1. Introduction.
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), public Authorities
should be clear and proactive about the information they make
public.
To comply with this Act, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
(ESFRS) has set up a publication
scheme (pdf) which consists of information already published
and held by the Authority or information which is to be published
in the future. The information within the Service's publication
scheme is either available on this website to download and print
off, or available in traditional document form by following the
procedure described below.
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2. Information on our website.
The documented activities of the East Sussex Fire & Rescue
Service are grouped under the following four categories. The 14
'classes' of information indicated in our publication scheme are
grouped under these categories. Click on the links below to find
the information you require.
The majority of the documents available through this Web site have been formatted as PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. In PDF form, each document retains the formatting and appearance of the original document and can be viewed on or printed from any computer. In order to access a PDF document, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader or Acrobat software. You can download a (free) copy of Acrobat Reader www.adobe.com if you don't already have it
on your computer.
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3. Information not directly available on our website.
You are entitled to ask the Authority for information which is not available on our website nor exempt under the FOIA. Under the FOIA you have the
right to ask for information to be provided in a particular way and we will try to meet your request. You will be able to ask for assistance
if you have any difficulty in formulating or making an application by contacting the Authority's Information Officer. We will help you as much
as possible but we are not required to look for the information you request unless we have:
- a clear and understandable request with enough detail to locate the information
- your name and address so we can respond to your request
- an indication about the form in which you want the information
This will ensure that your application is dealt with as quickly as possible.
You should give as much detail as you can in order to assist us in locating
the information that you require Some documents may include exempt information
so you will only get the information which is not exempt. You only have
a right to information and not necessarily to documents.
Some documents may include exempt information so you will only get the
information from them which is not exempt.
Any fee charged will be calculated by looking at the costs directly and
reasonably incurred locating the information you have asked for and giving
it to you. You will then be sent a 'fees notice' which you will have to
pay within three months of your request - you will not receive information
until you have paid the costs in the fees notice.
If the estimated cost of providing the information would be above the
appropriate limit set by the government then we will not be under a duty
to provide the information. However, the Authority will inform you if
the limit will be exceeded and we will try to let you know what can be
provided within the limit. Despite not being obliged to provide information
which exceeds the limit the Authority will still be under a duty to advise
and assist.
In order to protect the Authority there will be rules which govern multiple
applications for information which are clearly trying to avoid
the financial limits set by the government. However, we will try
to help you as much as possible to get the information you want.
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4. Information not covered by the FOIA.
As well as being able to access information which is publicly available under the Publication Scheme we will answer queries under the existing Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. This allows you to write and ask us to supply you with specific information.
You can also apply for a copy of the personal data we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 1998 - that is information relating to an applicant that has arisen through their employment with the Authority or information obtained about an individual through the Authority's statutory functions. There is a fee of £10 and you should contact the Authority's data protection officer on 0845 130 8855.
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5. Contact details of our Information Officer.
Any enquiries regarding the scheme or requests for information
not available on our website should be addressed to the Service's
Information Officer:
Assistant Chief Officer Diana Williams
Service Headquarters
20 Upperton Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex, BN21 1EU
Tel: 0845 130 8855 |
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6. Other Useful Sources of Information.
The information you are looking for may also be available from the following
organisations. The websites listed below are an excellent source of information
and if the documents are downloaded or printed off by the enquirer they
provide a quick response at little cost. However, the Authority takes
no responsibility nor warrants the accuracy of information contained on
the following sites:
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7. Complaints and Feedback.
If you require further assistance or need to make a complaint
then initially this should be addressed to the Authority's Information
Officer, click here for contact details.
If you are not satisfied with the assistance that you get from
the Authority or if we have not been able to resolve your complaint
and you feel that a formal complaint needs to be made then this
should be addressed to the office of the Information Commissioner.
This is the organisation that ensures compliance with the FOIA
and deals with formal complaints. They can be contacted at:
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