Member's statement: Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service: Mourne Mountain Fires
Member's statement by Ms Diane Forsythe on .
- MLA
- Ms Diane Forsythe
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 8 April 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service: Mourne Mountain Fires
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4919243
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Yesterday evening, I was privileged to join the deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, at Bloody Bridge to meet and thank the incredible team that is responding to the fires in the Mournes. We appreciate them so much as they fight the fires to keep us all safe and save nature. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) has been dedicated and outstanding in its work across Northern Ireland to fight a huge range of fires, especially those in the Mourne Mountains this weekend. Last night, it was insightful to hear about the success of the tactical approaches used across the fire sites, as well as about the professionalism, expertise and hard work in the face of danger. Our Fire and Rescue Service is amazing, and I thank it for all that it has done and continues to do. Two weeks ago, I stood here and spoke about the devastating fires in the Mournes and appealed for people to stop that awful behaviour. I am saddened to have to speak again following the escalation, with a major incident declared on Saturday night and an arrest for arson. It needs to stop. I welcome the fact that the PSNI have made an arrest in connection with Saturday's fire, as well as its excellent coordination on the ground, closing roads and managing safety. I give special thanks to our local Mournes neighbourhood sergeant, Kenny Gracey, who was among those whom we met last night. It is important that the seriousness of the criminal activity that led to some of the fires be recognised. Arson is a dangerous crime that puts many lives at risk, not least the lives of those who go out to fight the fires. I hope that we see serious sentences and punishments that fit those crimes. Last night, we also met Sky Watch Northern Ireland, which is a Northern Ireland-based search-and-rescue charity that uses specialist drones, high-tech equipment and all-terrain vehicles to assist the police, fire service and other agencies with emergency responses. Its input into dealing with the fires has been critical. Mr Speaker, those on the Sky Watch NI team spoke highly about you and were grateful that, in your time as AERA Minister, when there were horrific mountain fires in 2021, you recognised their need for improved equipment and secured resources for them. The deputy First Minister and I were grateful that those on the team took the time to show us their equipment and how they reach difficult terrain in their vehicles. They demonstrated how they use the drones to view and measure the movement of the fire to assist the fire service. That was so impressive, and it gave us a great insight into the importance of resourcing such things to enable our emergency services to respond to such events. It would be great to see DAERA supporting the team's ideas for new drones to carry water up to the fires, which has the potential to make a huge impact. Again, I thank the emergency services, as they continue to fight the fires today. I pray for their safety and call on the public to stay out of the mountains until it is declared safe to return. I call on anyone with evidence of criminal behaviour to come forward to the PSNI.
549 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.47 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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