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Compliments & Complaints

Compliments and complaints can give valuable feedback to help us plan and improve our service or procedures and we would like to hear from you if you wish to compliment us on a job well done or the level of service we provide. We would also like to hear from you if you are dissatisfied and wish to complain about the level or quality of service we provide.

Please see our Compliments & Complaints Policy and Procedure, which is availalbe in our Publications area of the website.

Please contact us if you wish to make a compliment or complaint by:

Post:    Chief Fire Officer    
Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service
16 Harbour Road
Inverness  IV1 1TB
 		 Email:  enquiries@hifrs.org
 
Telephone:  01463 227000      Fax: 01463 236979

In Person: 
To any member of HIFRS staff at any HIFRS establishment 

                                   
Compliments

We would prefer to receive your compliments in writing or via e-mail, however if you are unable to do so please telephone us, and we will take a note of your compliment.

Complaints

We hope that you will only feel the need to make a formal complaint as a last resort and will be able to resolve the complaint informally with the person who is responsible for the area you are concerned about.  However, if after dealing with your concern in this way you are still dissatisfied, please contact us to make a formal complaint.

To help us deal with your compliment or complaint effectively, please provide us with as much information as possible including, where applicable:  
  • Your name and contact details
  • The exact nature of your complaint or compliment
  • The date, time and location of any incident giving rise to the complaint or compliment
  • Any information which might help us to identify the persons involved
  • An indication of how you might like a complaint resolved

How we will deal with your Compliment or Complaint

On receipt of your compliment we will:
 
  • Acknowledge receipt of your compliment
  • Pass the compliment on to the appropriate personnel and Head of Department
  • Record your compliment in a central register
  • Review all compliments received to benefit the service, for example by highlighting areas of best practice

On receipt of a formal complaint:  
  • We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days
  • Contact you for further information if required
  • A senior member of HIFRS staff will investigate your complaint
  • We will endeavour to respond to you with the outcome of our investigation within 20 working days
  • We will advise you with a revised timescale if the investigation will take longer
  • Review all complaints received with a view to planning and improving our Service

Anonymous complaints will be dealt with in the same way as those bearing name and contact details, except the complaint will not be acknowledged and we will be unable to notify the complainant of the outcome.

If on receipt of the outcome of the complaints investigation, you remain dissatisfied, do not consider the complaint has been investigated fairly, or that your complaint has not been given due consideration, you can request your complaint be reconsidered by the Chief Fire Officer.

If having followed our complaints procedure to its conclusion you feel HIFRS has failed to investigate your complaint properly, you have recourse to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman at the address below:

 
4 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7NS		 Freepost EH641
Edinburgh
EH3 0BR
Tel: 0131 225 5300 Tel: 0800 3777330 
Fax: 0800 3777331