Waste Management Facility Fires

Ref: FOI/22143 

RE: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 REQUEST 

I am writing to confirm that the West Midlands Fire Service has now completed its search for the information you requested further to your freedom of information request. 

Please find below a summary of our findings. 

Request 

Statistics on the number of fires your fire service has attended at recycling centres, scrapyards, landfills, and any other waste management facilities since 1st January 2022. If possible, please also highlight any incidents where other regional fire services have been brought in to assist in putting out these fires - this is not completely necessary, but will help us to build a more accurate picture of this year’s waste fire incidents. 

Reply 

The requested number is 38. 

That includes searching for any fire at the following property types: 'Recycling centre', 'Scrap yard (metal and cars)', 'Landfill site', 'Storage building or warehouse - Waste', 'Scrap metal merchant', 'Vehicle breaker', 'Clearance or salvage dealer', 'Recycling, reclamation or disposal', 'Waste paper merchant', 'Other type of recycling service'. 

None of these incidents had anyone from other Fire and Rescue Services attending. 

Please note: This number may change due to outstanding workbooks. We haven’t received the data for this month, so the figures shown are from 1^st January 2022 up to 30^th November 2022. 

If you have any queries about this Freedom of Information request, please contact us. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.  

For service complaints, issues or comments regarding this request please contact The Public Relations Department, West Midlands Fire Service, 99 Vauxhall Road, Birmingham, B7 4HW 

Further information concerning Freedom of Information requests can be found on the Information Commissioner website at either the following link: https://ico.org.uk/ or at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF.