Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth speaks to supporters, backed by his newly elected Senedd members on the steps of the Senedd, following winning the most seats in the Welsh Parliament election, May 9, 2026
FIREFIGHTERS in Wales today welcomed First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth’s commitment to a Welsh government-organised summit to discuss wildfires.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Wales told the Morning Star that it had written to Mr ap Iorwerth last month about convening such a summit.
FBU Wales regional secretary Duncan Stewart-Ball said it would be an opportunity to reflect on the increasing summer wildfires and the extra resources that will be needed.
“Hopefully, all stakeholders will be around the table and we’ll have open, honest, and frank conversations about how we improve the fire and rescue services across Wales,” Mr Stewart-Ball said.
“Our members are extremely tired after four weeks of continuous and relentless work dealing with the wildfires.
“As a union, we give our thanks to the fire crews — they’ve gone above and beyond what’s expected of them.
“We’ve got retained firefighters who are working on the hillside for up to 15 hours at a time, going home and then going to their primary employment, doing a full shift and then getting called out again.”
In south Wales, about 14 separate fires were tackled by crews on Sunday, while in Mid and West Wales, crews dealt with blazes at Rhandirmwyn and Ammanford in Carmarthenshire and Hay-on-Wye and Brecon in Powys.
The fire service has also attended fires in Gorseinon, Swansea, and Tenby, Pembrokeshire, as well as an incident involving smoke in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.
TUC Cymru general secretary Laura Doel said: “Firefighters are doing their best to tackle Wales’s wildfires with professionalism, courage and commitment.
“Wales owes them a debt of gratitude, but they need more than just our gratitude, they deserve to be kept safe while they work tirelessly to protect our lives, livelihoods and communities.
“Firefighters need the government’s support and they require more trained firefighters, adequate resources and more personal protective equipment.”
Mr Stewart-Ball said the union had been calling for investment in the fire and rescue service for several years, noting that, since 2010, it has lost over 400 firefighters across Wales.
The FBU also pointed out that fire control rooms were understaffed and running on minimum crewing.
“They have got to the point where the volume of calls have had to be spread across the UK,” Mr Stewart-Ball said.
“We need more firefighters, more resources and better equipment, and then we should be able to deal with these types of incidents.”
