the air quality has improved, you can enjoy your usual outdoor activities in areas where there is no visible smoke. Exposure to poor levels of air quality as a result of the fire is unlikely to pose any long-term risk to health.  The long-term risk to health from air pollution is based on overall lifetime exposure.
 
Recovery
 
There is now a partnership wide, local recovery coordination group in place which will deal with any further operational needs following the fire. We have been overwhelmed with the support from our communities both during the fires and expressing an eagerness to be involved in any recovery works. Below is information on some of the work that will now commence and ways in which you can get involved.
 
 

• Safe 4 Summer – It’s important to note that although we have had some rain, the risk of grass fires has not gone away. Now the summer holidays are upon us too we do see an increased number of incidents that require our emergency services.
  • What are we doing -  We are encouraging young people to get involved in some of the many exciting opportunities on offer in Tameside as part of the Safe 4 Summer campaign.Safe4Summer aims to reduce antisocial behaviour while also increasing the number of young people taking part in organised activities over the school holidays. Tameside Council’s pop up youth events in local parks offer outdoor games, arts and crafts, problem solving games, BMX bikes and ramps, animation and film making.  These are aimed at children aged 6 to 16, are all FREE and run from 12-2pm as follows:
    Mon 23 July – Stamford Park
    Mon 30 July – Granada Park
    Mon 6 Aug – Hyde Park
    Mon 13 Aug – King Georges Park
    Mon 20 Aug – Cheethams Park
    There are also Active Tameside activities including a Junior Lifeguard course and kayaking for further information see activetameside.com
    Places are still available on the Government funded National Citizen Service (NCS) programme where for £50 participants take part in various activities together such as rock-climbing, learning to cook and how to budget, and volunteering in their communities over an action-packed four week period. For the further information see ncsthechallenge.org
    You can visit  www.safe4summer.com to find local activities taking place across Greater Manchesterand for more safety advice especially  around water safety and deliberately set fires.
  • What you can do – please do take a look though the advice and information on the website and encourage people to take responsibility for their actions and promote our summer safety messages.

 
 

• Restoring the moorland – The recent fires have had a devastating effect on our moorland and wildlife. Moorland plants fulfil a vital role by locking away huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere while the wetlands help provide our drinking water. It’s therefore important that we restore the bare peat.
  • What are we doing – Moors for the Future partnership have started to mobilise contractors and put finances in place to enable the restoration of the moorland. They are supported through partners including the Environment Agency, Natural England, National Trust, RSPB, Severn Trent Water, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Pennine Prospects and representatives of the moorland owner and farming community. We will be engaging our local schools in education and awareness around our moorlands, protecting the environment and firesafety.
  • What you can do – Take a look at www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk for information on the importance of our moorlands and a variety of ways in which you can volunteer including the community science project (www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/community-science).  If you would like to register your interest in volunteering directly on the restoration of the moorland in your area, please get in contact with the council’s countryside volunteering team by emailing greenspace@tameside.gov.uk so that we can look into ways you can help. You can also visit www.tameside.gov.uk/voluntaryrangers for further information and further volunteering opportunities in the countryside across Tameside.
• Flooding - Recent rainfall has raised concerns over the risk of flooding as the loss of heather and plant life on the moors will give a faster flow of water from the moorland and the hard ground from the prolonged hot spell means water is not absorbed as much initially. However, this is a marginal increase and combined with the low water levels in the rivers a heightened flood risk is not currently predicted.
  • What we are doing - As a precaution, teams of staff from the Environment Agency are checking and clearing watercourses to ensure water is unhindered in its progress and therefore floods prevented. It is likely that rivers will be discoloured by sediment run off and look unsightly but this will pass. Staff are monitoring water quality and assessing rivers so that they can respond to any incidents or issues of concern. Tameside Council staff are checking culverts on a regular basis to ensure they are clear, the flow is running freely and that any debris is removed to keep the grills clear. Officers have been checking culverts in the priority areas of Mottram Old Road, Stalybridge; Micklehurst Road, Mossley; Southview, Stalybridge; Demesne Drive, Stalybridge; Ney Street, Ashton; and Cartwright Street, Newton.
  • What you can do – Please report any environmental pollution incidents to the Environment Agency’s free, 24hour Emergency Hotline on 0800 807060. For flood advice call the floodline on 0345 988 1188 (24hrs). If you own property next to a watercourse, for example a river, culvert, brook or mill stream, residents can maintain river beds and banks and ensure water flow is not obstructed. For further information on how you can protect yourself and your property before, during or after a flood visit www.gov.uk/environment-agency

Further useful information
Being prepared is key to avoiding major incidents and having resilient communities. Here are some useful links for you to take a look at:

• www.gmemergencyplanning.org.uk
• British Red Cross community reserve initiative - a new volunteering opportunity allowing you to make a difference during a flood, fire or any other major emergency near you. Sign up here https://reserves.redcross.org.uk/