Our commitment to you
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is committed to protecting your personal data and privacy. We recognise that ensuring the accuracy and security of your personal data is essential to retaining your confidence and trust. The information you provide to us will only be used for the purposes that you provide it and will never be used for third party marketing.
Visit our Privacy Pages, using the button below to find out how we collect and use data on-line and on our website activities.
When we collect your personal data we will normally tell you:
Note: In emergency situations we will need to deal with the emergency and so will not be able to tell you about any data handling at the time.
We often tell you why we need your personal data by including a privacy statement on any forms or letters. In areas where we use Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and/or drones we provide signs to inform you that we are using such equipment.
We take our Data Protection responsibilities extremely seriously and understand how valuable your personal data is.
You can find out more about how we collect and handle your data generally on these web pages or by contacting us.
As a Fire and Rescue Service we deliver a number of services:
To provide these services properly we need information about our service users, staff and other contacts.
How we use your information depends on which of our services you have used. We have to hold the details of people who have requested a ‘service’ from us in order to provide them with that service and for other closely related purposes.
We collect your personal information to allow us to carry out the various business functions such as;
In addition we collect information when you complete and submit
We will
We have a duty to promote fire safety and this is achieved by providing advice, education and community safety initiatives to reduce the incidences of fires. We provide advice on fire safety in the home and actions you take to reduce the risk of fire, and discuss escape routes should fire occur. During the home visit we collect information such as name, contact details and lifestyle choices.
So that you receive the services you require, we may share your personal and sensitive data with other agencies. However, in the majority of cases we will make you aware if your information is intended to be used in this way and provide you with an opportunity to say ‘No’. There are exceptions where we may have to override your wishes, for example where we are required by law to pass on the information.
The Fire Services Act 2004 places a duty on a Fire Service to obtain and provide information as part of its provision to deal with fires and other emergencies. To obtain risk information that could be used by operational personnel during an incident, the Service identifies premises that could pose a risk to firefighters during the course of an incident and undertake an assessment of risk. We would store contact details of the responsible person. The details would be stored on our Premise Risk Database. We will store this information until the re-inspection.
We may have to share Fire Safety information with other agencies if there is a significant risk or if we are required by law. Where possible we will advise before we share information but there may be exceptions to this.
During the application or recruitment process WYFRS will collect the following information;
Your information will only be used for the purposes of carrying out the application and recruitment process. If you are offered and accept employment with WYFRS the application and recruitment process will become part of your employment record.
In regards to Fire Safety Audits on business premises and related actions under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), the information we collect relates to ‘premises’ and includes details on how the premise complies with fire safety law. We will collect contact details for the premises (for example telephone number) on occasions where this is not available we may take the telephone number of the person in control of the premise at the time of our visit. Under the RRO we are obliged to publish a public register of Prohibition and Enforcement action.
We will ensure confidentiality of commercially sensitive and protective security information available to us such as premises plans and access codes. We will not share this information with others unless we are required to by law.
Fire and Emergency Incidents/999 calls
Information relating to emergency incidents is used under statutory powers to manage and record incidents and investigate where necessary. We will collect information about people involved in an incident such as name, address and date of birth. We may collect medical information to support the ambulance service in providing care to you. During a response to an incident, information may be passed to partner agencies that are also in response. The information gathered is used to manage our performance and report to the Government and auditors. If a fire investigation has taken place the information could be shared with the police, health agencies and safety executive or coroner.
We do get requests for copies of incident reports and fire investigation reports and these are disclosed to members of the public who have been directly or indirectly affected by the incident or the solicitors and insurance companies who are acting on behalf of the owner/occupier of an affected property which has been recorded within the relevant incident record. Reports for this purpose are de-personalised. Full reports are however supplied to the Police on request to assist with any investigations. All incident reports are also passed to the Home Office each month for national monitoring and trend analysis.
For further information about how the Home Office uses information gathered from the Incident Reporting System (IRS) please click here(Opens in a new window).
We have a responsibility to promote social well-being. To do this we often work with other councils and community partners and this sometimes includes sharing your personal or sensitive information between different agencies.
Data sharing can help to ensure that you receive the relevant services. The agencies that we share with or obtain data from include:
However, in almost all such cases, we will make you aware if your information is intended to be used in this way and provide the opportunity for you to say ‘No’. The exception to this is when we are required by law to pass on information; this is explained below. Further information on Data Sharing can be found on our Data sharing and protection page.
