Definition of Complaint
A complaint is an expression of discontent or dissatisfaction by a member of the public made about the standard of service, conduct, or actions or inaction of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
How to complain
The Service may receive complaints in writing or verbally (over the telephone or in person), at any one of the LFRS sites or anywhere where employees are working and available to the public.
Follow this link to addresses and telephone links
What happens once we receive a complaint
When a person makes a complaint the first approach to resolving a complaint will be to deal with it informally and where possible, directly with the person. Where the complaint is made by e-mail the first stage will be to contact the complainant to establish contact details to enable the initial verbal discussion to take place. The most appropriate manager on duty at the time the complaint is received will seek to resolve the complaint at this stage. Where this is achieved, no further action is required and the complaint will not be recorded as a formal complaint but will be logged.
Formal complaints are forwarded to a Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service senior manager, who will send a written acknowledgement to inform the complainant that the matter will be investigated and to expect written details of the outcome.
The senior manager will refer complaints for investigation within five working days of receipt by LFRS to an Investigating Manager who will contact the complainant within that five working days, giving their name and contact number. The points made by the complainant will be looked into as a matter of urgency and that a full response will be given within 20 working days from the initiation of the investigation by the Head of Operational Risk Management.
Appeals Mechanism
If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint as advised, an appeal mechanism is provided via the Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO). In the event of an appeal, the complainant will be given a written decision of the appeal outcome and related explanation for the decision. This will be provided as soon as reasonably practicable and the DCFO will advise of the likely time for consideration based on the issue/s in question. The anticipated timescale for a response will be communicated to the complainant. Should a complainant so wish, they may direct their appeal to the Local Government Ombudsman in the first instance as an alternative to the above mechanism.
Making a complaint about a Combined Fire Authority Member
The Authority in 2007 adopted the Standards for England National Code of Conduct governing the behaviour and standards expected of its elected members.
There is a procedure for dealing with any complaints against members of the Authority who may have breached the provisions of the Code. This is a separate procedure to dealing with complaints against members of the Service. If you want to make a complaint about the conduct of a member or members of the Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, you must submit your complaint, in writing to:-
The Chair of the Assessment Sub-Committee
Lancashire Combined Fire Authority
Standards Committee
C/O Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service
Headquarters
Garstang Road
Fulwood
Preston
PR2 3LH
The Assessment Sub-Committee can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a member and will not deal with matters that are not covered by the Code of Conduct. Any complaint must be about why the member has not followed the Code.
The Code of Conduct can be accessed here.