FIRE station closures could ‘mean the difference between life and death’ in some wards as figures show firefighters will be unable to reach incidents within their target response time, it is claimed.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s cost-cutting plan includes closing Woolwich, Downham and New Cross stations, along with the loss of 520 firefighters across the capital.

London Fire Brigade says under the plans – which would save £29m – the service would maintain its existing London-wide target attendance target of getting a first fire engine to an emergency within six minutes.

But LFB figures revealed by London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority member Darren Johnson show modelled fire response times will be outside targets in forty more wards under the Mayor’s planned fire station closures, taking the number of wards outside target times to 307.

The 40 additional wards include Downham and Whitefoot on the Bromley/ Lewisham borough border as well as Grove Park, Telegraph Hill and Woolwich Common.

London Assembly member Mr Johnson said: “These figures show some local neighbourhoods will be badly hit by the Mayor’s fire station closures.

“These unnecessary closures are a result of the mayor’s trifling 7p a week council tax cut.

“A delay in response times can literally mean the difference between life and death.

“Londoners still have until June 17 to tell the Mayor what their priorities are by responding to the safety plan consultation.”

A LFB spokeswoman said: "The proposals currently out for public consultation seek to maintain our London-wide response targets, which as a London-wide fire brigade is how we plan the service we provide.

"The ward level data shows how varied response times are across the capital.

"As is the case now, more than half of all London wards would, on average, continue to get a first response within the six minute target if the proposals are agreed."

A public meeting about the proposals is being held in Lewisham next Wednesday (May 22) from 7pm to 9pm at Sydenham School, Dartmouth Road, Sydenham.

Bromley residents are invited to a public meeting about the proposals next Thursday (May 23) from 7pm to 9pm at Bromley Central Library in the High Street, Bromley.

In Greenwich the public meeting is taking place the following Wednesday (May 29) from 7pm to 9pm at Lecture Theatre 315, King William Building, University of Greenwich, 30 Park Row, Greenwich.

Have your say on the proposals by visiting london-fire.gov.uk/lsp5 , call 08009 888569, or write to the London Fire Brigade at 169 Union Street, London, SE1 0LL by June 17.

RESPONSE TIMES

Ward - - - - - - - - - -Before - - - - - After - - - - - - - - Change

Whitefoot               05:08             07:57                  2:49

Telegraph Hill         05:15             07:24                  2:09

Downham               05:54             07:38                  1:44

Grove Park             05:10             06:27                   1:17

Woolwich Common 05:32             06:36                  1:04