A fire engine could be moved from Kingston to New Malden in a bid to get firefighters to life-threatening situations faster, with response times in the borough currently 30 seconds longer than the London average.    

Firefighters currently take five minutes and 58 seconds to arrive on scene in Kingston, with a second engine taking eight minutes and three seconds – 31 and 17 seconds longer than the capital’s average.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) believe that moving the engine will improve the figures by three and 17 seconds respectively.

Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Maintaining among the best response times in the UK, expanding our roles at terrorist and flooding incidents and making our fire stations more inclusive and community hubs are key proposals over the next four years.

“Over the last 10 years the number of fires in London has been cut in half, largely due to the work of all our staff in promoting vital fire safety advice especially to those most at risk.” 

LFB has launched its draft four year plan for making the capital the world’s “safest global city”, including increasing terrorism response capabilities and more challenging response times.

The authority currently aims to get a fire engine on scene within six minutes of leaving a station.

There are currently no plans to reduce the number of firefighters or engines, though £6.4m-worth of cuts are expected to be made next year with LFB having already consulted on proposals.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for LFB to adapt to “new challenges” facing the city, particularly the threat of terrorism on the capital’s streets.

He said: “Keeping Londoners safe is my first priority, and London’s firefighters do an incredible job, putting themselves on the frontline for the rest of us every single day.

“As the capital faces new challenges and threats, we need to make sure our fire brigade is prepared and ready to respond to whatever may be around the corner.”

As part of the proposals, LFB also plans to free up fire stations for community use. Last year firefighters responded to 8,000 more non-fire related calls than fires.

A consultation has been launched into the proposals, which will be available to view for residents at Surbiton fire station on Thursday, December 15.

Visit london-fire.gov.uk.