Date of Request
20/08/24
Request
Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,
Please supply me with data relating to fires on balconies on residential buildings in your area, as follows;
· How many fires involving balconies occurred in total between 1st August 2023 and 31st July 2024?
· In the same period, how many fires occurred where balconies were found to have contributed to the spread of the fire across the external walls?
· Please provide data on the causes of any fires that started on balconies in the period (ie; barbecue, discarded cigarette, electrical appliance fault, etc.) and the number of occurrences for each cause.
Suppose your incident recording system does not include “balcony” as a recorded location. Could you please perform a search on free text fields in your database for the term, as I have found in the past that this often returns useable data.
Yours faithfully,
Response
Hi
We thank you for your request for 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 that the information that you have requested is held and is attached.
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 Subject).
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