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FIRE AND rescue services in England have been issued with new guidance to help them better protect historic buildings and the environment from fire.
Three new policy guidance documents have been launched by Communities and Local Government (CLG), covering heritage buildings and structures, wildfires and the environment. They set out how fire services can incorporate risk-based information about sensitive environments and historic sites into their integrated risk management plans.
According to CLG, fires and other emergencies at historic sites and in the countryside can have considerable commercial, social and economic impacts – for example, on health and wellbeing and on local economies such as farming and tourism. The guidance focuses on how fire services can identify, measure and reduce the associated risks and impacts.
Sites covered by the guidance range from listed properties and Unesco world heritage sites, to historic city centres, protected forests and thatched properties. In particular, the increasing threat of wildfires is seen as a key planning area for fire services, given projected estimates of climate change.
The guidance also urges fire services to work closely with owners and agencies, such as English Heritage, the Environment Agency, National Trust and the Forestry Commission to ensure a coordinated and well-informed approach.
The IRMP Steering Group policy guidance is available from the CLG website: www.communities.gov.uk
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