A VOLUNTARY firefighting party set up by Dartmoor Commoners is ready for action. The team of 22 commoners is now insured, kitted out with protective clothing and equipment, and waiting for their first wild fire. The firefighters will deal with fires across the Forest of Dartmoor — an area stretching from Princetown, up to Postbridge and Hexworthy. The team was set up as part of the Dartmoor Fire Management Plan — an initiative involving Dartmoor National Park Authority, Defra, the MOD, and the Duchy of Cornwall, along with Devon and Somerset Fire Service. They were trained in firefighting before Christmas at Okehampton Camp. The National Park Authority's Sandra Dodd, who works for the Hill Farm project in Princetown, was instrumental in bringing together all the parties involved in setting up the fire team. She said that although the commoners have helped deal with fire control for many years, in the past they have had no protective clothing or insurance to work alongside the fire brigade. Now, with that in place, and with a booking-in system which means that the whereabouts of firefighting volunteers is logged, they can tackle blazes much more safely. The heavy rain which Dartmoor has recently seen means the fire party has not yet been put to the test. But Sandra said it is hoped the scheme will eventually be rolled out to cover the whole of the moor.