Andrew Dismore

Andrew Dismore AM, Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden, and member of the London Fire Authority  has today revealed figures which show that 6 of Barnet’s  wards now have   slower fire brigade response times, after London Mayor Boris Johnson closed 10 fire  stations and 14 fire engines last year.

Mr Dismore said:

‘It  is  not surprising that the worst ward affected ward is   Mill Hill  which has seen its attendance time  increase by 20 seconds for the first fire engine to attend.  Six Barnet  wards now have longer attendance times for a first fire engine attendance.

‘This shows how important it was that my campaign against the closure of Mill Hill Fire station succeeded even thought it was opposed by the Conservative MP for Hendon. Mill Hill was on the Mayor’s original list for closure but a strong community campaign was able to save it. Mill Hill Fire Station does not serve only Mil Hill, but also for example, Burnt Oak and parts of Colindale as first attendance. The longer attendance time is a result of the way the fire service has been spread thinner due to the Mayor’s cuts. Even though we now have an extra fire engine at Hendon, it clearly is not enough given the growing population in Barnet.

‘Fires can take hold in seconds, so that’s why any increase in response times, even if only a few seconds, can be so dangerous. 

‘Mill Hill and Barnet residents will be deeply concerned that since the closures it could take significantly longer for a fire engine to reach their home. These latest figures show that in six Barnet  wards it will now take longer to get to fires than it did last year.’ 

A breakdown of the latest London Fire Service response time data can be found here.