FOIA Statute

The purpose of this document is to provide the public with information about requesting records from the DC Fire and EMS Department (FEMS) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The FOIA is a federal statute that gives any person the right to request records from any government agency. When FEMS receives a FOIA request, it has the responsibility to search for records that are responsive to the request. The agency then must make copies of all responsive records available, unless the records are protected from statutory disclosure. Persons who wish to request agency records under FOIA have a responsibility to reasonably describe the records they seek.