This website is managed by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. This accessibility statement applies to pages that start with leics-fire.gov.uk.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

The text should be clear and simple to understand.

You should be able to:

• zoom in up to 300% without problems
• view all content on smaller screens
• navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
• navigate the website using a screen reader

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please email info@leics-fire.gov.uk

We'll consider your request and get back to you within 14 days.

We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

Our offices have audio induction loops, or if you contact us before your visit we can arrange a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter.

Find out how to contact, or visit us.

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: Corporate Communications via info@leics-fire.gov.uk

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

While most do, not all of our images have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). When we publish new content we'll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.

Third-party content on our site that is neither funded nor developed by, nor under the control of, the public sector body may also not be accessible. For example slides accompanying webinars and social media widgets and plugins.

Older documents

The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 (external website, opens in a new tab) if they're not essential to providing our services.

Some of our older PDFs and Word documents, including some published after September 2018, do not meet accessibility standards – for example, they may not be structured so they're accessible to a screen reader. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

Some of our PDFs and Word documents are essential to providing our services. For example, we have PDFs with information on how users can access our services, and forms published as Word documents.

Our newer documents should be compliant. If a new document is published that we have not been able to make accessible, we will make this clear on the page holding the document itself, along with details of when the document will be fixed by or how to obtain the information in an alternative format.

Documents designed for print and creative / artistic content

Some of our documents have been designed for print (e.g. our current safety campaigns) and as such may not be accessible for screen readers. Some documents also contain artistic and creative content, and are also not accessible by screen readers.

Translated documents

Some of our documents are translated by a third-party translations service. Currently these documents are provided in a format that can be printed but not read online by screen readers. We are in discussions with our provider to see if we can change to a screenreader friendly format.

The website was last tested on 16th July 2024. This test was carried out internally by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. We checked a broad sample of pages on the website, including the homepage and a selection of other pages. We used a free-to-use developer tool and site improve which checks each page against standard accessibility issues.

We use Site Improve Accessibility Software to monitor the website content.

We have identified a list of key older service documents such as plans and strategies. The majority of these documents are PDFs have been designed using Adobe software or converted from a Word document and older documents are not fully accessible. Our focus is very much on ensuring newer, current information is accessible.

In the meantime, if you are unable to access a document, please contact us. We'll consider your request and get back to you. You can also get tools and information to increase the accessibility of PDF documents from the Adobe website

We plan to annually review website accessibility, and ensure that any new pages or PDFs and other online documents conform to web accessibility criteria.

This statement was prepared on 16 July 2024. It was last updated on 16 July 2024 and will next be reviewed July 2025.