Reference:
Request detail:
Can you please advise whether Severn Valley Railway is charged for Fire Brigade call outs to embankment fires caused by steam engines, it seems that it is a regular occurrence.
Perhaps you could also quantify the number of times you do respond to the SVR.
Response detail:
Thank you for your Freedom of Information request.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has not charged and does not charge Severn Valley Railway for incidents attended at embankment fires caused by steam engines. The Fire and Rescue Services Act (FRSA) Part 2, Sections 18A (Charging by Authorities) and 18B (Limits on charging under section 18A(1)), set out the legal basis for us to charge. SFRS has no legal power to make a profit from any charges, but it is entitled to recover reasonable costs. However, under Section 18B of the FRSA we cannot charge for the following:
Extinguishing fires or protecting life and property in the event of fires.
Emergency medical assistance.
Rescuing individuals, or protecting individuals from serious harm, in the event of an emergency.
Emergencies resulting from events of widespread significance.
Emergencies which have occurred as a direct result of severe weather.
Emergencies resulting from road traffic accidents.
You can access the FRSA on the Government's Legislation website here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/21/part/2
Following a search of our Incident Recording System, I can confirm that using Severn Valley Railway as a search criteria as the incident location, the number of times SFRS has responded to incidents between 2013 to date is 23. Please note we do not routinely record data specifically relating to steam engines, but please find attached a spreadsheet that contains the information we have recorded. You can also search our website for incident information https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/ by typing in Severn Valley Railway, for instance, in the search field at the top of the page.
I trust this answers your request.
