To consider the Bonfire Report 2024 (CFO/79/24).

Area Manager, Mark Thomas, provided the Members with a presentation on the Bonfire period for 2024.

The presentation outlined the planning process for Operation Banger which included discussion with partners, consideration of risks and liaising with communities. During the bonfire period, the Service removed 59 tonnes of material using 6 tipper trucks as well as utilising a trojan appliance in areas of anti-social behaviour.

The Members were shown images from bonfires which showed the risk for the community of such large scale bonfires in residential areas. The heat from the bonfires was significant and if the wind had blown in a different direction, there could have been disastrous consequences for those communities. The Chief Fire Officer emphasised that this kind of activity was not acceptable.

It was noted that community events that met safety requirements were not an issue, but those without adequate safeguards in place posed a serious risk.

The Chief Fire Officer reported that there had been a decline in the number of incidents during the pandemic but now the number of incidents had risen and there were significant concerns about the large scale bonfires being developed and encouraged by some local businesses and social media content creators. There had been a decline in the number of bonfire displays organised by local authorities and as such community groups were not managing risk at these events with the same rigour.

Members were advised that content creators on social media were encouraging competitive bonfire building to a dangerous level and that risk needed to be addressed. It had been reported that there were also businesses dropping off pallets at these events to add to the bonfire which further increased the risk of someone in the community being hurt by an out of control bonfire.

With these concerns in mind, the Chief Fire Officer explained that only events approved by the Safety Advisory Group would be supported moving forward as they would be safer and more regulated.

Officers were developing an unambiguous statement on this issue that would clearly outline what was and was not acceptable.

Councillor Brian Kenny noted the importance of this issue and urged Members to support the Authority’s message. Two of the bonfires highlighted in the presentation were within Councillor Kenny’s ward and he commented that although it brought the community together, there were many residents who were also afraid of the scale of the fire. The Chair reinforced the Members role was to make decisions that protected the people of Merseyside, and he hoped all Members would support this message.

Councillor Finneran noted the size of the fire and suggested that the local authority should have stepped in to say that the bonfires were too high to be safe. The Chief Fire Officer agreed that there were clear lessons to take away from the last Bonfire period and the expectations of the Authority in terms of what was acceptable, how these events should be managed and the assurances required to hold these events needed to be communicated with the community.

Councillor Lamb thanked officers for the work undertaken during this period which reassured Members that the Authority was taking this issue seriously. He asked if the Authority would liaise with local authorities about the proposed guidelines before the next bonfire period. The Chief Fire Officer explained that local authority colleagues had been supportive given the challenges they faced with unregulated events and it was expected that they would welcome an unambiguous position from the Authority.

Councillor O’Keeffe asked how the Authority worked with these community event organisers to help them understand what was unacceptable in terms of the scale of these bonfires. The Chief Fire Officer explained that the Authority sought to work with organisers and hoped they would liaise with the local authority for assistance with matters such as safety requirements.

Councillor Rennie commended Councillor Kenny and his colleagues for their hard work during the bonfire period. She emphasised the importance of embedding parameters in the community to ensure that these events were safe.

Area Manager, Mark Thomas noted that this was a significant challenge for the Service and there was a balance to reach between supporting community events and ensuring the community were kept safe.

RESOLVED that:

a)   the content of the report and the commitment and endeavours of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service in the delivery of the Bonfire Plan through Operation Banger 2024 be noted; and

b)   the increase in incidents this year and the intention of Officers to develop a clear and unambiguous position statement in relation to approved community bonfires (which meet clear safety requirements) and others developed without the appropriate safeguards in place to protect the public be noted.