We will send you an acknowledgement letter confirming we have received your complaint, normally within two working days.
Within 28 days you should receive a full reply from a senior manager or head of the relevant section. We make every attempt to respond sooner (dependent on firefighters' availability and shift patterns).
If we cannot answer your complaint satisfactorily, or if your complaint is of a complex nature, we will inform you of how we're investigating it and how long it's expected to take.
If your complaint falls under a special procedure (for example, a disciplinary or legal procedure) you will be informed.
If your complaint is justified we will apologise and let you know what can be done to rectify the matter. If we feel that your complaint is not justified we will explain why.
When you make your complaint you will be given the name and phone number of a contact officer who will assist you and explain the complaints procedure.
Use the online form to make your complaint.
If you are not happy with our reply you can take the matter further and ask your contact officer to arrange for a review.
Within two working days of your contact we will acknowledge your request and within 28 working days you should receive a reply to this further investigation.
A further investigation of your complaint is always carried out by a more senior manager.
We hope to be able to resolve most complaints at steps 1 or 2 but if you are still unsatisfied with our reply you can ask the London Fire Commissioner for a review of the case. Your contact officer will arrange this for you.
Your case will be reviewed by the Corporate Complaints Manager. Within two working days of your contact we will acknowledge your request and within 28 days we will send you a reply from the London Fire Commissioner.
There are two other ways to make your complaint.
The London Fire Brigade is run by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). If you wish to contact an LFEPA member please see the Members of the Authority section for their details, or call Democratic Services on 020 8555 1200, ext: 30083.
You can directly write to elected members at:
London Fire Brigade Headquarters
169 Union Street
London SE1 0LL
For most matters you can also complain to the Local Government Ombudsman. They may carry out an independent investigation of your complaint. However, the Ombudsman will usually only consider your complaint once you have been through our complaints procedure.
For more information about the Ombudsman, visit their website at http://www.lgo.org.uk/ or contact them at:
Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
t: 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983
f: 024 7682 0001
e: advice@lgo.org.uk
Text ‘call back’ to 0762 480 4299
