Date of Request
10/09/2025
Request
Dear Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service,
Please provide under Freedom of Information:
1. The number of low, medium and high-rise residential buildings in your area (or your current/best estimate of them) covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
2. The total number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings relating to means of escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI
3. The number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings specifically relating to the identification of vulnerable and disabled residents, and planning for their escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI
3. Copies of the notices referred to in (3)
4. The fire authority’s current policy covering the evacuation of disabled people from multi-occupancy buildings during a fire
Yours faithfully,
Response
Hi
We thank you for your request for information, which has been received by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (the Service) and considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
The Service can confirm that the information that you have requested is held and is as below:
1. The number of low, medium and high-rise residential buildings in your area (or your current/best estimate of them) covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
As we can only provide factual information, we can only comment on the known high-rise residential buildings in Herefordshire and Worcestershire of which there are eleven occupied premises.
2. The total number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings relating to means of escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI
Regarding high rise residential buildings in Hereford and Worcester, none have been served enforcement notices relating to Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b) since 20th October 2019.
There were five notices of deficiencies relating to Article 14(2)b for high rise residential buildings between 20 October 2019 to 16 September 2025.
It should be noted that inspections of premises are based on sampling inspections of fire safety arrangements and may not have identified every deficiency.
3. The number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings specifically relating to the identification of vulnerable and disabled residents, and planning for their escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI
0
3. Copies of the notices referred to in (3)
N/A
4. The fire authority’s current policy covering the evacuation of disabled people from multi-occupancy buildings during a fire”
Evacuation of disabled people will be dependent upon many factors, including the premises evacuation strategy, personal emergency evacuation plans, availability of refuges, availability of evacuation lifts, location and the severity of the fire. The responsibility for evacuation lies with the responsible person and should not rely upon the intervention of the Fire and Rescue Service, as outlined in the Home Office’s publication – Fire Safety Risk Assessment: means of escape for disabled people (September 2023). It is acknowledged that the evacuation of some highly dependent patients will be deferred based on clinician decision-making. (Evacuation and Shelter guidance for the NHS in England, NHS, May 2023). HWFRS are raising awareness of Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, which will be coming into effect on 6 April 2026 with the aim to improve the fire safety and evacuation of residents in specified residential buildings in England who would have difficulties evacuating a building by themselves in the event of a fire.
If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact Information Governance and Committee Services on tel: 0345 122 4454 or by e-mail informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk. In any such communication please include the reference number assigned (see Subject).
Should you have any queries regarding the management of your request and wish to make either a complaint or request a review of the information disclosed to you, please do so by using Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s complaints system: Comments and Complaints. This must be done within 40 working days of our response to your request. After this date and in line with ICO guidance the Service is not obliged to provide an internal review of your request.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (alternatively 01625 545745) or E-mail: casework@ico.org.uk.
Further information on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service may be viewed at the Service’s website: www.hwfire.org.uk
Thank you for your request for information.