Date of Request
August 23
Request
Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,
Can I please request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
1) The number of fires that the service responded to in listed buildings (to include Grade I, Grade II*, Grade II) between January 2018 and August 2023 (or the latest available date).
2) The names and addresses of the buildings referred to in Q1.
3) If possible, information on whether each fire referred to in Q1 was considered deliberate.
If you are encountering practical difficulties complying with this request, please contact me as soon as possible (in line with your Section 16 duty to advise and assist requesters) so that we can discuss the matter, and if necessary, I can modify the request. If any redactions are needed, please state under what exemption/s. Redactions should not be included as part of the estimated costs/time.
Many thanks,
Response
Dear ,
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 partially. Please find the answers to the questions below:
Question 1) The number of fires that the service responded to in listed buildings (to include Grade I, Grade II*, Grade II) between January 2018 and August 2023 (or the latest available date).
Answer 1 At the operational area of the Service, there are 12,363 listed building. The Incident Recording System (IRS), which was designed by the Home Office, does not have a category “listed building” in the property type list. In order to respond to this query, a search of key words was used to determine occurrence of fire incidents at historic buildings within the given timeframe. The search returned 7 fire incidents.
Question 2 The names and addresses of the buildings referred to in Q1.
Answer 2 Please find below table that provides requested details.
Please note that the Avoncroft is home to multiple listed buildings but is not classed as a listed building itself.
Question 3 If possible, information on whether each fire referred to in Q1 was considered deliberate.
Answer 3 Please find below table that provides requested details.
|
Name |
Address |
Deliberate fire? |
|
Eau Withington Court |
Eau Withington, Hereford, HR1 3NQ |
No |
|
Red Lion Inn |
Red Lion Inn, 4 and 6, St Ann’s Road, Malvern, WR14 4RG |
No |
|
Lower Bank Farmhouse |
Lower Bank Farmhouse, Eastham, WR15 8PA |
No |
|
Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings |
Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, B60 4JR |
Yes |
|
Penny Pitt Farm |
Penny Pitt Farm, Much Birch, HR2 8HZ |
No |
|
Brewery Inn |
Bye St, Ledbury, HR8 2AG |
No |
|
Hindlip Hall |
Hindlip, Worcester, WR3 8SP |
No |
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