Introduction to Fire Safety Management

15.7.3 Section 9: Emergencies
An ‘emergency’ is defi ned as an event or situation that 
causes or is likely to cause:
➤
One or more individuals to die, be seriously injured 
or become seriously ill or
➤
Serious harm to the environment (including the life 
and health of plants and animals).
This section empowers the Secretary of State, by order 
following consultation, to place a duty on fi re and rescue 
authorities to respond to other, specifi c types of emer-
gency, as defi ned by order, such as fl ooding and terror-
ist incidents. The order to respond can be outside the 
geographic area which is the responsibility of any par-
ticular authority.
Under this section the Secretary of State may also 
direct fi re and rescue authorities as to how they should 
plan, equip for and respond to such emergencies.
15.7.4 Sections 11 and 12: Power to respond to 
other eventualities; and other services
Section 11 allows fi re and rescue authorities the dis-
cretion to equip and respond to events beyond its core 
functions provided for elsewhere in the Act. A fi re and 
rescue authority will be free to act where it believes there 
is a risk to life or the environment. This would allow, for 
example, a fi re and rescue authority to engage in spe-
cialist activities such as rope rescue.
Section 12 allows fi re and rescue authorities the 
power to use its equipment or personnel for any purpose 
it believes appropriate and wherever it so chooses. 
For example, a fi re and rescue authority may agree 
to help pump out a swimming pool as a service to its 
community.
15.7.5 Section 19: Charging
Section 19 allows the Secretary of State to issue an 
order allowing authorities to charge for their services (for 
example, pumping out a swimming pool or attending a 
premises as a result of a false fi re alarm). Fire and res-
cue authorities are not able to charge for extinguishing 
fi res or protecting life and property in the event of fi res, 
except in respect of incidents at sea or under the sea. 
There is also an exemption for charging for emergency 
medical assistance.