As we move into Spring 2026, the familiar sound of rain against the window has finally subsided for many across the UK. For those in the resilience and emergency response community, this winter hasn’t just been another season of "wet weather", it has been a sustained test of our national infrastructure, our legislative frameworks, and the endurance of front-line teams.
The statistics for the 25/26 winter are staggering. By the end of January, England had already exceeded its total seasonal average for winter rainfall, sitting at 111% of the long-term average with over a month of the season still to go.
We’ve seen localised records shattered: Cornwall and County Down recorded their wettest January on record, while parts of Northern Ireland experienced their highest rainfall in 149 years. Perhaps most challenging for the Environment Agency and Fire & Rescue Services was the lack of "recovery time" between events. In places like North Wyke in Devon and Cardinham in Cornwall, tracked 40 consecutive wet days between New Year’s Eve and early February.
When the ground is this saturated, the "buffer" is gone. Even moderate rainfall now triggers immediate surface water flooding, turning every passing low-pressure system into a potential life-safety event.
This unprecedented pressure led to a significant moment in January when the National Fire Chiefs Council issued a direct call to the Government for a statutory duty for flooding response in England. As Fire Chiefs have pointed out, the demand on their services is rising faster than the legal and funding frameworks meant to support them.
Operational demand for flood response has increased by 23% over the last five years. Yet, while fire services in Scotland and Wales operate under a clear statutory framework, England's Fire & Rescue Services are often left to bridge the gap without the same legal clarity or dedicated funding.
For response teams, the challenge is clear. The Environment Agency estimates that 6.3 million properties are now at risk. The reactive cycle of flood response is becoming unsustainable; what is needed is a unified, strategic approach to coordination that matches the scale of the climate challenge.
In the heat of an incident - such as the peak of Storm Chandra in January, the primary challenge isn’t just the volume of water, it’s the volume of information.
When multiple agencies are all operating in a rapidly evolving flood zone, the risk of "information silos" is high. Responders on the ground need to know:
Historically, answering these questions required a flurry of radio calls and disparate maps. In the modern flood landscape, there is no margin for that delay.
At Airbox, we believe that the bravest responders deserve the best information. The challenges highlighted by Fire Chiefs and Environment Agency teams this winter underscore the need for a single version of the truth.
Situational awareness isn't just about "seeing" the incident; it’s about the speed of decision-making. When we can reduce the time spent on "where are you?" and "what are you seeing?". We give commanders more time to focus on "what do we do next?"
The 25/26 winter has been a wake-up call. As we continue to monitor the remaining flood alerts and begin the long process of community recovery, the conversation must move toward resilience.
Whether it is the introduction of a statutory duty for Fire & Rescue Services or the continued digital transformation of response capabilities, one thing is certain: we cannot manage 21st-century floods with 20th-century coordination tools.