Two historic wildfire seasons and a sense of falling “decades” behind in wildfire preparedness have forced the United Kingdom into a game of catch-up. Officials unveiled what they hope to be their first steps forward at England’s first-ever wildfire summit on Friday.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the summit in Liverpool that some of the country’s military aircraft would be equipped for firefighting for the first time. The Royal Air Force’s Chinook helicopters and A400M planes will be ready whenever any of the country’s civilian fire services request them for help fighting fires in often inaccessible areas like remote moorland or steep hillsides.

Fireline crews will also get more specialist wildfire teams and lightweight PPE specifically designed for wildfire suppression under the plan, according to Burnham. Up to £45million will go toward fire crew resources, while £25 million more will go toward landscape transformation, specifically to restoring dried-out peatlands and fireproofing farmland.

Burnham said his first-hand experience watching the devastating fire destroy numerous homes in Stourbridge in August drove his desire to increase the nation’s preparedness.

“I will never forget it. Our firefighters were heroes that day, but heroes shouldn’t have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs,” Burnham said at the Summit. “Crews will now have the kit they need to stay safe and military aircraft will stand ready to help tackle wildfires from the sky. We cannot put people through another summer like this one.”

The UK Parliament’s wildfire management report published right before Friday’s Summit painted a dire picture of the country’s fire future. The report looked into the 2026 fire season, the second-worst in the nation’s history only behind the 2025 season when nearly 48,000 hectares (118,610 acres) burned, found numerous weaknesses in the nation’s fire-focused preparedness, resilience and policymaking.

“We found gaps in specialist capability, uncertainty and competition over access to aerial firefighting resources, challenges in securing reliable water supplies during major incidents, and a heavy reliance on local arrangements for resources that are increasingly needed at a national scale,” officials said in the report. “The UK requires stronger national arrangements that allow expertise, equipment and resources to be shared quickly and effectively wherever they are needed.”

In addition to needed aerial and on-the-ground resources, the report called for a unified, clear and publicly available national wildfire strategy. Officials also noted that the country’s coming fire-driven issues will extend beyond the government to local authorities and individual landowners, while initiatives like Burnham’s landscape transformation may worsen public trust.

“We heard repeated concerns from land managers that their knowledge and experience are not always reflected in policy decisions that directly affect their ability to manage wildfire risk,” the officials said. “At a time when the government is asking more of land managers in responding to climate-driven wildfire risk, it cannot afford a situation where those same land managers feel that policy is being done to them rather than developed with them.”

That sentiment was echoed by the National Fire Chiefs Council, which represents the nation’s fire services. Its officials renewed calls for long-term and sustainable funding after the Summit on Friday, saying one-off investments Burnham won’t be enough to meaningfully strengthen the nation’s wildfire resilience.

“The summit has brought much-needed attention to the growing wildfire threat facing the UK, but the scale of the challenge demands a much stronger commitment to action,” Council Chair Phil Garrigan said. “We need the people, equipment, training and specialist capabilities required to meet the challenges ahead. That includes strengthening specialist wildfire teams, developing nationally coordinated aerial firefighting capabilities and ensuring reliable access to water.”