• Freedom of Information Act Request

    The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides the public with a general right of access to information recorded and held by public authorities.

    Our publication scheme and this website may provide you with the information you require, so please check this first.

    How to make a request for information under FOIA

    To be valid under FOIA the request must:

    • be made in writing (for example by letter or email).
    • have a full contact name and return address (or email address).
    • clearly and legibly describe what information is required.
    • contain details of the format in which you would like the information to be sent to you.

    You can make your request by post to:

    Knowledge and Information Officer
    Corporate Programme and Intelligence 

    Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
    Headquarters
    Garstang Road
    Fulwood
    Preston
    PR2 3LH

    Or by email to: dp&foi@lancsfirerescue.org.uk

    We will respond to FOIA requests within 20 working days of receiving the request. If we are unable to do this we will contact you to explain why there is a delay and to let you know when you can expect a response.

    If you are requesting details of information that we may hold about yourself (your personal data) you will need to make a Subject Access Request.

    For more information about the Freedom of Information Act 2000 go to these external websites: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk or www.justice.gov.uk

    If you have recently made an FOIA request and you are unhappy with the information that you have received, you may wish to request a review of our decision. If you wish to do this, you should write to the Knowledge and Information Officer at the address above or by email to dp&foi@lancsfirerescue.org.uk

  • Environmental Information Regulations Request

    The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give individuals the right to access environmental information that public authorities hold and requires the authorities to make such information available to the public by electronic means which is easily accessible; and take reasonable steps to organise the information relevant to its functions with a view to the active and systematic dissemination to the public of the information.

    If you wish to make a request for Information under the Regulations, you can do so in the following ways:

    by letter, to:

    Knowledge and Information Officer
    Corporate Programme and Intelligence 

    Lancashire Fire & Rescue Services
    Service Headquarters
    Garstang Road
    Fulwood
    Preston
    PR2 3LH

    by email: dp&foi@lancsfirerescue.org.uk

    You should make your request clear and legible, and you should try to be as specific as possible about the information you want.

    You should provide an address for us to send any documentation or information back to, an email address is acceptable.

    If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, The ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. The Information Commissioner can be contacted as follows: 

    The Information Commissioner’s Office 

    Wycliffe House
    Water Lane
    Wilmslow
    Cheshire
    SK9 5AF

    Telephone: 08456 306060 or 01625 545745

    www.ico.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

  • Subject Access Request

    Data Protection Act 2018 – Right to Access Personal Information

    Subject Access – Guidance for the Applicants.

    At a glance

    • Individuals have the right to access their personal data and supplementary information, this right is known as Subject Access.
    • The right of access allows individuals to be aware of and verify the lawfulness of the processing of any data held about them.  

    In brief

    What information is an individual entitled to under the Data Protection Act 2018 (subsequently referred to as the Act)?  Under the Act, individuals will have the right to obtain:

    • Confirmation that their data is being processed;
    • access to their personal data; and
    • other supplementary information – this largely corresponds to the information that is provided in the relevant privacy notice.

    Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services (LFRS) Privacy Notices are available below.

    What is the purpose of the right of access under the Act?

    The Act clarifies that the reason for allowing individuals to access their personal data is so that they are aware of and can verify the lawfulness of the processing.

    Is there a fee for dealing with a Subject Access Request? 

    Information must be provided free of charge. However, LFRS maintain the right to charge a ‘reasonable fee’ when a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, particularly if it is repetitive.

    LFRS may also charge a reasonable fee to comply with requests for further copies of the same information. The fee will be based on the administrative cost of providing the information.

    How quickly with the information by provided? 

    Information must be provided without delay and at the latest within one month of receipt.

    LFRS will be able to extend the period of compliance by a further two months where requests are complex or numerous. If this is the case, we must inform you within one month of the receipt of the request and explain why the extension is necessary.

    Please note: Fire Reports by their very nature can be complex and require Quality Assurance to ensure their accuracy.  LFRS may on occasions use the above mentioned extension for this purpose.

    What if the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive?

    Where requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because they are repetitive, LFRS can:

    • charge a reasonable fee taking into account the administrative costs of providing the information; or
    • refuse to respond.

    If LFRS makes the decision to refuse to respond to a request, we must explain why, informing the applicant of their right to complain to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and to a judicial remedy without undue delay and at the latest within one month.

