Fire and Rescue Notifying Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) - Find a freedom of information request

I am writing in relation to a response to an FoI concerning how many times the Fire and Rescue Service notified the RSPCA about various matters.

fire-and-rescue-service-disclosures-to-rspca

[https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/directory-record/66954/fire-and-rescue-service-disclosuresto-rspca]

1. Can you please tell me why the Fire and Rescue Service are deemed to have an obligation to contact the RSPCA if they have a concern about the welfare of animals? The RSPCA have no statutory powers and bring prosecutions as a private prosecutor. If they wish to enter premises or seize animals they rely on police powers and the availability of the police to help them on request. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 is very clear that it empowers the police and an "inspector" appointed by a local authority. This is not an RSPCA inspector who is merely a charity worker.

2. Can you tell me why the obligation of the Fire and Rescue Service to notify concerns over animal welfare issues is not that of notifying those empowered by the statue?

3. Where does this obligation originate?

1. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue (LFR) have no statutory responsibility to respond to incidents involving animals, however it will respond if a person/member of the public is likely to put themselves at risk to rescue/save and animal. So LFR will go out to rescue people or support the rescue of an animal to prevent people from endangering themselves. LFR receives many calls from RSPCA to support a rescue which it sometimes does and if an animal has been rescued as part of our response and there is no responsible person or owner, LFR contact RSPCA, who then look after the animal when LFR’s task is completed.

2. LFR attend emergencies that may result in a rescue where animal welfare may be an issue and only fire and rescue are in attendance. In this case, LFR will request attendance of RSPCA as part of its partnership working.

3. Historic partnership working.