South Wales fire crews have recently invested in quad bikes as a way of fighting gorse fires following the devastating fire in the Amman Valley last year. The fire in 2011 was one of the worst on record when it burnt out of control between Llandeilo and Brynaman.
The damage to the gorse was described as being immeasurable by the National Park Wardens and people in the area were said to be close to tears as the fire raged and destroyed wildlife and their habitats. It is thought that the devastation may have been halted if the fire crews had quad bikes so that they could reach and fight the blaze.
This year, thanks to the unusual dry spell in the UK, there is the risk of it happening again. Therefore, the fire service in the region has now started Operation Wildfire. The aim is to make sure that the crews of the fire service have the latest equipment to be able to deal with fires and reach them fast. The fire service is now in possession of Argocat ATVs, which is it hoped will improve the fire crew’s chances of attacking fires. The operation is to be launched by all of the fire authorities in Wales working alongside the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Last year the fire crews were not prepared for such a scale of the fires but this year, with the help of the quad bikes, the fire service should be able to tackle any blaze that springs up a great deal faster.