Date of Request
November 23
Request
Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,
Can I please request, in the form of a spreadsheet such as Excel or CSV file, information on wildfires attended by the fire and rescue service.
1. I would like the total number of wildfires recorded by the fire and rescue service, broken down by month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).
2. In a separate tab I would like details of each wildfire incident. Please include:
Date of incident
Time of day incident reported
Incident duration (minutes)
Location (please include longitude and latitude and local authority if available) Cause of wildfire (if available) Size of area damaged by wildfire (square meters if available) Total number of buildings affected Total number of dwellings affected Total number of firefighters injured, seriously injured or killed
If this request cannot be met within the cost limits for Freedom of Information requests, please can you provide me with advice and assistance on how I may refine my request.
Yours faithfully,
X
Response
Ref: FOI 224 08 23
Hi 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 and is detailed below:
|
Row Year |
Incidents which met NOG definition of wildfire |
|
2017 |
1 |
|
2018 |
4 |
|
2019 |
1 |
|
2021 |
1 |
|
2022 |
5 |
|
Total |
12 |
Unfortunately system limitations mean that we are unable to provide further detailed information and for the purposes of FOI that this information is “not held by the Service”.
We have made zero new purchases of equipment relating to wildfires in the past 5 years, however a few products have been discussed, mainly different types of ‘Beaters’, nothing has been ordered as of yet.
Unfortunately the service does not breakdown its financials costs by incident type: breakdown of our budget allocation can be found in several documents on our website like our Fire Authority Annual Reports that can be found via this link CMIS > Committees > Policy and Resources Committee
Should 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.
Information Governance Team