A joint project aimed at reducing incidents of deliberate grass fire setting in Caerphilly county borough has returned for 2016 after figures showed an increase in the amount from last year.
Project Bernie uses a combination of education, diversion, prevention and enforcement to address the issue of deliberate grass fires – which traditionally sees an increase during the Easter holiday period.
This year’s project, led by the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership, was launched on Friday March 18 at a special event in Morrisons in Bargoed.
Figures provided by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service show that between March 1 and March 17 of this year, there were 19 deliberately set grass fires in the Caerphilly area. Those represented 16.8% of the total amount across South Wales for that period and was the third highest amount, behind Rhondda Cynon Taf (30 fires, 26.5% of total) and Bridgend (23 fires, 20.4%).
There was also a staggering 151% increase in the amount of deliberately set fires between March 1 and 17 2015, and the same time scale in 2016 across South Wales.
The project will aim to reduce the number of deliberate grass fires across the Bargoed area, after seeing a 22% reduction last Easter.
But just hours after the launch on Friday March 18, an Aberbargoed crew attended a deliberately set grass fire on St Rhidian Close, Blackwood at 9.03pm.
On Saturday March 19, a Caerphilly crew used beaters to quell a deliberately set grass fire on Rudry Common at 8.09pm, while another Aberbargoed crew had to use a hosereel on a reported grass fire at St Andrews Drive, Blackwood at 10.58pm.
Project Bernie will focus on a number of key areas, including diversionary activities for young people to encourage positive behaviour, high visibility patrols to act as deterrents in areas of high levels of grass fires, and general community awareness-raising of the issue of deliberate grass fire setting.
Activities on offer to young people around Bargoed include being a firefighter for the day, bush craft survival skills, learning how to design and create a piece of fire-themed art and much more on the Project Bernie roadshow.
Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Public Protection said: “Project Bernie is very much about creating a permanent behavioural change through a combination of education, prevention and enforcement, and I am pleased that we are able to run this excellent project once again this year.
“I would encourage as many young people as possible to get involved in the activities on offer, and together we can continue to help prevent deliberately set grass fires in our county borough”.
Over 700 firefighters from across @SWFireandRescue have fought 139 grass fires since 5th March 129 deliberately started #stilllaughing?
— Jennie Griffiths (@GriffithsJECtrl) March 19, 2016
In conjunction with Project Bernie, a short film was launched by all three Welsh Fire and Rescue Services.
Titled ‘Still Laughing?’, the short film is the foundation of a harder hitting side of the campaign, and is aimed at secondary school aged pupils and upwards.
The campaign aims to encourage potential fire starters to think about the consequences of deliberately starting grass and mountain fires, showing that something which may seem like fun could have devastating consequences.
Huw Jakeway, Chief Fire Officer for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service commented, “Tackling the issues of deliberate grass fires is as much about prevention, education and enforcement as it is about operational equipment and tactics for putting the fires out.
“We have been and will continue to work closely with our neighbouring Fire and Rescue Services and partner agencies to address the underlying issues of anti-social behaviour and deliberate grass fire setting that result in the devastation of the environment.
“We are very keen to involve the local people in stopping the blight of deliberate grass fires.”