“Firefighters cannot fight fires without water,” said Mr Garrigan.
“That sounds obvious, yet our evidence shows four in five fire and rescue services have had to change response plans because of concerns about firefighting water supplies,” he said.
“The demands on fire and rescue services are growing, with larger wildfires, extreme weather and increasingly complex risks.”
“As the task becomes more challenging, the very least firefighters should be able to rely on is access to the water they need to protect people and property.”
The NFCC’s survey, conducted over summer and which received responses from 50% of UK fire services, found that half of fire services it heard from “frequently encounter insufficient flow”.
It also suggested that a third of water companies cannot increase water flow when needed.
The NFCC said these factors have led to “workarounds”, increased demand on resources and “reduced resilience” when responding to incidents.
The organisation has called on water regulators to enforce measures on water providers regarding the provision of water for firefighting, and to implement “clear national standards” on fire hydrant repair and maintenance.
It also urged the UK government to ensure that fire and rescue services are recognised as “key stakeholders” within the water sector.
In response, Ofwat said it would consider the points raised in the NFCC’s report and added that water companies do “have a duty to supply fire and rescue services to support firefighting”.
“We would expect water companies and fire services to work together to ensure this is the case,” a spokesperson said.
