Wildfires in Wales
Good afternoon,
Can I please request, in the form of a spreadsheet such as Excel or CSV file, information on wildfires attended by the fire and rescue service.
1. I would like the total number of wildfires recorded by the fire and rescue service, broken down by month, for the calendar years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (to date).
2. In a separate tab I would like details of each wildfire incident. Please include:
Date of incident
Time of day incident reported
Incident duration (minutes)
Location (please include longitude and latitude and local authority if available)
Cause of wildfire (if available)
Size of area damaged by wildfire (square meters if available)
Total number of buildings affected
Total number of dwellings affected
Total number of firefighters injured, seriously injured or killed
If this request cannot be met within the cost limits for Freedom of Information requests, please can you provide me with advice and assistance on how I may refine my request.
Yours faithfully,
Aimee Stanton
IG002622 - Freedom of Information – Acknowledgement
Dear Aimee Stanton,
Thank you for your email. I have acknowledged this request as we received
a duplicate request from yourself.
I write to confirm that your request below is now being progressed in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In line with this
legislation, it will be our aim to respond to this request within 20
working days. If for any reason, we are unable to progress within this
timeframe we will contact you as soon as possible.
Please quote reference number IG002622 on any correspondence.
Kind Regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol Administrative Officer
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth a Chydymffurfiaeth Information Governance and
Compliance
Ffôn: 01443 232529
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-bost: [1][email address]
E-mail:
[3][email address]
[2]www.decymru-tan.gov.uk
[4]www.southwales-fire.gov.uk
-- Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau sydd ynghlwm wrthi yn gwbl
gyfrinachol ac wedi'u bwriadu at sylw y person neu sefydliad y maent wedi
eu cyfeirio ato yn unig. Na chaniateir i chi adolygu, ailanfon, lledaenu
na defnyddio'r wybodaeth uchod ar unrhyw gyfrif: peidiwch a chymryd unrhyw
gamau o ganlyniad a gan ddibynnu arni. Os ydych wedi derbyn y neges e-bost
hon ar gam, wnewch chi hysbysu'r anfonydd ar unwaith a dileu'r e-bost a'i
chynnwys oddi ar eich system os gwelwch yn dda. Barn neu safbwyntiau'r
awdur yw'r rhai a fynegir yn y neges e-bost hon ac nid ydynt yn adlewyrchu
o anghenraid barn neu safbwyntiau Gwasanaeth Tan Ac Achub De Cymru onis
dywedir yn bendant fel arall. Bydd pob eitem o bost a anfonir i'r
cyfeiriad hwn yn cael ei monitro gan sustem e-bost corfforaethol y
Gwasanaeth Tan ac efallai y caiff ei harchwilio gan berson arall, sy ddim
o reidrwydd y derbynnydd gwreiddiol, er mwyn dod o hyd i ddefnydd o
ddeunydd anaddas neu dorri rheolau polisiau. Os nad yw hyn yn dderbyniol i
chi, peidiwch a defnyddio'r dull yma o gyfathrebu a Gwasanaeth Tan Ac
Achub De Cymru. Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg -
byddwn yn ymateb yn gyfartal i’r ddau ac yn ateb yn eich dewis iaith heb
oedi. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the recipient(s) only. Any review,
retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking any action in
reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the
intended recipient(s) is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in
error please notify the sender immediately and destroy the material
whether stored on a computer or otherwise. Any views or opinions presented
within this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, unless otherwise
specifically stated. All mail sent to and from this address will be
monitored by our corporate e-mail system and may be scrutinised by persons
other than the addressee for unsuitable content or contraventions of
policy. If this is unacceptable to you please do not use this method of
communication with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. We welcome
correspondence in Welsh and English - we will respond equally to both and
will reply in your language of choice without delay.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.decymru-tan.gov.uk/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.southwales-fire.gov.uk/
Dear Information Governance,
Just to clarify I would like the information to be based on the NOG definition of a wildfire.
Yours sincerely,
Aimee Stanton
Hi Aimee,
Thank you for providing the below clarification.
Kind Regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth a Chydymffurfiaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232529
E-bost: [email address]
Ben Chessell
Administrative Officer
Information Governance and Compliance
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-mail: [email address]
Dear Aimee Stanton,
Please find attached our response to your Freedom of Information Request –
IG002622.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Kind regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol Administrative Officer
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth a Chydymffurfiaeth Information Governance and
Compliance
Ffôn: 01443 232529
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-bost: [1][email address]
E-mail:
[3][email address]
[2]www.decymru-tan.gov.uk
[4]www.southwales-fire.gov.uk
-- Mae'r neges e-bost hon ac unrhyw ffeiliau sydd ynghlwm wrthi yn gwbl
gyfrinachol ac wedi'u bwriadu at sylw y person neu sefydliad y maent wedi
eu cyfeirio ato yn unig. Na chaniateir i chi adolygu, ailanfon, lledaenu
na defnyddio'r wybodaeth uchod ar unrhyw gyfrif: peidiwch a chymryd unrhyw
gamau o ganlyniad a gan ddibynnu arni. Os ydych wedi derbyn y neges e-bost
hon ar gam, wnewch chi hysbysu'r anfonydd ar unwaith a dileu'r e-bost a'i
chynnwys oddi ar eich system os gwelwch yn dda. Barn neu safbwyntiau'r
awdur yw'r rhai a fynegir yn y neges e-bost hon ac nid ydynt yn adlewyrchu
o anghenraid barn neu safbwyntiau Gwasanaeth Tan Ac Achub De Cymru onis
dywedir yn bendant fel arall. Bydd pob eitem o bost a anfonir i'r
cyfeiriad hwn yn cael ei monitro gan sustem e-bost corfforaethol y
Gwasanaeth Tan ac efallai y caiff ei harchwilio gan berson arall, sy ddim
o reidrwydd y derbynnydd gwreiddiol, er mwyn dod o hyd i ddefnydd o
ddeunydd anaddas neu dorri rheolau polisiau. Os nad yw hyn yn dderbyniol i
chi, peidiwch a defnyddio'r dull yma o gyfathrebu a Gwasanaeth Tan Ac
Achub De Cymru. Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg -
byddwn yn ymateb yn gyfartal i’r ddau ac yn ateb yn eich dewis iaith heb
oedi. This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the recipient(s) only. Any review,
retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking any action in
reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the
intended recipient(s) is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in
error please notify the sender immediately and destroy the material
whether stored on a computer or otherwise. Any views or opinions presented
within this e-mail are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, unless otherwise
specifically stated. All mail sent to and from this address will be
monitored by our corporate e-mail system and may be scrutinised by persons
other than the addressee for unsuitable content or contraventions of
policy. If this is unacceptable to you please do not use this method of
communication with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. We welcome
correspondence in Welsh and English - we will respond equally to both and
will reply in your language of choice without delay.
