Emergencies

Dangerous or unsafe structures or buildings

Call us immediately on 999 to report unsafe buildings/other structures and debris which pose a danger to anyone.

Unsafe cladding, advertising boards, roofing or other materials – if the issue can be corrected quickly and safely by the building owner or responsible person, they should attempt to do so.

Our attendance at structures which need making safe, but do not pose an immediate risk, may incur a special service call charge.

Fallen trees

If trees have fallen, or are likely to, and pose a risk to life or significant damage to property, report this via 999 immediately.

Report it to your local council if the tree is not a danger but is obstructing a path or roadway, traffic lights or road signage. Also, call the council if the tree is at risk of falling but not a danger to the public.

Here are the links to West Midlands councils’ information about reporting fallen or dangerous trees:

Birmingham City Council

Coventry City Council

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

Wolverhampton City Council

Electricity, water and gas

If you’ve suffered a power loss due to a fallen tree or debris, you should report this to National Grid by dialling 105 – this is free on all networks. Do not call your electricity supplier. Electricity suppliers sell consumers energy and are not responsible for the power lines that connect to homes or businesses.

If damage has been caused to gas supply, meters or pipes, report this to the National Grid gas emergency line – 0800 111 999 

To report water leaks or water supply issues, contact Severn Trent via their website.

For any other utility issues such as phone, TV, broadband etc please contact your supplier.

We don’t usually attend cats up trees. Most of the time they aren’t stuck, they could be scared or just enjoying the view!

If you are concerned about a cat up a tree, here are some simple tips to try first.

• Try and coax it down – try gently calling or showing them treats, they might be tempted!
• If coaxing doesn’t work, we’d recommend putting down some food or treats and leaving the area for a short time, so the cat can come down by itself
• Use toys or a laser pointer – cats are known to love chasing things, try using some of their favourite toys or a laser pointer to tease the cat down
• If none of the above works, put down the treats or food and then leave the cat for a minimum of 24 hours, if it wants to, it’ll come down by itself in this time.

If after 24 hours nothing has worked, call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999. They will be able to give you further advice and if necessary, can send an officer to help you. The fire service will NOT attend cats up trees unless the RSPCA officer is there and they request our assistance formally through our control room.

Whilst we can assist with animal rescues, often the best people to speak to are the RSCPA.

If an animal or pet is trapped or stranded in a way that could put its life at risk (such as stranded in water, or trapped between wires, fences or buildings) then call us on 999 first. Our skilled operators will be able to assess the situation and give you the best advice.

If it involves pets or animals who are in no danger, such as cats up trees, you should always contact the RSPCA first. We do not attend unless they are at the scene and they require our assistance.

If in doubt, and it’s not urgent, contact us on our non-emergency number 03300 589 000 for advice.

If you can smell burning, particularly if you don’t know what’s causing it, it’s vital you dial 999 immediately.

Just because you can see it, doesn’t mean it won’t get out of control. Even if for some reason you don’t feel like it’s an emergency or not worth our time, trust us, it is!

Always dial 999 when there a smell of burning, or a fire, no matter how small.

For more details about reporting emergencies to us, please see our emergencies page.

If you need to report a fire it’s VERY important that you dial 999 immediately.

Even if for some reason you don’t feel like it’s an emergency or not worth our time, trust us, it is!

Always dial 999 when there is a fire, no matter how small.

For more details about reporting emergencies to us, please see our emergencies page.