Publication Scheme
CHIEF AND ASSISTANT CHIEF
FIRE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (CACFOA) (SCOTLAND)
MODEL PUBLICATION SCHEME
REQUIRED UNDER SECTION 23 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
(SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 SCHEDULE 1, PART 3
Any enquiries regarding this model Scheme should be directed
to:
Ms Lorna Nee
Assistant Chief Officer
Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue
Fire and Rescue Headquarters
Dumfries
DG1 2DZ
Tel: 01387 252222
On behalf of the CFOA (Scotland) Information Group.
The document from which this information is reproduced is
available for download: Model
Publication Scheme
Contents
Introduction To Model
Scheme
Introduction
About Our Organisation
Putting Our
publication Scheme Together
Obtaining Information From Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
Complaints
Exemptions
Our Archiving Policy
Copyright Notice
Charging Policy
Receiving Your Views
Disability
Discrimination
Non-English Language
Contact Us
Classes of Information
Introduction To Model Scheme
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (the Act)
received Royal Assent on 28th May 2002. The Act gives a general
right of access to all types of information held by Scottish public
authorities, sets out exemptions from that right and places a
number of obligations on public authorities, including the
development of an approved Publication Scheme.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) (Scotland), have
developed a model publication scheme for Scottish Fire Services
that has been approved by the Scottish Information
Commissioner.
The following Scheme (based on the model publication scheme) is
adopted by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Service.
Councillor Brian Wallace
Convenor
Strathclyde Fire Board
South Lanarkshire Council Offices
Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0AA
Tel: 01698 454297
Brian P Sweeney MA DipEFEng, MIFireE
Chief Officer
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue Headquarters
Bothwell Road
Hamilton
ML3 0EA
01698 228317
The Model Scheme approved for Scottish Fire Services covers the
following fire and rescue services:
Central Scotland Fire & Rescue Service
Grampian Fire & Rescue Service
Highland and Islands Fire & Rescue Service
Lothian and Borders Fire & Rescue Service
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
Tayside Fire & Rescue
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Introduction
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 received Royal
Assent on 28 May 2002. The Act gives a general right of access to
all types of information held by Scottish public authorities. The
Act ensures that, subject to certain exemptions, any person can
receive information that they request from a public
authority.
Section 23(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act
requires every Scottish public authority to adopt and maintain a
Publication Scheme, to publish information in accordance with that
Scheme and to periodically review that Scheme.
Section 23(2) of the Act states that:
"A Publication Scheme must specify:
a. Classes of information that the authority
publishes or intends to publish
b. The manner in which information of each class
is, or is intended to be, published; and
c. Whether the published information is, or is
intended to be, available to the public free of charge or on
payment."
Section 23(3) states that in adopting or reviewing its
Publication Scheme, the authority must have regard to the public
interest in:
a. Allowing public access to information held
by it and in particular, to information which:
i. Relates to the provision of services by it,
the cost to it of providing them or the standards attained by
services so provided; or
ii. Consists of facts, or analyses, on the basis
of which decisions of importance to the public have been made by
it;
b. The Publication of reasons for decisions
made by it.
c. These principles and purposes have been
adopted in the compilation of this Publication Scheme. Strathclyde
Fire Board has regard to the public interest in information the
fire service holds. In the creation of this Publication Scheme,
Strathclyde Fire Board have been mindful of the value of openness
and transparency.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) (Scotland) commends
the publication of information via this Publication Scheme as a
positive opportunity for the public to gain greater understanding
about what a fire service does, how it operates and how it
contributes to public life.
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About Our Organisation
Following the introduction of the Local Government etc
(Scotland) Act 1994 and local government reorganisation in 1996,
the current fire services were established. Section 36 of the Act
allows for the creation of fire authorities which are run by joint
boards, other than Fife and Dumfries and Galloway where the fire
authority is a function of the unitary authority. The
responsibility for the provision of a fire service lies with the
fire authority.
