Joint Fire Control, the control room providing fire control services for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, received more than 2,500 calls on 13 August 2026, including nearly 2,000 emergency 999 calls, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has reported1. The control room typically receives around 200 calls per day1. The NFCC published the figures on 29 October 2026 to mark International Control Room Week, which runs from 26 October to 1 November 20261.
The peak fell within a period of sustained activity lasting 39 days, during which personnel managed higher call volumes alongside multiple major incidents1. At times around 30 incidents were ongoing simultaneously, including major wildfires across both service areas1. Call volumes also rose significantly at other points in August, including a further peak around 24 August1. The figures include emergency calls and other calls received by the control room, including those from fire stations, members of the public and operational partners1.
Staffing at the control room grew from a team that would ordinarily have seven personnel on duty to 26 at the height of the response, with former control staff returning from other roles, managers working extended shifts and administrative colleagues trained quickly to support administrative call handling1. Every available control room desk was brought into use, with additional space provided by police colleagues, and some personnel worked shifts of up to 16 hours1. The control room also activated Operation Willow Beck, an arrangement that enables fire and rescue services to work with BT to manage emergency call volumes exceeding their own call-handling capacity1.
Separately, National Resilience data provided directly to the NFCC shows that fire and rescue services in England and Wales responded to 1,004 wildfires during July and August 2026, including 519 in August, the highest monthly total recorded1.
"In my 28 years working in fire control, I have experienced some incredibly busy periods, but this summer was among the most demanding."
Why it matters for households
The figures describe the pressure placed on the 999 system during a period of wildfire activity across England and Wales, and how a control room copes when demand exceeds its normal capacity. Households in the two service areas covered by Joint Fire Control, Mid and West Wales and South Wales, were served by a control room handling more than ten times its usual daily call volume on 13 August 20261. The NFCC reports that the arrangement with BT, Operation Willow Beck, exists to manage emergency call volumes that exceed a service's own call-handling capacity1. The NFCC has not reported any failure to answer calls, and no figure for calls abandoned or unanswered has been published1.
Phil Garrigan, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, said that when someone calls 999 it is often one of the most difficult moments of their life, and that the voice that answers can make an enormous difference1. He said control colleagues remain at the heart of an incident from beginning to end, making critical decisions, managing information and coordinating resources, often under significant pressure1.
The NFCC's figures cover July and August 2026, a period of heat and wildfire activity; the site's heatwaves and drought hub sets out background on heat warnings and drought conditions.
What happens next
International Control Room Week runs from 26 October to 1 November 2026 and recognises the contribution of emergency service control room personnel1. No further steps, reviews or operational changes arising from the summer's call volumes have been reported1.
