Under the Freedom of Information Act anyone, who makes a request in writing to Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for information held, with notably few exceptions, is entitled to that information.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is obligated to deal with your request within 20 working days, during which time it must confirm or deny that the information requested is being held. Unless the information falls into one of the exemptions, such as national interest, law enforcement or personal data, under the act we are required to disclose it.

A written request can be submitted anywhere within the Fire and Rescue Service

In addition to hard copy documents, information can be photographs, videos, emails, electronic files and even handwritten post-it notes.

An individual making a request for information does not have to state that it is made under the Act. Also, for example, a person could hand a letter requesting information about a recent Fire Authority meeting to a firefighter attending an incident. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is then obliged to treat this as a request under the Act and deal with it accordingly.

The Brigade has 20 working days (Mondays to Fridays excluding Bank Holidays), starting from the day after the request is received, to respond. Within that time, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has a duty to confirm or deny whether it holds the information. If they do hold it, they are required to disclose it, unless it falls into one of the exemptions, such as national interest, law enforcement or personal data.