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Access to information

(In Addition to the Information Available on our Website)

Information Covered by the Freedom of Information Act (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. To make an enquiry under the Act, please write to the Information Officer at East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service HQ (contact details below), or Email enquiries@esfrs.org

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 to enable us to 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.
• You only have a right to information and not necessarily to documents.
• Some documents may include exempt information, in which case we will supply only the information which is not exempt.
• In certain circumstances, a fee may be payable. Any fee charged will be calculated by looking at the costs directly and reasonably incurred in 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, we 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.

Information Not Covered by the Freedom of Information Act (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.

Contact details of our Data Protection and 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: 0303 999 1000