We will handle feedback fairly, properly, and transparently. Each year we publish an anonymised report to the Fire Authority with analysis of feedback and lessons learned. Feedback is used to improve services and how we deliver them. Our objectives are to:

• Make it easy for customers to give feedback and explain how to do it.
• Treat feedback seriously, fairly, confidentially and respectfully, even if the outcome does not fully satisfy the customer.
• Ensure colleagues, volunteers, cadets, contractors and Members understand this policy and their roles.
• Respond appropriately, quickly and courteously.
• Explain customers’ rights if they are not satisfied and learn from all feedback to improve services.
• Commissioned surveys for customer feedback, e.g. Community Intelligence and Partnerships Team, EDI Surveys, Equality of Access Surveys
   

This policy covers all positive feedback (compliments), negative feedback (complaints) and comments about any service we provide; however, the feedback is received. It does not cover internal services provided to colleagues as part of their employment. As a KFRS employee all compliments and complaints you or a member of your team feedback, will be handled internally as part of your employment.

Some matters are outside this policy and are handled elsewhere:

Allegations involving children, young people or adults at risk – see the Safeguarding Policy.

Data protection complaints – see the Data Protection Policy 

Challenges to fire safety regulation enforcement (e.g. enforcement notices) – use the legal appeals process in the relevant legislation. (Feedback on colleagues conduct during these actions is in scope.)

Where feedback relates to a member or colleagues, the matter may also be considered under the Disciplinary and Restorative Healing Policy, the Code of Ethical Conduct for All Colleagues, and the Speak-up Policy.
 

Customer: any member of the public, business, individual using our services or anyone else (internal or external) who gives feedback. 

Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about our standards, actions or lack of action by the Authority or its colleagues when acting for Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

Complainant: a customer who makes a complaint.

Vexatious complainant: an unreasonable or unreasonably persistent complainant whose actions hinder our consideration of their own or other people’s complaints (decision follows an investigation/appeal). This applies to the complaint, not the person.

Founded complaint: we were at fault and there is clear evidence to uphold the complaint.

Unfounded complaint: we were not at fault (e.g. misunderstanding or customer unaware of relevant policy).
Partially founded complaint: we were partly at fault.

Comments: questions, statements or requests about an activity or situation that do not raise a complaint. This can include requests that can be fixed immediately at the point of service.

Compliment: appreciation for actions by our colleagues, volunteers, cadets or some other aspect of KFRS.

A Corporate Management Board member is always responsible for customer feedback. Once the area of complaint has been determined, the appropriate member of The Board will be allocated. The Board receives regular reports to spot trends. 

The Members of the Fire Authority receive an annual public report at the June/July meeting on levels of satisfaction, number of complaints and appeals each financial year, and the outcomes.

We record feedback and monitor trends, including potential impacts on groups with protected characteristics where data allows. We anonymise or aggregate data so no personal data is reported publicly.

We keep a database of all feedback. Records are kept for seven years in line with our publication scheme, then destroyed. 

The majority of this policy is focused on unsolicited feedback received from customers and partners, most often in the form of compliments and complaints. However, in addition to this, KFRS will undertake commissioned surveys to obtain customer or partner feedback on specific issues. 

These are co-ordinated by the Community Intelligence and Partnerships Team. When this is undertaken, our objectives are to gather targeted insight through dedicated engagement methods, including focus groups and surveys, to inform campaigns and Service plans. 

These activities are developed in collaboration with relevant internal teams to ensure organisational alignment. All such engagement is underpinned by our Equality of Access to Services Policy, How We Deliver Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in KFRS Policy, Data Protection Policy, and risk-based targeting strategies. This ensures that commissioned feedback includes target groups and meets the required standards of privacy and transparency, before informing our strategic planning and service improvements.

We actively encourage customers to give feedback on the point of service. Guidance is available in accessible formats, including on our website. Colleagues will help customers to give feedback and will not try to influence what they say. Customers who express dissatisfaction will always be offered the option to make a complaint. We act quickly to remove barriers to access when identified.

We accept feedback through several channels to ensure accessibility and fairness, including electronic and verbal routes. 

We have a clearly set out ‘contact us’ section on our website, which can be found here: https://www.kent.fire-uk.org/contact-us 

If feedback is a complaint, we may ask the customer to confirm details in writing and offer help to do so. If they cannot or prefer not to write, we will confirm our understanding of the complaint in writing to them. Customers are not required to put complaints in writing, especially where that would prevent them from complaining.

