Boris Johnson’s Fire Brigade cuts devastate Camden response times

Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore says there is now clear evidence that cuts made to the London Fire Brigade by former Mayor of London Boris Johnson have made Camden less safe. Mr Johnson’s decision to close Belsize Park and Clerkenwell Fire Stations has increased attendance times in all but two wards in Camden.

 

Data presented to yesterday’s meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) stated that in Camden the worst affected area was Belsize ward, which has seen first fire appliance response times increase from 4 minutes 18 seconds in 2012 to 6 minutes 21 seconds, after Belsize Fire Station was closed. Wards that are near to closed Clerkenwell Fire Station include Holborn and Covent Garden, where first attendance has gone up by 48 seconds. Overall, Camden had seen first response times rise from 4 minutes 33 seconds to 5 minutes 3 seconds. Special appliance (aerial platforms and Fire Rescue Units) response times have increased from 7 minutes 41 seconds to 9 minutes 43 seconds.

 

Mr Dismore said:

 

‘In fire spread, seconds really count. Camden residents are clearly less safe thanks to Boris Johnson’s reckless fire cuts. In Belsize Park,  response times have gone up by 50%. When I raised these concerns with him at the time, Mayor Johnson told me to “get stuffed”.

 

‘At the LFEPA meeting yesterday, I challenged the Conservative members to back Sadiq Khan’s efforts to seek more funding from the Home Secretary for the London Fire Brigade- but they refused to back Sadiq’s request to their Government to meet the cost of the extra equipment and running costs the Fire Commissioner has identified are needed, post the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The Conservatives are a disgrace. They won’t stand up for Londoners any more now, than they did when Boris Johnson was Mayor’.

 

ENDS

 

Notes:

 

  • Andrew Dismore is the Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
  • Data on fire appliance attendance times can be found here.
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