AIBU to think the wildfire alert about barbecues was unnecessary?

[HollyhockDayssss]

AIBU to think the alert was unnecessary? I get wildfires are an issue but informing the public not to use bbqs isnt a life and death situation.

They were used to tell people not to start fires.

And you should try checking quote histories before being so fucking aggressive.

Exactly. We've had bits of rain, today, but not enough to leave puddles and the ground has dried quickly when it stops. It's not enough to make a difference.

We have a few hours of proper rain forecast, tomorrow night but we need that several times over a few weeks for dead vegetation to rot down and new shoots to grow.

The point is the Fire Service requested this alert from the government because they are so worried. They wanted to ram home the message that you shouldn’t be having bonfires, bbqs, throwing around vapes and glass bottles outside etc. They are the ones putting their lives and safety on the line fighting these devastating fires. It wasn’t about Labour being “nannying”. Why can’t people respect that and understand? I know the alert could have been handled better. And still fools are lighting fires in tinderbox areas cos”” “no one tells me what to do”.

Who is being aggressive?
Can you not see the difference between a general safety announcement and an alert to imminent danger. The mobile phone alert should only have been used for the latter. It was set up to do just that and has been misused.
Had it been targeted at the areas that had fires and told people how to respond if their home was in imminent danger of catching fire then it might have been appropriate.

Important as they are, the fire services do not run the country. It is for the government to make the decisions. They made a bad one on Friday and are now trying to pass the buck.

Eh?

i put pepper on my garden every night to keep the crocodiles away. I haven’t had a crocodile in my garden all week because the pepper is so good at its job.

Most of England and Wales have had fires.

If you check your alert settings, they are categorised as severe and extreme. Maybe you need to turn the severe ones off, for the sake of your blood pressure.

What do I do if my house is in imminent danger of catching fire? That migjt have been useful information.

I mean, if you don't know that, then there really isn't any helping you is there.

Following fire service advice and taking a step that potentially saves lives isn't a bad decision.

People whinging about it are just so bloody wet.

Now you know what the alert sounds like, if one comes, it'll give you the information.

There wouldn't be any point in giving provisional instructions because a) nobody knows where a fire is going to be in advance, b) nobody knows how a fire that hasn't happened yet would behave in particular weather conditions or what the road conditions would be like and c) from the general absence of comprehension skills displayed on Mumsnet, a bunch of people would think they had to evacuate right then, others would head for the location of the fire in the event of it being in the opposite direction because that's what was said in the earlier test/warning and another bunch would be posting here asking what the neighbour means by saying they've had a text message saying 'Evacuate now' when they've already followed the direction of other MNetters and deactivated the whole thing.

Kind of like the covid masks

It was an appalling misuse of an emergency system that has only led to more people switching the alerts off.

As with COVID, there is only so much crying wolf that the government can get away with. A text message and a press conference would have done the trick. I was driving up the A1 at the time, and it near gave me a heart attack. Of course I looked at my phone, I thought the Russians had launched or something. And I got the message 3 times.

Call 999

It really wasn't an appalling misuse, unless you think you know better than the actual fire service.

Had there been more than 1,000 incidents of crocodiles in your garden this year? How many crocodile attacks are there. Did you reach last year's total by the end of July (which is before peak crocodile season)

Was your crocodile fighting capacity at breaking point 100 miles away fighting other crocodiles that have destroyed property & likely to kill?

What might have helped is a message that was almost impossible to ignore being sent to everyone, so that anybody who might suddenly be thinking of or decide on the spur of the moment to get themselves a crocodile, alligator or cayman for their garden last weekend were made aware that there is a serious problem with crocodillians on the rampage at present and could think maybe it's not the best idea right now.

And for people who are concerned about possible crocodillian attack to be reassured through receiving that message - or who were completely oblivious to the issue, not being Capybara or Wildebeeste needing to cross a river to shop for food - that should one emerge from a sewer near them, they would receive an alert, day or night, that wouldn't be missed due to their phone being on silent or not being at home.

It is that bad!

The fire service had reached breaking point. If it has continued then they likely would have failed to respond to other emergencies eg you or your child trapped in a vehicle following a crash.

If you or a loved one were trapped & fighting for your life would you want the fire & rescue service to get you out or would be okay with a passer by holding your/your families hand while you died waiting 2 hours for a fire crew.

This “emergency” message might be acceptable as a one-off, as long as…

alerts like this do not become a “new normal” (echoing 2020). If we start getting siren alerts for the following, I and others will certainly switch them off (as long as cover software updates do not prevent it). Yes, I am exaggerating, but I think this point needs to be made.

September: beware fallen leaves making the pavement slippery!!!!
October: do not allow children to go trick or treating without an adult!!!!
November: Do not return to a firework after it has been lighted!
December: The NHS is overwhelmed with flu, stay at home, and wear a mask if you venture out!

The amount of fuss being made about this alert is baffling to me and I can only see it as the reaction of a spoilt and silly society. I agree there were mistakes in how it was done and it caused problems to some people, there should have been a better publicised warning beforehand that it was expected. But for anyone to turn off their ability to receive future alerts because they're somehow offended or put out about an alarm that lasted a few seconds with a very clearly displayed message explaining what it was all about is beyond stupid. Maybe it just doesn't seem necessary if you're living in one of the areas that has had plenty of rain and no heatwaves, but that isn't the case for millions of us, nor for those who have lost their homes overnight to wildfires, nor to the firefighters stretched to their limits.

I get frustrated with this school of thought. “Try telling that to insert victim of rare event” doesn’t justify overreacting and intrusion. Imagine getting an alert every time you crossed a road “try telling that to the families who had a child run over”.

But that is not going to happen, is it?

Well that seems to be the crux of your point. Because a small amount of people have suffered severe detriment, we should all be grateful to receive an alarm? I accept this emergency warning in my phone in the understanding that it is rare and emergency life threatening situations, not instructions that are common sense. It’s not proportionate and breaks the contract.

It's not a "small amount of people". The fire service is stretched beyond the limit now that it can guarantee to come to everyone's aid in an emergency. As has been said earlier in these threads, crews have been called to areas all over the country. So their usual designated area is no longer staffed sufficiently. That's why the alert was sent. And some of these fires need never have happened but people have been careless and/or ignorant. But don't take my word for it, if you think it's a load of rubbish talk to your local fire service and see what they have to say about it. Maybe I'm wrong.