    The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

    Information Commissioner’s Office
    Wycliffe House
    Water Lane
    Wilmslow
    Cheshire SK9 5AF

    Telephone: 08456 306060 or 01625 545745

    www.ico.gov.uk

    What is required of the Applicant?

    LFRS must verify the identity of the person making the request, using ‘reasonable means’.  As such the Applicant will be asked to provide relevant forms of identification.

    How will the information by provided?

    If the request is made electronically, we will endeavour to provide the information in a commonly used electronic format.

    Alternately we will provide the requested information in hard copy.

    Requests for large amounts of personal data.

    Where LFRS processes a large quantity of information about an individual, the Act permits us to ask the individual to specify the information the request relates to.

    The Data Protection Act 2018 does not include an exemption for requests that relate to large amounts of data, but LFRS may consider whether the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

    How to apply for a copy of your personal data.

    LFRS have created a form which can be used to aid you in requesting data from us, and to assist us in finding the relevant data.

    This form and its relevant guidance document can be found using the links below:

  • Requests from Other Agencies

    Other agencies, such as social Services or Local Authorities who require Personal and/or Sensitive information from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service should complete a DP2 Data Protection Form which can be downloaded here

    The completed form should be submitted to: infogov@lancsfirerescue.org.uk

    Should you require any assistance with the completion of this form, please contact the Knowledge and Information Officer using the email address above.

  • How We Plan for Emergencies

    The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) to make arrangements for obtaining information needed for the purpose of extinguishing fires and protecting life and property within its area. This means we must identify premises and businesses within Lancashire where we may not be able to deal with an incident at their site using standard operating procedures, where a site specific plan or hazard statement is required to enhance our response.

    The Response and Emergency Planning (REP) department, at our headquarters, coordinates our emergency planning activities. This includes the delivery of our legal requirements defined within the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and other emergency planning legislation. The Emergency Planning Officer at SHQ acts as a single point of contact for other agencies involved in emergency planning and is regularly consulted with regard to significant or high risk sites.

    The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a consistent level of civil protection activity across the UK. The Act provides a basic framework defining what tasks should be performed and how co-operation should be conducted.

    Under this Act, the responsibility for assessing premise hazard risk and any subsequent proportionate planning, warning and informing within Lancashire sits with the Local (Lancashire) Resilience Forum (LRF). The LRF allows responders to consult, collaborate and disclose information with each other to facilitate planning and response to emergencies, and produce the Community Risk Register (CRR). In determining the local risk and producing the community risk register, the LRF must first consider the national risk register and then consider additional risks.

    Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service is a Category 1 responder under this Act.

    This document sits within our Integrated Risk Management Plan.

    PLANNING FOR INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE CUADRILLA SITE AT PRESTON NEW ROAD.

    The LFRS site specific plan deals with on-site risks and would be implemented in conjunction with the plans of other agencies as appropriate, should an incident occur. The LFRS site specific planning includes, in no particular order:

    Life risk, Access, Water supplies, Firefighting information, Utility hazards, Site plans / floor plans, Hazards (including chemical and gasses), Salvage, Environment, Local infrastructure, Economic risk, Other agency plans, Holding areas, RVPs ETC.

    LFRS does not work in isolation and would respond to an emergency at this site in partnership with other Category 1 Responders (as defined in the Civil Contingencies Act). LFRS is part of the Lancashire Resilience Forum (LRF). The LRF is not a legally constituted entity, and is formed with representatives from organisations involved in the planning for and response to emergencies. A risk assessment has been undertaken for the Cuadrilla Preston New Road site by the LRF. The outcome of this LRF risk assessment was an overall risk rating of Medium – which means the level of risk does not warrant specific multi-agency planning and can be covered by generic arrangements and single-agency plans, as appropriate.  More information relating to this can be found at https://www.stayintheknow.co.uk/EmergencyInfo.

    The LRF risk assessment is under constant review and will be updated as necessary when there is a substantial change, for example when fracking actually starts.

    Responsibility for the evacuation of schools lies with the schools themselves although they can be guided by the LRF. Lancashire County Council’s Health Safety and Resilience Service (as part of the LRF) has recently updated the templates and guidance to aid schools in developing appropriate and effective emergency / contingency plans.