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Abstract

Fire brigade response times have soared in neighbourhoods where stations were axed as part of £29million cutbacks, a study has found.

Areas close to the 10 stations that were closed in 2014, including Clerkenwell Fire Station in Farringdon Road, have seen a dramatic increase in the time it takes crews to reach the scene of a blaze, a statistician has claimed.

The study by Lancaster University found that 44 per cent of all calls to house fires in areas near closed stations now fall outside the London Fire Brigade’s six-minute target time.

The cuts, which included the loss of 552 firefighters and 14 engines, were widely opposed, with concerns being raised about the impact on response times.

But former Mayor of London Boris Johnson overruled his own fire authority, which voted against the move, and forced through the cuts.

Statistician Dr Benjamin Taylor, who led the study, said: “In some areas before the closures, the average response time for the first fire engine was well under five minutes, whereas following the closures the LFB is only able to respond to around 50 per cent of calls in these areas within its six-minute target.

“That may not sound like a lot but a few minutes could make all the difference.”

He analysed data from call-outs to over 24,000 fires in houses and flats which have occurred between 2012 and 2015, choosing these types of fire as they account for 80 per cent of blaze deaths.

The Fire Brigades Union has repeatedly raised concerns about the cuts and said they put people’s lives at risk.

In February, fire crews were nearly three minutes late to a blaze in Ripplevale Grove, Barnsbury, which claimed the life of 86-year-old Raymond Lister.

Dr Taylor said: “The difference is quite remarkable. Before closures there was essentially no problem at all in most areas.”

He added: “Although the LFB [London Fire Brigade] is working hard to keep response times down, our findings suggest that there is a limit to what can be achieved logistically.

“Two years on, my analysis would suggest that the impact of the closures may be more substantial than the London Fire Brigade anticipated.”

Fire brigade head of information management David Wyatt challenged the study’s findings and said: “Our average attendance times are among the best in the country.

“We have always said that fire station closures would mean that our response time would increase. However, we are still meeting our London-wide performance standard of six minutes for the first fire engine and eight minutes for a second fire engine.

“Even with the small increases in response times around the areas of fire station closures these are still some of the fastest response times in London.”

He added: “It’s also important to note that the total number of fires and fire deaths continue on a long-term downward trend, which the report unfairly omits.”