Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) welcomed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Resilience) Baroness Blake of Leeds CBE to Merseyside for a visit highlighting the Service’s significant role as the lead authority for National Resilience (NR), alongside its people, facilities and specialist capabilities.

Funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – the Fire National Resilience Capabilities programme helps fire and rescue services across England to respond effectively to major incidents like major building collapses or natural disasters.

MFRS was delighted to host Baroness Blake and showcase the capabilities that National Resilience provides on behalf of fire and rescue services across England.

The visit highlighted the expertise, dedication and readiness of personnel, and demonstrated how specialist capabilities support the country's response to major and complex incidents.

The recent £97 million Government investment in National Resilience assets, that includes state of the art Wildfire vehicles and cutting-edge kit and equipment, is a significant step forward, ensuring firefighters are equipped with modern, fit-for-purpose capabilities to meet the risks of today and tomorrow.

The Minister began a tour starting at the National Resilience Centre of Excellence - part of MFRS’s Training and Development Academy, where she was shown a presentation on Merseyside’s advanced capabilities.

It outlined how MFRS, as the lead authority, is responsible for the mobilisation, coordination and monitoring of national resilience assets in response to significant, serious or catastrophic incidents. The Minister was also briefed on how NR capabilities are strategically located across England in line with the National Security Risk Assessment, ensuring rapid and effective responses to major incidents.

The Minister observed demonstrations of immersive and specialist environments that acted as examples of how and when National Resilience assets are used.

The demonstrations - which included wildfire, flood rescue, enhanced logistics support, urban search and rescue, and canine capabilities - highlighted how MFRS works to respond to major incidents, natural disasters and national emergencies.

The visit concluded with a tour of National Resilience Fire Control, where the Minister saw first-hand how specialist control capabilities coordinate NR assets across England.

MFRS Chief Fire Officer Nick Searle said:

“It was a privilege to welcome the Minister to Merseyside and to showcase our incredible facilities. I am extremely proud of the dedication, skill and professionalism of our staff, whose expertise ensures we are able to respond to a wide range of complex, high-risk and disruptive incidents.

“This visit highlighted not only the vital role Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service plays locally, but also our national leadership as the lead authority for National Resilience, providing specialist assets, coordination and support across England.”

MFRS Area Manager for National Resilience, Dave Watson said:

“We were delighted to welcome Baroness Blake to Merseyside and provide an opportunity to see firsthand the scale, professionalism and capability of Fire and Rescue National Resilience. The visit was extremely positive and enabled the Minister to meet the teams who maintain and deliver these specialist capabilities on behalf of communities across England.

“It was important that the Minister could see how National Resilience assets, training and assurance arrangements work together to support Fire and Rescue Services during the most complex and demanding incidents, whether that is major flooding, wildfire, structural collapse, terrorist attacks or other large-scale emergencies.

“The Minister left with a clear understanding of both the dedication of the people involved and the value that National Resilience provides to the country.

“The recent Government investment of £97 million in National Resilience assets demonstrates a commitment to ensuring firefighters have the modern equipment, vehicles and capabilities required to respond effectively to emerging risks and future challenges. This significant investment will strengthen national preparedness and help ensure we remain ready to support communities whenever and wherever they need us most.”