London Fire Commissioner is reminding Londoners that they still have time to get involved in the public consultation on the future of the London Fire Brigade.
Ron Dobson, London Fire Commissioner, said: “This is a chance for Londoners to have their say on how the fire and rescue service is run. In the last three months we’ve talked to a variety of stakeholders, and held 24 public meetings, but the consultation will close on Monday, 17 June and I urge everyone to visit our website and tell us what they think.”
You can have your say by visiting our website. On that page you will also find an easy to read version of the plan for those with learning difficulties.
The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), the political body which runs the London Fire Brigade, is consulting on its Draft Fifth London Safety Plan, which outlines how the Authority will deliver the capital’s fire and rescue service over the next three years.
The corporate view of the Authority is that, while it has recorded its opposition to station closures, appliance and staff reductions, it is consulting fairly on the draft LSP5 proposals which are subject to the Mayor’s direction and will take into account responses to the consultation before making a final decision.
Included in the plan are details of how the Authority proposes to make savings worth £28.8m, including closing 12 fire stations, removing 18 fire engines, relocating four fire engines and reducing the number of firefighter posts by 520. This would be done while maintaining existing response time targets of getting the first fire engine to an incident, on average across London, in six minutes and the second, if needed in eight minutes. These are amongst the fastest target response times of any emergency service in the country and almost twice as fast as some other brigades. However, some boroughs will see reduced actual attendance times.
If you would like to receive a hard copy of the plan and the consultation leaflet, or request a translation, please phone 0800 9888 569
When consultation on the full plan is complete, all of the responses we have received will be analysed. A report will be prepared and considered by LFEPA, who make decisions on the proposals in the Plan.