Social Media Policy and Social Media Guidance

Social Media Policy

Policy owned by: Engagement Team

Tier 2 Policy 19 February 20245

Version 1

Does policy apply to any of the following groups in addition to colleagues: Members, Volunteers, Cadets Contractors?  Yes. Members, Volunteers, Cadets.

Related Tier 2 Policies: 

• Bullying and Harassment Policy
• Code of Ethical Conduct  
• Disciplinary Policy 
• Resolving Working Relationship Concerns and Grievance Policy
• Speak Up Policy
• Supporting Performance Policy (formerly Capability Policy)
   

Introduction 

In relation to the use of social media, the Service’s position is based on the principle of protecting colleagues and their families, the people we serve, suppliers, partner agencies, and KFRS itself.

To achieve this, we have a set of requirements and standards relating to data and the use of social media.

Service Policy 

Working for KFRS means colleagues have access to large amounts of sensitive, confidential, and personal data (including special category data). To meet the principles set out above, colleagues must not post about, share, or comment on the following:

• Personal data of colleagues and third parties. For example, casualty details, images of private vehicles and houses, work-related performance.
• Organisationally sensitive data about KFRS and its partners. E.g. incidents, operational procedures and material, joint working protocols, regulatory fire safety activity, safeguarding activity, project information.
• Commercially sensitive data about KFRS and its partners. E.g. information relating to our suppliers and the contracts we have with them.
• Material that is inappropriate, offensive, or discriminatory.

This applies to all social media platforms, including but not limited to; Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, NextDoor, Snap Chat, LinkedIn, Facebook Workplace, WhatsApp and other instant messenger technologies.

The following is also not permitted:

• Organisationally related personal data must not be shared on WhatsApp, or any other messaging platform; this can only be shared through organisational channels such as the Service’s Outlook email system.
• TikTok is not permitted to be used on any KFRS issued devices, following a decision by the Cabinet Office on 16 March 2023 to ban the app on all government electronic devices.

In connection with this policy, KFRS may view colleagues’ publicly accessible social media accounts and profiles.

More detail about this, including our lawful basis for doing so, can be found in the accompanying social media guidance.

Organisational aim

This policy supports and contributes to our organisational aim (“Saving lives and reducing harm”) by establishing a framework through which colleagues can use social media safely without adversely affecting themselves, our customers or the organisation.

Relevant Legislation and Codes of Practice

• UK General Data Protection Regulation 
• Data Protection Act 2018
• Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Employment practices and data protection: monitoring workers (Information Commissioner's Office)
• NFCC Core Code of Ethics
   

Underlying Tier 3 guidance documents

Social Media Guidance

Data Inputs and Controls

The following data will be used to inform compliance with, or make assessments relating to, this policy:

• A record of processing activity where colleagues’ publicly accessible social medial accounts have been viewed.
• Information on held in iTrent and SharePoint related to processes arising from colleagues’ use of social media in contravention of this policy

Security Marking

Not protectively marked

Policy audit information

Approval Process (latest version)

Guidance for the Social Media Policy

Guidance owned by: Engagement Team

Tier 3 Procedure/Guidance

Version 2

Does procedure/Guidance apply to any of the following groups in addition to colleagues (Members, Volunteers, Cadets, Contractors)?  Yes
Volunteers, Cadets, and Members of the fire authority

Introduction 

This guidance expands upon and provides additional information to support the Social Media Policy. The Service’s position is based on the principle of protecting colleagues and their families, the people we serve, suppliers, partner agencies, and KFRS itself.  

Guidance

Protecting yourself 

It is recommended that KFRS colleagues and volunteers do not identify themselves as a Kent Fire and Rescue Service colleagues on social media in any way, to protect you from: 

• Bullying - abuse received via private messaging on social media.
• Trolling - abuse in the public eye on social media.
• Cyberstalking - the use of digital technology to track and harass someone.
• Security breaches and identity theft - e.g., collection of private or personal information, which may be used for deepfake attacks.

It is recommended that you make your social media profiles private, so you can choose who has access to information about your personal life. 

If you choose to identify your role and employment on any social media platform, this is done at your own risk.

It is important you have full control over your social media identity. If you do not wish to be identified on social media, please talk to your friends and family to ask them not to post anything that identifies you as a colleague or volunteer of Kent Fire & Rescue Service.

To protect yourself from the risks outlined above, it is recommended you don’t post the following information on social media:

• Where you work
• When you’ll be at work
• Images in uniform
• Images of your place of work
• Phone numbers
• Email addresses
• Home address
• Vehicle details 

It’s important to remember:

• WhatsApp must not be used to share personal information about colleagues – only use KFRS’ Outlook email system to send this type of data.
• TikTok must not be used on KFRS devices following a decision by the Cabinet Office to ban it from all government devices, due to how data is accessed and handled by the platform.  
• LinkedIn should be used with caution due to the harvesting of information by fraudsters to attack organisations or the individual concerned, either through cyber-attacks or account take over. It is recommended that your first name and first initial of your surname is used rather than your full name. It is also recommended that any senior managers, budget holders or colleagues working within finance, who use LinkedIn, should be cautious about positing images, audio files and videos due to the rise in deepfake technology.

