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<p>Please note that fire and rescue is a devolved issue in Wales, Northern Ireland
and Scotland. The Home Office is only able to comment on fire and rescue services
in England.</p><p>A statutory duty for firefighters to respond to flooding is unlikely
to make a significant difference to the Fire and Rescue Services, which already provide
effective response to flooding incidents. This has been consistently demonstrated
through the excellent response of Fire and Rescue Services to a range of incidents
including the flooding associated with recent Storm Babet (October 2023).</p><p>The
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 makes provision for Fire and Rescue Services to
respond to all kinds of emergencies, without providing specific duties for each type
of incident.</p><p>Furthermore, the Government provides the Fire and Rescue Service
with additional resource to tackle flooding via the provision of High-Volume Pumps
and Water Rescue Assets. <em>[Note: Water Rescue Assets are Defra Funded].</em></p>
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