Strathclyde Fire Board has responsibility for the provision of a
fire service for the Argyll and Bute Council, East Ayrshire
Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council,
Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, North Ayrshire Council,
North Lanarkshire Council, Renfewshire Council, South Ayrshire
Council, South Lanarkshire Council, West Dunbartonshire Council
areas. Day to day running of the service is devolved to the Chief
Fire Officer of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
Day to day issues are dealt with by Strathclyde Fire &
Rescue, while policy and financial decisions are ratified by the
Board. This Publication Scheme, like other information required by
statute, is presented by Strathclyde Fire Board However, for the
purposes of this Scheme, the majority of information will be
available from Strathclyde Fire & Rescue. Where information is
available solely from Strathclyde Fire Board this is indicated.
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Putting Our
Publication Scheme Together
The classes of information that have been identified in our
Publication Scheme cover information that we are already asked for,
or that we feel are in the interest of the public.
However, we are keen to ensure the contents of our Publication
Scheme reflect the needs and expectations of the public. Because of
the time constraints for Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC)
approval, it has not been possible to carry out a public survey of
the public expectations for our Publication Scheme, but public
consultation is an ongoing process for Strathclyde Fire &
Rescue during 2004 and our Publication Scheme may be amended to
incorporate the results.
We will also develop and amend our Publication Scheme in
response to requests for information that may not have been
anticipated or to changing expectations and demands.A feedback form
- contained within the downloadable pdf version of this document -
is available as part of our Publication Scheme and we ask that you
use it to advise us if you feel that information should be made
available in our Scheme.
Application will be made to the SIC to develop and amend any
classes of information where necessary.
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Obtaining
Information From Strathclyde Fire & Rescue
Information Available Under Our Publication Scheme
Our Publication Scheme has been designed to identify information
and Publications that are available from Strathclyde Fire Board and
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue.
Please read our Copyright notice on this page.
Online Wherever possible, information listed in
our Publication Scheme is available on this site and can be freely
downloaded. A link will take you to the relevant page or
document.
Email If the information you request is not
available on our website but is listed in our Publication Scheme,
we will send it to you by email wherever practicable.
Telephone Information can be requested over the
phone. Please provide full contact details, including a telephone
number, so that we can telephone to clarify any details, if
necessary
Post Most information is also available in a
paper copy format. Please address your request to the person
detailed in the Contact Us section on this page . When requesting
information, please include the following details: your name and
address, the information you require, or documents you want to see
and any fee applicable.
Personal Visit On some occasions the
information you request may only be made available by a personal
visit. If this is the case you will be advised.
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Personal Data
You also have the right to access information about yourself
under the Data Protection Act 1998. Please Contact Us to find out
how to make a request or go to the UK Information Commissioner's
website for more information www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Information Not Listed In Our Publication Scheme
From 1st January 2005, information not included in our
Publication Scheme will also be available on request. You can
generally request any information not already listed in the
Publication Scheme, however there are some exemptions which would
allow the authority to withhold specific information (see page 12 -
exemptions).
If you have difficulty determining the information you want to
receive, please Contact Us, we will be happy to help.
Complaints
If you would like to make any comment or complain about this
Publication Scheme, contact Sharon Reid (Freedom Of Information
Officer) via the contact link on the top menu. Every effort will be
made to resolve any difficulties you may have by following our
established complaints procedure.
If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can appeal to the
Scottish information Commissioner who oversees the Act and whose
contact details are also provided. From 1 January 2005, when the
general right of access comes into force, there will be a formal
appeal mechanism when information is withheld. Further details are
available on the Commissioner's website at www.itspublicknowledge.info.
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Tel: 01334 464610
Email: enquiries@itspublicknowledge.info
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Exemptions
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue is committed to the open and
transparent delivery of services and the making available of as
much information as possible in relation to this. It is Strathclyde
Fire & Rescue's aim to be as open as possible.
However, information may be withheld from any of the classes of
information listed in this Scheme where we consider that disclosure
may prejudice legal proceedings or our regulatory or enforcement
activities, or where disclosure is otherwise prohibited by law. We
may also withhold information that may seriously prejudice the
commercial interests of any person or organisation.
We will also withhold information that is personal data under
the Data Protection Act 1998.
