Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions she has had with [i] emergency services and [ii] public bodies on the impact of the use of the emergency alerts system on Friday 14 August 2026 to highlight fire prevention and the risks of wildfires.

Following every activation of the Emergency Alert system, the Cabinet Office carries out an internal evaluation with key stakeholders. After the 14th August, the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council noted that the Emergency Alert heightened public awareness of the risks affecting firefighters. It was reported that there was a reduction in the number of wildfires in the 72 hours following the Emergency Alert.

The Cabinet Office is committed to continuously improving this valuable service to keep people safe. The government remains ready to deploy the capability at short-notice in response to risks that pose a danger to life, including but not limited to flooding, severe weather and wildfires.