Introduction

A number of LFRS employees also have social media accounts. We have a set of house rules for how we use social media and how we expect anyone interacting with our accounts to use it too.

Always call 999 to report an emergency

Our social media accounts are not monitored 24 hours a day and shouldn’t be used to report an emergency. If you need urgent help, call 999.

What we will do

We will listen

• We’re keen to hear from you and will do our best to answer your enquiries.

• If the matter is complex or requires a lengthy or detailed response, you may be directed to a relevant officer or department to discuss further or asked to submit a freedom of information request.

• Due to the amount of comments we receive on some posts, it isn’t always possible for us to be able to reply individually. If your query is urgent, serious or involves personal details, please contact us in a different way.

We will be polite and professional

• You can expect the same level of politeness and professionalism that you would receive if we were talking on the phone or face-to-face.

We may follow and share other accounts

• We frequently follow accounts that provide information that is pertinent to our work or whose information we can pass on for the benefit of local people.

• While we may like or follow someone, retweet or share their information, it doesn’t mean that we endorse them.

• We can’t share everything we’re asked to so please don’t be offended if we don’t respond to your request.

We are politically neutral

• Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, as opposed to the governing Lancashire Combined Fire Authority, must be politically neutral in its communications. Please do not use any of our social media channels to promote party political messages or related content. 

What we would like you to do

Please be kind

• Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service will not tolerate offensive, abusive language or images on its social media channels and will remove any such comments.

• Please do not post any comments that are unlawful, harassing, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually oriented or discriminatory.

• Don’t troll; by that we mean don’t create conflict on our social media sites by posting messages that are particularly controversial or inflammatory, vexatious, extraneous or off-topic, with the intent of disrupting normal, on-topic discussion.

We would like you not to spam or advertise

• Please don’t post the same message, or very similar messages, repeatedly and don’t advertise products or services.

Avoid political comments

• We will remove any comments that may compromise our obligation to maintain political neutrality.

Be careful not to post private information about yourself or others

• Please be careful not to post private or personal information about yourself or others in a public space.

We may unfollow, delete or block

• We will take down any comments that we consider could be deemed as any of the above and report them to the relevant platform administrators.

• If we unfollow or block your account, this will probably be because you’ve abused our guidelines. If you’ve been blocked and wish to discuss it you can contact Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s corporate communications department.