Emergency securing services - Find a freedom of information request

We are conducting research on the use of emergency securing services (such as boarding up and securing buildings) for the UK's fire departments. As part of this research, we would like to find out the following information about your fire department's practices and data in this area. Specifically, we are looking to cover the following:

Scenarios and Usage:

1. In what scenarios do you use emergency securing services (i.e. when would you use forceable entries that require emergency securing services)?

2. Are there standard guidelines or policies governing when these services are engaged?

Frequency:

1. How many cases require emergency securing services annually  (ideally from 2010 to 2024). If possible, please provide a breakdown of the cause of forced entry (i.e. executing search warrant, concern for welfare, to prevent property damage, etc.).

Service Providers:

1. Who are the main providers or contractors engaged for emergency securing services?

2. What proportion of emergency securing services does each contractor achieve?

Expenditure and remuneration:

1. How are these services funded - is there a framework in place (if so, please provide detail)? Which parties are responsible for remunerating the emergency securing service contractor?

2. What is the average cost per securing service?

3. What has been the annual expenditure on emergency securing services for each year from 2010 to 2024?

If this information is already publicly available, please let me know where I can locate this data.

Scenarios and Usage:

1. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue (LFR) uses securing services when it needs to force entry during a fire related emergency or where it has assisted another agency, and LFR are the only agency still at the scene and it has no responsible person to hand the security of the property to.

2. LFR has a guidance note which provides staff with information to allow them to make an appropriate decision as to when LFR may secure a property.

Frequency:

1. LFR is unable to extract an exact number on this as securing a property is part of an incident and not an incident type. A estimate is that it employs the services of boarding up companies approximately ten times a year.

Service Providers:

1. LFR utilise a number of local contractors

2. The expectation is that the contractor will make the property secure.

Expenditure and remuneration:

1. There is no funding LFR receives for boarding up, if it needs to enact securing services this comes out the services budget. If LFR have requested the services of boarding up it has to pay.

2. Approximately £400.00.

3. Approximately £4,000.