Anonymous feedback is taken seriously, but we may not be able to share the outcome with the person who provided it. Whistleblowing complaints are investigated the same way as external complaints.
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 created a requirement for all organisations to set out how data protection complaints can be to them, acknowledge receipt of complaints within 30 days, and without undue delay take appropriate steps to respond. This is met through the information provided on a specific section of the ‘contact us’ page of the website.
 

Upon receipt of feedback, we have a clear process based on the type of feedback.

Comments and compliments

Please forward all comments and compliments received to [email protected]

Complaints

All complaints, however received, must be forwarded to [email protected] as soon as possible, ideally the same day. Do not enter into correspondence with the complainant. Complaints with then be investigated and dealt with by the Assurance Team and the HR Team.

Verbal complaints at operational incidents are dealt with initially by the Incident Commander at an appropriate time. A note of the complaint must then be emailed to [email protected] as soon as possible.
Freedom of Information Act – If a complaint relates to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Information Officer (Kirsty Driver) will also be informed

Data protection – If a complaint relates to how we have handled someone’s personal data, the Data Protection Officer (Owain Thompson) will also be informed. These complaints are subject to a statutory 30-day acknowledgement period under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, rather than our standard 20 working day timescale
 

We acknowledge complaints within three working days (centrally). The initial recipient should not admit liability or blame. At this stage the complaint is an allegation and needs investigation.

In line with the requirements of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, we will acknowledge receipt of data protection complaints within 30 days.
 

Complaints with be investigated and dealt with by the Assurance Team and the HR Team, with other colleagues involved as appropriate, e.g. Data Protection Officer, or Information Officer.

An Investigating Officer is appointed. If the complaint is about a colleague, the Investigating Officer will be an officer that holds a more senior position than the individual who is the subject of the complaint.

Ordinarily, the Chief Executive will be the Commissioning Officer for an investigation into any complaint of alleged misconduct against a member of the Corporate Management Board or the Monitoring Officer. They will be supported (where appropriate) by the Head of HR or an externally appointed senior HR adviser in an advisory capacity. 

If there are grounds to believe that the Chief Executive had some involvement in the misconduct; or it would be inappropriate for the Chief Executive to be the Commissioning Officer, the Chief Executive of another fire and rescue authority will be appointed as Commissioning Officer.

For more information about the investigation of complaints and allegations made against senior officers (defined as the Chief Executive, any member of the Corporate Management Board and the Monitoring Officer), please refer to the Disciplinary Procedure for Dealing with an Allegation of Misconduct by a Senior Officer, which sits under the Tier 2 Disciplinary and Restorative Healing Policy.

Where needed, the Investigating Officer will write to the complainant to confirm the details, especially regarding verbal complaints.

We aim to resolve complaints within 20 working days. If that is not possible, we keep the complainant informed of progress at least every three weeks.

If we cannot gather evidence (for example, if the complainant does not cooperate), we decide whether the complaint is founded, unfounded, or partially founded based on the available evidence.

When the investigation ends, the Investigating Officer writes to the complainant with the action taken and the findings (founded, unfounded, or partially founded).

If a founded complaint means we need to change a policy, procedure or training, the issue will be referred to CMB, the Head of Policy, and the relevant Senior Responsible Colleague for that policy or policy area.. For information on the Senior Responsible Colleague please see paragraphs 11 and 12 in the Procedure for the Policy Governance Policy.

Complainants can appeal within 20 working days of our response. Appeals should be sent to [email protected]. 

We encourage appeals in writing and offer help if needed, but appeals can still be made without a written formality.

An Appeals Officer who was not involved in the original investigation will check that we applied our policy correctly. If new information is relevant, we will review the original outcome.

We notify you of the outcome within 20 working days of receiving the appeal. The appeal may overturn the original finding, uphold it or classify the complaint as vexatious.

If a complainant is still dissatisfied after the appeal, we have no further internal route. They can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). For Freedom of Information or data protection issues, they can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

We use this policy to handle complaints that allege discrimination, including harassment. This includes claims that a policy, process or practice is discriminatory (for example, institutional discrimination). Common grounds include race, sex, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age or social and economic background. Where the issue relates to another public body, we will pass the complaint to the right organisation and record it for monitoring and action planning.

We are committed to providing a safe, healthy and respectful working environment for all colleagues. We believe that no member of our team should be subjected to verbal abuse, threats or harassment while performing their duties.

While we strive to provide excellent service and support, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward abusive or aggressive behaviours during telephone calls or digital communications.

We will advise a complainant if we consider their correspondence is becoming vexatious. After an appeal, we may classify a complaint as vexatious and close it. Any new complaint on a different issue will be treated as a new complaint and not as vexatious.