Criteria

POLICY AND CRITERIA FOR THE INCLUSION OF NAMES ON THE ROLL OF HONOUR FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL ANDTHE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE.

The following policy and criteria shall apply to all records maintained by The Trust, to those names depicted on the Firefighters Memorial in London and the entries in the Book of Remembrance.

All names on the Memorial and entries in the Books of Remembrance prior to 10 August 2000 and to 28 October 2014 were subject to different criteria. Any new names identified for consideration will be subject to the policy and criteria in this document. In any case of doubt, The Trust will make the final decision with regard to accepting a name for its records upon the recommendation of The Trust Archivist.

Where any Memorial or other form of tribute, not originated by The Trust, is subsequently adopted by The Trust, the criteria for any names on that memorial or tribute may be different and will continue to be treated independently from Trust policy and criteria.

The Trust may maintain a website recording the names of those individuals who are recorded in Trust records.

The Trust may maintain a website for recording the names of individuals who do not meet the general policy and criteria for recording on the Memorial or within the Books of Remembrance, but who, in the opinion of The Trust, are nonetheless worthy of recognition.   This may include, from World War 2, members of Supplementary Fire Parties, Fire Guards and Firewatchers, and members of the fire service who have been killed or who have died as a result of injuries whilst serving with the military forces of the United Kingdom. It may also include the names of those not employed as members of the fire and rescue service but, who died whilst temporarily in support, or fulfilling the role of firefighters at an operational incident. The Trust will make the final decision with regard to accepting a name for its database upon the recommendation of The Trust Archivist.

The Trust, in addition to its website, may maintain a presence with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the content of which may include details relative to its records or the details of events relating to the death of a member of the fire and rescue service. The use of such sites must be cognisant of relevant data protection rules which may be in force and will be closely monitored by The Trust.

1 DEFINITIONS

The following definitions apply within the criteria:

- Firefighter

- Fire and Rescue Service Operational Support Personnel

- United Kingdom

- Overseas Territories

1.1  Firefighter (Fireman) (Firewoman) (Police Fireman ) (Insurance Fireman) (Insurance Porter) (Control Room Personnel), shall mean:

Any member of, or seconded to, or seconded from a fire and rescue service established by a statutory Fire Authority, (or Police Authority prior to 18 August 1941), with firefighting responsibilities), members of military fire services, members of recognised Industrial/Works Fire Brigades (having firefighting responsibilities), members of recognised Airport Fire and Rescue Services, Volunteer Firefighters recognised by a Fire Authority and any member of a Salvage Corps (prior to April 1 1984). Also included is any person off duty at the time of their death or who are retired members, whose injuries or illness are attributed by a Coroner, as being the result of fire and rescue service-related duties.

1.2  Fire and Rescue Service Operational Support Personnel shall mean:

Members of a Fire and Rescue Service, as defined in these criteria, not employed as firefighters, but who perform duties that form part of operational response resources mobilised to incidents. Also included is any person off duty at the time of their death or who are retired members whose injuries or illness are attributed by a Coroner as being the result of fire and rescue service operational support related duties.

1.3  United Kingdom shall mean:

England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Overseas Territories listed in 1.4 below and the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, and includes firefighters seconded to serve overseas while still a member of a Fire & Rescue Service as define in this criteria. Further, it shall mean the area, now known as the Republic of Ireland, for the period in which it formed part of the United Kingdom, (1 January 1801 to 6 December 1922)

1.4  Overseas Territories, as designated in this criteria:

The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, (Cyprus).

2 QUALIFICATION

2.1 Death resulting from an injury or illness sustained as a direct result of an activity consistent with the duties of a firefighter or operational support personnel, (as defined in 1.1 and 1.2 above), including any death occurring some time after the incident, from which the effects of the injury or illness sustained became apparent and formed the primary cause of death as recognised by a Coroner.

2.2 Death resulting from an injury or illness sustained whilst on duty, not occurring at an operational incident but, being an activity consistent with the duties of a firefighter or operational support personnel, including responding to, attending, or returning from operational incidents or training activities in preparation for operational incident, including FRS approved and schedule physical training, but not including voluntary physical training or sporting activities.

2.3 In the case of personnel engaged on any duty system not defined as being on duty at a fire station for a specific period of shift, eg on-call personnel, (retained), ‘day crewing’ personnel, flexible duty officers etc, the relevant time shall be regarded as being from the time of mobilisation to an operational incident, training or other recognised duties, until return to place of normal activity or home, and when engaged on training activities in preparation for operational incidents.

2.4 Death by natural causes whilst engaged in an activity consistent with a firefighter or operational support personnel, (as defined in 1.2), at operational incidents or at training exercises, but not if occurring whilst on standby duty or ‘office’ duty at a fire station or place of work, unless death occurs following the performance of a particular duty and which contributed to the death, (eg collapse or cardiac arrest, brought on by the physical exertion of previous duty activities), as attributed by a Coroner.

2.5 Death resulting from any ‘on duty’ travel including, ‘detached duty’ travel, after reporting first to the designated place of work and also includes firefighters and operational support personnel if employed to make an on-duty response or on duty travel from a designated place of work or place of residence for the execution of firefighter or operational support duties as outlined in 2.3.

2.6 ‘On duty’ includes normal duty activities for officers, fire safety (and other like roles) personnel, and operational support personnel (as defined in 1.2), when engaged in activities related to their operational response role.

2.7 ‘On duty’ does include death resulting from injuries resulting from an accident whilst travelling when engaged on duties consistent with a firefighter or operational support personnel, (as defined in 1.2)

2.8  ‘On duty’ does not include normal commuter travel to or from usual designated place of work,

3 CONFIDENTIALITY

3.1 To protect the privacy of the family members of those names recorded by The Trust, only factual details will be made publicly available, for the benefit of historical research, Such information will be at the discretion of the Chairman of the Trust, The Trust Secretary or The Trust Archivist and will be sympathetic to the privacy of living relatives, being generally of the nature of information that could be found elsewhere in publicly available records.

4 GENERAL

4.1 These criteria are prepared for the general assistance and guidance of those responsible for compiling any research documentation that may comprise a formal response or submission to the Firefighters Memorial Trust.

4.2 These criteria are used solely to determine whether or not a name will be included on any Memorials maintained by the Trust, or in the Book of Remembrance.

4.3 The Trust may well accept a different standard of evidence, to that used within the Fire and Rescue Service for other purposes, in order to make a determination.

4.4 All names submitted to The Trust will be subject to sympathetic consideration and careful scrutiny for inclusion in the records and on Memorials maintained by The Trust.  In any case of doubt the decision of The Trust will be final.