Burnham to reveal plans for AI unit to tackle wildfires after scorching summer

In the aftermath of a scorching summer that witnessed record-breaking wildfires across the United Kingdom, the government is set to unveil plans for a specialized AI unit aimed at combating such disasters. Prime Minister Andy Burnham will also pledge funding for specialized protective gear and the deployment of military aircraft to aid in the fight against wildfires.

This year, the country experienced its hottest-ever summer, with prolonged dry periods and extreme heat exacerbating the risk of wildfires. The Met Office found that the climate crisis made these extreme heat conditions 130 times more likely. At a wildfire resilience summit held on Friday, Burnham will announce the creation of an AI Cobra unit within the National Situation Centre, a part of the Cobra briefing rooms.

Several businesses, including Google, Airbus, and VodafoneThree, are expected to attend the summit to discuss how satellite monitoring and early warning systems can be employed to fight fires more effectively. The government plans to allocate £45 million for fire crews to purchase wildfire-specific personal protective equipment (PPE), as many fire services have reported inadequate PPE, leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of smoke, heat, and radiation.

Additionally, military planes and helicopters will be made available to combat wildfires in remote and hard-to-reach terrains. The defence secretary, Wes Streeting, emphasized the growing threat of wildfires in the UK and the need for greater support from the defence forces. The government will also explore stricter local restrictions and potential product bans to prevent human-caused wildfires during high-risk periods.

Farmers will receive funding to make landscapes more resilient to fires, following the government's recent scrapping of plans to prepare the countryside in England for wildfires under the previous Conservative administration. This announcement comes amid criticism that the government's response to the climate emergency has been insufficient, as highlighted by Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael.

Environmental campaigners argue that the new grant scheme must be accompanied by further landscape recovery funding and duties on landowners to repair existing damage.