196 07 23 – Stairlift Fires (July 2023)

Date of Request

July 23

Request

Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,

I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

How many call outs to homes made by the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were related to injuries or problems with stairlifts in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, and (d) 2022?

I would prefer to receive any information in an electronic format at this email address.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.

If you can identify any ways that my request could be refined, I would be grateful for any further advice and assistance.

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email and I will be very happy to clarify what I am asking for.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,

Response

Dear X,

Thank you for your request for incident information which has been received by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (the Service) and considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

The Service can confirm the requested incident information is held. There were a total of 28 incidents involving stair lifts that were related to injuries or problems with stairlifts in the home. Please find the summary of the incident statistics below, as requested and with additional details:

Year

Number of Incidents

2019

6

2020

8

2021

8

2022

6

Grand Total

28

Property Type

Number of Incidents

2019

6

House – single occupancy

6

2020

8

House – single occupancy

8

2021

8

House – single occupancy

8

2022

6

House – single occupancy

5

Bungalow – single occupancy

1

Grand Total

28

Incident Type

Number of Incidents

2019

6

Other

4

Trapped in or under machinery or other object, e.g hopper, conveyor, crusher.

1

Assistance to other agencies

1

2020

8

Other

5

For person in distress

2

Assistance to other agencies

1

2021

8

Other

7

Trapped in or under machinery or other object, e.g hopper, conveyor, crusher.

1

2022

6

Trapped Limb

2

Other

2

For able bodied person not in distress

1

For person in distress

1

Grand Total

28

The incident report is not intended to be a line by line account of the incident but a report collated for statistical purposes produced for the Home Office detailing our attendance and initial impressions by the officer in charge. Details of the Incident Commander’s initial impressions are selected from a limited range of options available, which may or may not cover the exact circumstances of each case. This information is included within the report but it should be noted that the information is not based on a detailed investigation and should not be relied upon as evidence.

If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact Information Governance and Committee Services on tel: 0345 122 4454 or by e-mail informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk In any such communication please include the reference number assigned (see above).

Should you have any queries regarding the management of your request and wish to make either a complaint or request a review of the information disclosed to you, please do so by using Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s complaints system: Comments and Complaints. This must be done within 40 working days of our response to your request. After this date and in line with ICO guidance the Service is not obliged to provide an internal review of your request.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (alternatively 01625 545745) or E-mail: casework@ico.org.uk

Further information on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service may be viewed at the Service’s website: www.hwfire.org.uk

Thank you for your request for information.

Kind regards,

Information Governance Team