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.decymru-tan.gov.uk/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.southwales-fire.gov.uk/
Dear Information Governance,
Many thanks for providing the information.
Yours sincerely,
Aimee Stanton
Dear Information Governance,
I hope you can help me please. I am looking for information on column J (cause of wildfire), can you please explain what deliberate and accidental mean in the context of the dataset? Thanks very much for your help.
Yours sincerely,
Aimee Stanton
Hi Aimee,
Thank you for your email.
Please find attached the link to the Fire Statistics definition document. More specifically page 2, which explains accidental and deliberate motives.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk...
Kind Regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232529
E-bost: [email address]
Ben Chessell
Administrative Officer
Information Governance
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-mail: [email address]
Hi Ben,
Thanks very much for your help. Can I please double check the data provided follows the NOG definition of a wildfire as requested?
Yours sincerely,
Aimee Stanton
Hi Aimee,
The data does follow the NOG definition of wildfires.
Kind regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232529
E-bost: [email address]
Ben Chessell
Administrative Officer
Information Governance
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-mail: [email address]
Hello,
I hope you can help me. I am looking for some examples of what a deliberate and accidental wildfire would be.
Does a BBQ or cigarette count as accidental for example?
If you could please help ASAP that would be really helpful.
Thanks,
Aimee
Hi Aimee,
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all approach and depends on the motive of the individual.
If the act was careless, it would be classed as accidental, however, if the intention was to deliberately create an incident then obviously it would be deliberate.
Kind Regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell
Swyddog Gweinyddol
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232529
E-bost: [email address]
Ben Chessell
Administrative Officer
Information Governance
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-mail: [email address]
Hi Ben,
OK, thanks. So would a dropped cigarette or an abandoned BBQ fall under deliberate or accidental?
The figures for deliberate are very high so I am wondering if there is any background info I should be aware of.
Dear Information Governance,
I would like to question the information sent to me by your team.
I requested wildfire incidents in South Wales that follow the NOG definition of a wildfire. I explicitly asked if the data followed the NOG definition and I was told yes, it does (3 April 2024). However, it has just come to my attention that this is not be the case. I passed on the figures to a colleague at the BBC who spoke to your FOI team. They said: “What it seems, is that we have published all the Grassfires between the dates originally requested.” Therefore they “cannot categorically say that they exactly match the NOG guidance”. If this is the case I have been sent incorrect and misleading information from the FOI team and was wrongly told by a member of the FOI team that the data did in fact follow the NOG definition. I would like someone in your team to look into this and provide me with the correct information as a matter of urgency.
Yours sincerely,
Aimee Stanton
Good Morning Aimme,
Thank you for your email.
We will investigate this matter and provide a response as soon as practicable.
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
Nia
Nia Gwynne-Thomas
Swyddog Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232362
E-bost: [email address]
Nia Gwynne-Thomas
Information Governance Officer
Information Governance
Telephone: 01443 232362
E-mail: [email address]
Dear Aimee,
Thank you for your email. I do apologise for the confusion caused during the multiple email exchanges; this was not our intention at all.
I have gone back to the Statistics Department to clarify your concerns.
We have published all the Grassfires between the dates originally requested which were 2017 – to date in 2023 (20/11/2023).
We do not record all the parameters; however, we provided you with the NOG definition and the filters on the Excel spreadsheet to allow the sort and filter of data to match one or more of the NOG definitions.
The data itself is correct as of the information we hold on the Incident Recording System.
Please let me know if this provides the clarity you were seeking. Similar clarity has also been provided to your colleague in the BBC.
Kind Regards,
Ben
Ben Chessell
Swyddog Cymorth Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Llywodraethu Gwybodaeth
Ffôn: 01443 232529
E-bost: [email address]
Ben Chessell
Information Governance Support Officer
Information Governance
Telephone: 01443 232529
E-mail: [email address]
Hi Ben,
Thanks for your response. However, the information provided was misleading. I explicitly asked if the data followed the NOG guidance and was told yes. I was not told to filter the data to find the relevant information. My initial request had also asked for wildfires, not grass fires.
I am very disappointed about the outcome of this request and would encourage your team to be as clear as possible in future when providing information under the FOI act.
Kind regards,
Aimee
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now