Accessibility statement for nifrs.org
This accessibility statement applies to nifrs.org
This website is run by Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:
- change colours, contrast levels and fonts
- zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
- navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
- navigate most of the website 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 if you have a disability.
How accessible this website is
We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:
- Some pages and document attachments are not clearly written
- Some images do not have good alternative text
- Some documents are in PDF format and are not accessible
- Some third party HTML 5 Video content may not have subtitles or captions
Feedback and contact information
If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:
We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 days.
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, contact:
- Name: Corporate Communications Team
- Email address: [email protected]
- Contact number: 028 9266 4221
Enforcement procedure
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’). If you are not happy with our response contact the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) (https://www.equalityni.org/Home)
Technical information about this website’s accessibility
Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service 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 and exemptions listed below.
Non-accessible content
The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.
Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations
Images & media
- Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).
- We plan to add text alternatives for all images by May 31st 2023. When we publish new content we’ll make sure our use of images meets accessibility standards.
- Some videos do not have captions, so people who can audibly hear the video cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.1 (Audio-only and Video-only (Pre-recorded)).
- We plan to generate transcripts for these videos by May 31st 2023. When we publish new video content, we will make sure our use of captions meets accessibility standards.
- Our “STOP Fire” Graphic situated on our homepage fails WCAG2.1 success criterion 1.4.5. An accessible version of this is available here: https://www.nifrs.org/home/staying-safe/community-safety/home-fire-safety/
Disproportionate Burden
PDFs and other documents
- PDFs are missing document titles that can make it difficult for screen reader users to quickly establish the contents of the document. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.2 (Page Titled). Any new PDFs will be published with titles as standard.
- PDFs are missing document bookmarks which are a key method of navigation for some users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.5 (Multiple Ways). Any new PDFs will be developed with bookmarks as standard.
- Images within PDFs are missing alt text so they will be inaccessible to blind users. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text content). Any new PDFs will have descriptive alt text added as standard.
We’ve assessed the cost of fixing the issues with PDF and other documents. We believe that doing so now would be a disproportionate burden within the meaning of the accessibility regulations. We will make another assessment in 12 months (from 4th April 2023).
Any new PDFs or Word documents we publish will meet accessibility standards.
Content that’s not within the scope of the accessibility regulations
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.
Preparation of this accessibility statement
This statement was prepared on Tuesday 4th April 2023. It was last reviewed on Tuesday 4th April 2023.
This website was last tested on Monday 20th March 2023. This website was tested for compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 level AA, and the test was carried out by UK Government Digital Services.
Our sampling method most closely matches the in-depth methodology that was originally defined by the EU – in particular see section 3 here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2018/1524.