In these circumstances, we will withhold the information and
indicate why it is being withheld. If you wish to make a complaint
about information that is being withheld, please Contact Us.
The Freedom of Information Act 2002 sets out a numbers of
exemptions, under which a public authority may decide not to
release information following a request from a member of the
public.
It is not intended here to set out the exemptions in full. The
following provides some examples of certain types of information,
which may be exempt. There are two types of exemptions - absolute
exemptions and exemptions where the public authority must apply the
public interest test.
Examples of absolute exemptions are:
- Information that is accessible by means, which are already
public, is available on the authority's website and in their
publications
- Information relating to national security
- Information relating to criminal or civil proceedings, court
records, or documents filed in court proceedings
- Information likely to prejudice the conduct of public
affairs
- Personal information about living individuals - people may make
requests for personal information held about themselves under the
Data Protection Act
- Information provided in confidence
- Information which is prohibited from being disclosed under any
other statutory provision
In other cases, the public authority must apply a public
interest test in deciding whether or not to release the
information. This means that the authority must decide whether the
public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public
interest in releasing it.
Examples of information, which may be exempt subject to the
public interest case, are:
- Information intended for future publication
- Information which would prejudice law enforcement, the
prevention and detection of crime and the administration of
law
- Information likely to prejudice the effective conduct of public
affairs
- Information relating to communication with Her Majesty or other
members of the Royal Household
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Our Archiving Policy
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue will have a Document Retention
Policy, which outlines the length of time documents are held for
and the action taken when that period expires.
The policy will be made available as part of the Publication
Scheme from 1st January 2005.
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Copyright
Notice
Information referred to in our Publication Scheme can be copied
or reproduced without formal permission provided it is copied or
reproduced accurately and is not used in a misleading context. We
would also require that the source of the material is identified
and that the copyright status is acknowledged.
Where copyright belongs to a third party (another organisation),
the consent of that copyright holder should be sought before
information is reproduced.
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Charging
Policy
Most of the information listed within our Publication Scheme
will be made available free of charge. Exceptions to this are
identified with the classes of information.
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Receiving Your Views
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue is keen to hear your views. If you
have any observations to make regarding our Publication Scheme,
please use the feedback form contained within the downloadable pdf
version of this document or Contact Us via this site.
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Disability Discrimination
This Publication is designed to meet the disability compliance
standards and comply with the Disability Discrimination Act
1995.
On our website, we will use various techniques to provide pages
which will meet accessibility standards.
If you require a copy of the Publication Scheme in another
format (e.g. large print or on audio tape) please Contact Us and we
will be happy to help.
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Non-English Language
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue is committed to promoting equal
opportunities and making our publication scheme available to all
sections of our community. If you would prefer a copy of our scheme
in a language other than English please Contact Us.
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Contact Us
If you have any comments or complaints to make about our Scheme,
please contact Sharon Reid,Freedom of Information Officer. Full
details of how we may be contacted and information on contacting
other parties mentioned in this document can be found on our contact page.
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Classes of Information
The Publication Scheme is arranged into 'classes' of
information, based on the Fire Authorities duties under the Fire
Services Act 1947. These include:
- Securing the services of a fire service for the area
- Securing the efficient training of its firefighters
- Making sure arrangements are in place to receive calls and
summons members of the fire service
- Gathering information on the character of buildings and water
supplies
- Securing arrangements to alleviate damage to property in the
course of firefighting
- Giving fire safety advice
- Enforcing laws provided for fire safety within the area
Strathclyde Fire Board sets the annual budget for Strathclyde
Fire & Rescue . The budget is funded by the constituent local
authorities.
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue also carries out other functions
on behalf of the Fire Authority, such as rescue services or
attending non-fire incidents. These include:
- Rescuing trapped and/or injured people where no fire is
involved e.g. at road accidents
- Dealing with spillages and accidental release of substances
endangering life or the environment e.g. chemical or toxic
substances inadvertently released
- Responding to extreme weather conditions e.g. pumping water
from flooded properties
As part of the duties laid down in the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005,
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue also provides fire advice in the
community. This means educating the public about fire safety.
