This accessibility statement applies to https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/
We want everyone to be able to use this website. You might have a better experience if you change the settings on your computer to suit your needs. The site has been built so that you should be able to:
- Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard or using speech recognition software
- Listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver
We’ve also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.
AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible.
- Some PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen readers. We are in the progress of reviewing and updating these documents which should be completed by 31 July 2023.
- Some content on our website is not available unless JavaScript is enabled, for example forms and maps.
- You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text.
- There’s a limit to how far you can magnify the map on our ‘find your local fire station’ page.
Reporting accessibility problems with this website
We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please let us know.
To help us understand the problem as quickly as we can, please tell us:
- The web address or title of the page where you found the problem
- What the problem is
- What computer and software you use
By email: enquiries@northantsfire.gov.uk
By phone: 01604 797000
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format, please contact us via one of the methods below:
- By email: enquiries@northantsfire.gov.uk
- By phone: 01604 797000
We’ll consider your request and get back to you within 5 working days.
If you would like to contact us about something else and you need a response, please use our contact page.
Enforcement Procedure
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).
If you are in Northern Ireland and are not happy with how we respond to your complaint you can contact the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland who are responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’) in Northern Ireland.
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Compliance status
This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below. The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
- PDFs and other documents
PDFs may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. We are in the process of replacing or fixing any PDF and Word documents which are essential to our services. These documents are being reviewed which should be completed by 31 July 2023.
With a few exceptions, all new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards. All new documents that aren’t accessible will be clearly identified, and we will provide an accessible version wherever possible.
- WCAG 3.1.1 Language of Page: <html> element must have a valid value for the lang attribute (Axe)
Our online forms were not displaying a valid value for the lang attribute so most have been replaced with a Word document, we are currently working through the remaining forms and will aim to have these replaced by 31 July 2023.
Content that is not within scope of the accessibility regulations
Many of our older PDFs and Word documents are not fully accessible, for example, they may not be easy to read using a screen reader.
We aim to have replaced or fixed any PDF and Word documents which are essential to our services, like forms published as Word documents.
The accessibility regulations do not require us to fix PDFs or other documents published before 23 September 2018 if they’re not essential to providing our services. For example, we don’t plan to fix every older non-essential document like old campaign PDFs.
Live video – we do not plan to add captions to live video streams because live video is exempt from meeting the accessibility regulations.
How we test this website
We monitor and test the accessibility of our site manually and will make fixing and improving the accessibility of the site part of our regular work. We are currently looking into some automated tools to assist with our testing.
We test our website using the following browsers (latest browser release):
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- Windows: Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Firefox
- Mac: Chrome, Firefox, Safari
- Mobile: Apple iOS – Safari; Android – Default web browser and Chrome
To make sure our website is accessible as possible we have:
- Tagged all our images with alternative (alt) text so that if you can’t see the image, you can still understand what it means. It does not appear when hovering over an image but it appears when accessed through screen-reader/equivalent.
- The tabbing logic has been rebuilt so that where our pages have an embedded drop down menu, these can be tabbed through.
- We use strong colour contrasts between foreground and background.
- The page text can be made larger to make it easier to see and read on your computer from any internet browser.
- We have used our headings correctly by making sure they’re not just ordinary text made to look big and bold.
- Links are meaningful so you can find the information you need quickly.
- Tables used have clear headings and summaries.
- We use plain English which is clearly understandable, and have avoided using jargon where we can.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on 02 December 2022 and it was last reviewed on 28 April 2023.
This website was tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines v2.1 AA on 26 August 2022 and was carried out by the Government Digital Service. The test reviewed a number of pages and documents which included:
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/contact-2/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/accessibility/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/WDSRecruitmentFrequentlyAskedQuestionsFAQs.pdf
- https://nfrsweb1.northantsfire.gov.uk/rackforms/output/forms/Fire-safety-talk-or-station-visit-mobile/page0.php
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/safety/home-safety-checks/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/events/
We (NFRS) tested this website for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 AA on 23 November 2022. The test was done manually and a number of pages were reviewed and included:
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/publication-of-information/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/full-time-firefighters/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/firefighter-control-operators/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/our-stations/
- https://www.northantsfire.gov.uk/about-us/outdoorsafety/
We decided to sample the above pages to test due to recent campaigns, a review of our publication scheme information and various establishment changes affecting stations.
NFRS will also regularly review the website manually by sampling pages randomly to ensure they are compliant.
Fire Risk Assessment (worked example for House in Multiple Occupation (HMO)) (PDF 389KB)
