Fire service dogs
Where applicable, we publish responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This one, Fire service dogs, is detailed below.
Other FOI's
Ref: 23058
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
1. How many dogs were part of the fire service for each of the last ten calendar years (2012-2022), broken down by job type. (eg. Fire investigation search dog)
Response
During the last 10 years West Midlands Fire Service has had the following dogs at any one time
1x Fire Investigation Dog
1x Urban Search and Rescue Search (USAR) Dog
Request
2. Please list the main breeds used in the totals in question 1. Please list the most commonly used breeds first.
Response
Belgian Malinois
Black Labrador
Cocker Spaniel
Request
3. How many full time members of staff (trainers, handlers, officers etc) were working in the service’s dog unit for each of the years in the same period?
Response
1 x Fire investigation handler
1 x USAR Dog Handler
Request
4. What was the service’s total budget for each of these years and how much was allocated to the dog unit?
Response
Budgets covers, food, vets bills and equipment and has remained the same.
Fire investigation dog – £2900
USAR dog – £5000 (from the National Resilience budget)
Request
5. Does the service have its own dog breeding unit?
Response
West Midlands Fire Service does not have its own dog breeding unit
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 FOI requests can be found on the Information Commissioner website https://ico.org.uk/ or by writing to:
Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF.