§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what is the average response time for the fire services to reach an accident on(a) a motorway and (b) an A-road, in each of the last three years; [42782]
(2) what the average length of time was which it took the fire services to complete all their official duties at an accident site on (a) an A-road and (b) a motorway in each of the last three years. [42784]
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what duties the fire services have to carry out before an accident site can be cleared from (a) an A-road and(b) a motorway. [42783]
§ Mr. ByersUnder section 1(1) of the Fire Services Act 1947, it is the duty of the fire authority to make provision for fire-fighting purposes and, in particular, to secure for its area the services of a fire brigade and equipment to meet efficiently all normal requirements. Fire-fighting purposes is defined in the Act as "the purposes of the extinction of fires and the protection of life and property in case of fire". Under section 3(1)(e) of the Act the authority also has the power to use its brigade and equipment for purposes other than fire-fighting (which are commonly known as "special services"). Brigades attend road traffic accidents primarily for firefighting and rescue purposes. Operational procedures for dealing with road accidents are matters for fire authorities to determine locally in consultation with the relevant police authority.