Cheshire Fire Service website wins national award

Sep 23 2008 Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE is the first Fire and Rescue Service in the country to get a prestigious accessibility award for its website – www.cheshirefire.gov.uk.

The website – which has previously been cited as a national example of best practice – has been accredited by Shaw Trust, a national charity which provides employment services for people with disabilities.

The trust’s website accessibility testing service is recognised as the most comprehensive available. Rigorous automated checks of every page were followed by practical testing using specialist technology by staff who are blind, deaf, have low vision, colour blindness, dyslexia, mobility problems and learning difficulties.

The service then had to resolve a list of issues identified during the test before Shaw Trust gave its accessibility award to the site.

“We are delighted to have gained this major accessibility award for our website,” said Fire Authority chair Cllr Tony Hooton.

“The internet is a key way for us to communicate with residents and businesses and it is vital that everyone has equal access to our website, regardless of what disability they may have or what technology they use.”

As well as the Shaw Trust award, the service has also achieved the Plain English Society’s Crystal Mark for the clarity of information on its website.

“Achieving these awards is important as they are an independent check on how easy it is for people to access our online services and to understand what can be critical safety information,” said Caroline Jones, the service’s e-communications officer.

“We will now be working hard to maintain these standards as both awards are subject to annual tests.”

Features on the site – www.cheshirefire.gov.uk – include:

• A text alert system which tells people about major incidents in their area

• A sign up service for free home safety assessments

• Online access to details of all major incidents and news stories

• A newsfeed which lets people know as soon as new information is added to the site

• A special facility to read out pages for people with visual impairments

• Translation of web pages into other languages

• Audio clips of hoax callers

• A new Kidzone, containing fire safety information, games and video’s for children

• Live station performance statistics and maps