There are some situations where we are required by law to provide information to other organisations; in these situations your consent is not necessary. Examples of these organisations include:
Where possible, this information is made anonymous to protect your privacy. The exceptions to this include:
Staff payroll and pension data, which is provided to external bodies responsible for auditing and administering public funds. This is for preventing and detecting fraud. You can obtain further details from the National Fraud Initiative. For more information please check out the Cabinet Office National Fraud Initiative report.
Following work by the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) with NHS England, all English Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) now have access to data that enables West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to identify the over 65s and target vulnerable households in order to deliver vital Home Fire Safety Checks, which has had a dramatic effect in reducing deaths and injuries in fires.
NHS England, the Royal College General Practitioners and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in England work together to ensure preventative resources are offered to those who may benefit most. This is achieved by referrals and the sharing of information (where relevant, appropriate and necessary) to allow fire service personnel to undertake Safe and Well visits.
If you require more information about how NHS England use and share your information, please click on the following link https://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/privacy-notice/your-information/(Opens in a new window)
Research has shown that those at high risk from fire death and injury are most likely to impact on a range of NHS services. Safe and Well visits are developed between local health practitioners and FRSs to meet local health-risk priorities. They therefore represent an intervention which can improve people’s quality of life while reducing demand on critical services.
The majority of fire deaths in the UK occur amongst the elderly population. However, older people are most vulnerable to fire and a number of other risks. A Safe and Well visit from the FRS is proven to make them safer and can reduce risk significantly across a range of factors.
In one area of the United Kingdom where this work has been piloted since 2007, there has been a very significant reduction in fire deaths and injuries which developed into a current trend well below the national average. So we know this work can save many lives.
The FRS and NHS will continue to work together in the future to ensure the visits undertaken by the FRS are effective in helping to make people ‘safe and well’.
Information collected and held electronically, is securely stored on databases located on West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s network and access is given on a role requirement basis. We also take appropriate steps to make sure we hold paper records in a secure way, and will only make them available to those who have a right to see them.
We have an Information Security Policy that staff adhere too; all staff also receive data protection training.
We also have the necessary controls in place with external organisations that process data on our behalf or provide IT expertise surrounding our systems, to ensure that the organisation complies with the data protection legislation.
The Data Protection Act gives you a number of rights relating to your data. These rights include being able to request a copy of the information we hold about you.
Individuals can find out if we hold any personal data by making a subject access request. If we do hold information about you, subject to certain exemptions, we will:
You should let us know if you disagree with something written on your record. We may not always be able to change or remove the information. However, we will correct factual inaccuracies and may include your comments in the record.
If you want to request corrections go to the ‘How to contact us’ section of this guidance for correspondence details.
We will retain your information for as long as is required to meet the purpose of collection or as long as the law requires.
You have a right to request that West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service stop processing your personal data. Where possible we will seek to comply with your request but we may need to hold or process information in connection with one or more of the Service’s functions. You would be informed of the outcome to your request and the rationale behind the decision.
When you submit information to us via our website, such as participating in an online survey or submitting a Freedom of Information request, we may receive personal information about you. This can consist of information such as your name, email address, postal address, telephone or mobile number, depending on the activity. By submitting your details, you enable West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to provide you with the services, activities or online content which you required.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority may use ‘cookie’ technology to track or record information about our website visitors. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority require the use of ‘cookie’ technology so that we can guarantee we present the correct information to users as they move from screen to screen. These cookies are ‘session-specific’ and are not used to record personal information or to associate personal information with the use of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority service. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority users who disable their web browsers’ ability to accept cookies will be able to browse our website but may not be able to successfully use all of our services.
The site contains links to other websites. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these websites. Visitors will need to check the policy statement of others’ websites to understand their policies. Visitors who access a linked site may be disclosing their private information. It is the responsibility of the visitor to keep such information private and confidential.
From time to time, we may use visitor information for new, unanticipated uses not previously disclosed in our privacy notice. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority will update this policy from time to time. A ‘last revised’ date will always be included on the bottom of the statement. To keep up-to-date with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority policy, please check this page periodically.
The Data Protection Officer provides direction, support and advice to the Authority, Principal Officers, Heads of Service and all departments across the Authority in relation to their data protection obligations.
Data Protection Officer
Martin McCarthy
martin.mccarthy@westyorksfire.gov.uk
If you;
Please contact us by:
Or write to us at:
Information Governance Team
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Oakroyd Hall
Bradford Road
Birkenshaw
West Yorkshire
BD11 2DY
You can find out more about your personal data rights at the Information Commissioner’s Office website(Opens in a new window).
