FOI Request - Emollient products involved in fires responded to by your Fire and Rescue Service

The request was partially successful.

Dear Fire and Rescue Service (FRS),

I am researching the number of fires relating to emollient products.

Therefore, under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like the following information if held:

1) Since 2015, how many fires were responded to by your FRS in which investigators established or believe that an emollient product was either a primary or contributory factor in the fire? Please break this down year by year.

An emollient is a moisturising treatment applied to the skin, typically used to manage eczema or psoriasis.

Such products include - but are not limited to - Diprobase, Zerobase, Cetraben, and E45 creams.

2) What is the total number of fatalities recorded by your FRS in the incidents referred to in question 1 since 2015? Please break this down year by year.

I note in asking this question that statistics on the number of fatalities in emollient-related fires may not be held by your FRS in each or all of the years since 2015. However, please provide the fullest data you hold.

3) Since 2015, how many controlled fire tests on emollient products, or the interaction of emollient products with other products, has your FRS carried out?

By “controlled fire test”, I mean any exercise in which your FRS undertook to understand the flammability of emollient products or their interaction with other products.

4) For all of the controlled fire tests referred to in 3), please provide a copy of the report that ensued from each of those tests.

I understand some details of those involved in the tests may need to be redacted under S40 of the act.

If there are any questions about my FOI request, please do not hesitate to contact me on my email: [email address].

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Salisbury

LFB Information Access, London Fire Brigade

Dear Josh,

Thank you for your request.

This will be considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and we will respond as soon as we are able. Please note, given the current situation with the Coronavirus, this may be outside of the normal, expected timeframe for a FOI response (20 working days).

Thank you for your patience, with kind regards

Zoe

Zoe Hughes 
Information Access 
 
London Fire Brigade  
169 Union Street  London  SE1 0LL  
T 020 8555 1200
E [email address

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Dear Zoe,

Please could I have an update on my request regarding emollient products?

It was due to be answered on December 30, so it's now overdue.

I understand there's delays because of the pandemic, but it would be good if you could give a timeframe for when this will be responded to - will it be within the next week or so?

All best wishes,
Josh Salisbury

LFB Information Access, London Fire Brigade

Dear Josh,

Thank you for following up in this respect, I am sorry that I have not been able to update you sooner.

I am very sorry for the continuing delay. We are working through our information requests cases in a chronological order. I still have 55 information requests to respond to that I received before your request on 29 November 2020.

Some of these requests I may be able to answer in a day or less or, depending on the complexity of the case, it may take me a week or longer to process the information and respond to these. Therefore, unfortunately, I am unable to provide you with an expected completion date for your request.

We are working hard to respond to all requests as soon as possible and thank you for your continued patience at this time.

Kind regards,

Zoe

Zoe Hughes 
Information Access 
 
London Fire Brigade  
169 Union Street  London  SE1 0LL  
T 020 8555 1200
E [email address

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FOX, JO, London Fire Brigade

3 Attachments

Dear Josh

 

FOIA5517.1

 

I refer to your email dated the 29 November 2020, your request has been
considered under the Freedom of Information. I apologise for the delay in
responding to your request.

 

You told the Brigade you are researching the number of fires relating to
emollient products

 

You seek the following information:

1) Since 2015, how many fires were responded to by your FRS in which
investigators established or believe that an emollient product was either
a primary or contributory factor in the fire? Please break this down year
by year.

An emollient is a moisturising treatment applied to the skin, typically
used to manage eczema or psoriasis.

Such products include - but are not limited to - Diprobase, Zerobase,
Cetraben, and E45 creams.

 

The Brigade does not hold this information we don’t record this
information on our record management system (IMS). We do record the
primary cause of fire however we wouldn’t record information on the system
if it was a contributory factor unless there was fatal. Emollients have
only recently been identified as ‘emerging  themes’ going forward the
system now allows Fire Investigators and crews to record emollients as a
factor in a fire on IMS. The new data record will be considered for future
publication or for requests made under the Freedom of Information Act
2000.

 

2) What is the total number of fatalities recorded by your FRS in the
incidents referred to in question 1 since 2015? Please break this down
year by year.

I note in asking this question that statistics on the number of fatalities
in emollient-related fires may not be held by your FRS in each or all of
the years since 2015. However, please provide the fullest data you hold

 

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Year |Number of Fatal |
|-----------------------------------+------------------------------------|
|2016/17 |3 |
|-----------------------------------+------------------------------------|
|2017/18 |3 |
|-----------------------------------+------------------------------------|
|2018/19 |6 |
|-----------------------------------+------------------------------------|
|2019/20 |6 |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

3) Since 2015, how many controlled fire tests on emollient products, or
the interaction of emollient products with other products, has your FRS
carried out?

By “controlled fire test”, I mean any exercise in which your FRS undertook
to understand the flammability of emollient products or their interaction
with other products.

 

The Brigade does not hold this information as we do not carry out
 controlled fire tests however the West York’s FS have been working with
the Anglia Ruskin University and have published their findings here:
[1]https://www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/your-sa...

 

4) For all of the controlled fire tests referred to in 3), please provide
a copy of the report that ensued from each of those tests.

I understand some details of those involved in the tests may need to be
redacted under S40 of the act.

 

Please see my answer to question 3

 

I hope you find this information helpful and I’m sorry again for the
delay. We have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information
Act 2000. For more information about this process please see the guidance
we publish about making a request on our [2]website.

 

Yours Sincerely

Jo

 

Jo Fox

Information Governance and Knowledge Manager

Information Management | Corporate Services

 

London Fire Brigade

169 Union Street  London  SE1 0LL

T 020 8555 1200  x 30324

E [3][email address]

 

[4]london-fire.gov.uk

 

[5]cid:image007.jpg@01D56722.9DC351B0[6]cid:image008.jpg@01D56722.9DC351B0[7]cid:image009.jpg@01D56722.9DC351B0

 

 

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