Fire Authority complaints

If you believe a member of the Fire Authority has breached the code of conduct, you can make a complaint in writing.

If you cannot make your complaint online, you can download and print a paper complaints form (PDF: 47KB).

If you’re unable to submit your complaint in writing because of a disability or if English is not your first language, we can help you. Contact Elaine Waugh, Monitoring Officer:

Telephone: 0191 516 7849

Email: elaine.waugh@sunderland.gov.uk

Your address and contact details will not normally be released unless this is necessary to deal with your complaint.

However, the member you are complaining about and the Monitoring Officer of the Fire Authority will be informed about your complaint.

They will be told:

  • your name
  • a summary of your complaint
  • full details of your complaint where this is necessary to deal with your complaint

If you have concerns about this information being shared, you can indicate this on your form.

This form can only be used to complain about a member of the Tyne and Wear Fire Authority. If your complaint is about our service, you must use our general complaints form.

Complain about a Fire Authority member

Your details

Member details

Include the member's name and local authority.

Your complaint

It is important that you provide all the information you wish to have taken into account by the assessment subcommittee when it decides whether to take any action on your complaint. For example:

– You should be as specific as possible about exactly what you are alleging the member said or did. For instance, instead of writing that the member insulted you, you should state what it was they said.

– You should provide the dates of the alleged incidents wherever possible. If you cannot provide exact dates it is important to give a general timeframe.

– You should confirm whether there are any witnesses to the alleged conduct and provide their names and contact details if possible.

– You should provide any relevant background information.

Keeping your identity confidential

In the interests of fairness and natural justice, we believe members who are complained about have a right to know who has made the complaint. We also believe they have a right to be provided with a summary of the complaint. We are unlikely to withhold your identity or the details of your complaint unless you have good reason to believe that you will be at risk of physical harm, or your employment will be jeopardised if your identity is disclosed, or there are medical risks (supported by medical evidence) associate with your identity being disclosed. Requests for confidentiality or requests for suppression of complaint details will not automatically be granted. The assessment sub-committee will consider the request alongside the substance of your complaint. We will then contact you with the decision. If your request for confidentiality is not granted, we will usually allow you the option of withdrawing your complaint. However, it is important to understand that in certain exceptional circumstances where the matter complained about is very serious, we can proceed with an investigation or other action and disclose your name even if you have expressly asked us not to.

Equality monitoring

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority operates an Equality Policy.  To help us make sure that everybody is treated fairly and equally we need to know who is making complaints. This information will help us to develop and change our policies and practices to ensure that no one is discriminated against. To help us to do this we request that you complete the questions below. You do not have to do so but this information would be helpful to us. All of the information you give will be treated with the strictest of confidence and will be used for monitoring purposes only.
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