Date of Request
14/02/2025
Request
Dear Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Team,
I hope you are doing well.
My name is … and I am a research assistant at UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, currently working … on a project researching fire incidents and emergency response across the West Midlands county.
In the UK, each fire and rescue service (FRS) optimises station placement based on the populations they serve, often prioritising central areas with high population density. This could lead to slower response times in peripheral zones in the coverage areas, creating what is known as “edge effects”. Our research aims to identify this edge effect and to propose strategic planning of fire resources for mitigating this edge effect. To do this, we would need the historical fire incident data from the five FRS in West Midland County.
Specifically, we are looking for detailed incident data to better understand incident patterns, response times, and resource distribution across different local areas. We prefer individual incident data (see below), but if the individual data is unavailable, we are happy to access aggregated data. Please find attached a breakdown of the datasets that WMFS has provided to support this research.
- Individual incident data: date, time, location, type of incident, mobilisation time (time of fire engine dispatch), attendance time (time of arrival at the incident), number of appliances (fire engines) in attendance, and outcome (e.g., number of fatalities, casualties, area of fire or smoke damage in square meters, or duration of the incident).
- Aggregated data ( Output Area or Lower Super Output Area level): aggregated data on fire incident frequency, response statistics, and any relevant trends.
- Fire station data: the geographical location (longitude and latitude/ easting and northing) and number and types of appliances (fire engines) at each station.
We understand that certain information may be subject to data protection regulations, and we are happy to discuss how best to access anonymised or aggregated data where necessary. Additionally, if there are specific reports or publicly available datasets that may be useful, I would appreciate any guidance on accessing them.
We would like to highlight the previous collaboration between CASA and West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), including initiatives such as the Hackathon, which focused on analysing spatiotemporal datasets and developing data-driven solutions, as well as the postgraduate dissertation scheme.
I have attached a PDF which includes a breakdown of key datasets that West Midlands Fire Service has provided to support this research. Please let me know if a call or meeting would be helpful to discuss this request further.
Best regards,
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 as per the attached documents.
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