Below is a link to a real example of where a member of the emergency services has faced online abuse.

Cruel trolls blast top cop who saved Whaley Bridge dam for ’embarrassing hedgehog, Jedward hair’ – The Sun | The Sun
 

Protecting the people we serve 

All colleagues and volunteers have a duty to protect the privacy and dignity of the people we serve, whether during an emergency, home visit, educational session, building inspection, community event, or any other interaction. 

In relation to the work of KFRS and interactions with customers, KFRS colleagues must never share information about any type of customer on social media. This includes: 

• sharing casualty details or images
• sharing images of private property, including vehicles, homes, or land
• making, sharing, or liking comments about a customer

Below is a link to a real example of where people have shared this sort of information.

Two Met police officers jailed over photos of murdered sisters | Metropolitan police | The Guardian

Protecting Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Identifying yourself as a KFRS colleague or volunteer online comes with responsibility and a need for high behaviour standards, because you are indirectly representing the service. 

If you choose to identify your role and employment on any social media platform, you do so knowing the risks identified in the ‘protecting yourself’ section of this guidance note.

It is extremely important that all colleagues:

have good conduct online across all social media platforms.

must be acutely aware and mindful of what you post, like, share, and comment on, how you comment, and how your interactions could be interpreted by someone else.

must always be kind and respectful to everyone.  

Whether you choose to state where you work or not, you should still comply with the above conduct when using social media as colleagues of the service and respected members of the community.

KFRS does not actively monitor colleagues’ social media accounts, but if a concern is raised by another colleague or third party, it may be investigated.

Below is a link to three real examples where people have not followed this standard.

• Senior fire officers investigated over 'horrendous' messages - BBC News  
• Toronto firefighters sacked for inappropriate social media posts 
• East of England Ambulance paramedic struck off for posting photos of patients at crash scenes on Facebook | The Hunts Post

Protecting partner agencies 

When posting to social media, colleagues must always respect sensitivities surrounding other local authority or emergency service partner agency activity, and the privacy of partner agency staff.  

It is recommended that colleagues:  

• Do not post information about partner agency emergency response
•  Avoid posting images of partner agency activity 
• Avoid commenting about partner agencies  
• Get consent from partner agency colleagues first if taking photos  

Protecting suppliers and procurement sensitivities 
KFRS cannot be seen to be promoting an external supplier and therefore colleagues should: 

•    Never post information about KFRS contracts or suppliers

•    Never post photos about KFRS suppliers

•    Never comment on or share the social media posts of KFRS suppliers

Publicly accessible social media accounts and profiles 

In connection with this policy, where a complaint has been made, KFRS may view and save screenshots of colleagues’ publicly accessible social media accounts and profiles. Where this is done, we will keep a record of activity.

Our lawful basis under the UK GDPR for doing this is the ‘Public task’ basis, as set out in Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR. This states that the processing is necessary to perform a task in the public interest or for official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

The basis in law comes from the needs to ensure that information is not being posted, liked, or otherwise commented on, that could be reasonably said to undermine or adversely affect our statutory duties as set down in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. In addition to this are our organisational and individual responsibilities (as colleagues/volunteers of KFRS) under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and advance equality of opportunity between those who share protected characteristics and those who do not.

Use of cameras on fire appliance phones

As of October 2024 the cameras have been enabled on the mobile phones on fire appliances.

This is because the Service recognises it could be helpful to be able to capture and share images and video to assist in resolving and learning from operational incidents.

Permission to do this is for mobile phones on fire appliances only and is a one-off exception to all of the restrictions set out in the Social Media Policy and this underlying guidance.

The circumstances under which this may be done are as follows:

• Fire appliance phones only
• Only when attending an incident and where there is an organisational need
• Only for purposes directly related to managing and resolving an incident 
• Only shared on WhatsApp to another KFRS phone or device

After sharing, all images and video must be deleted from the appliance phone.

Colleagues are reminded of the sensitivity around taking photos on the incident ground and must have a valid purpose for doing so.

Relevant Legislation and Codes of Practice

UK General Data Protection Regulation 

Data Protection Act 2018 

Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

Human Rights Act 1998

Employment practices and data protection: monitoring workers (Information Commissioner's Office)

NFCC Core Code of Ethics

Linked Policy (Tier 2)

Social Media Policy

Appendices   

N/A 

Linked Forms and Templates (Tier 4) 

N/A

Security Marking

Not protectively marked

Procedure/Guidance Audit Information

Approval Process (latest version)