Request information:

The London Fire Brigade is committed to openness and transparency in the conduct of its operations and to the sharing of information. To achieve this, we proactively publish a range of information and data about our services and our work. 

If you are looking for information about us, you might want to look at: 

• open data – we use the GLA’s ‘London Datastore’ to publish open data (large datasets) and other data about our work. This includes the details of every emergency incident that we attend and the mobilisation of fire engines. We also publish data about building safety inspections and data that we are required to publish to be a transparent public body. 

• Information we publish – this is where we publish our policies, procedures and other reports about our work. 

• London Fire Commissioner (LFC) decisions - you can explore the decisions taken by the Commissioner that affect the running of the Brigade. 

If you have looked for information, but cant find what you need, you can make an information request for the information we hold. 

The Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations give you the right to request information held by public authorities, including the London Fire Brigade. If you are thinking about making a request, you don’t need to worry about which legislation applies (the act or the regulations) as we’ll consider both when you make a request. 

You can ask for any information you think we may hold, but we are not obliged to create new information to respond to your request. This means we won’t be able to answer questions about our work unless the answers to those questions are already held in the documents and information we have. 

You may wish to check our disclosure log for responses we have made to other people’s requests, as they may already have made a similar request. These are in our disclosure log(s) which we keep up to date with requests that are likely to be of interest to other people: 

• Responses to information requests published on or AFTER 1 November 2024 

• Responses to information requests published BEFORE 1 November 2024 

If you still don’t have the information you’re looking for, please make an information request. The easiest way to do that is using our online form. 

Alternatively, you can write to us at: Information Access, LFB Headquarters, 169 Union Street, London SE1 0LL. 

We will acknowledge requests within two working days and reply to your request within 20 working days (or provide an explanation if this is not possible). 

Will I always get the information I ask for? 

Not always. The Freedom of Information Act recognises that there will be valid reasons why some kinds of information may be withheld, such as if its release would prejudice national security or if it is related to ongoing (or future) regulatory or enforcement activities. 

The intent of freedom of information is to make available information for the wider ‘public good’. We are not obliged to deal with vexatious or repeated requests or in some cases if the time needed to prepare the information is excessive.  

What to do if you are dissatisfied with the way a request has been dealt with? 

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to review the way your request was handled. You need to do this as soon as possible and no later than two months of receiving the our final response.  

Requests to have an internal review of our response should be made by to the LFB’s Head of Information Governance (send your email to information.access@london-fire.gov.uk), or write using the address above. Please explain why you disagree with the response, being as clear and specific as possible. We aim to conduct an internal review within 20 working days. If following our review you are still dissatisfied, the Information Commissioners Office may be able to help. 

For more information about your information rights, and about how to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, please visit https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/official-information/.