Fire service response time hits 10-year high in Hertfordshire as range of incidents increases

The time it took firefighters to get to emergency incidents in Hertfordshire hit a 10-year high last year, new figures show.

Across the country, the average response time in the year ending to March was nine minutes and 13 seconds — the longest seen since comparable statistics became available. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) criticised the Government for not investing enough in the services as ‘every second counts in a fire’.

In the areas covered by the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, people had to wait for an average of nine minutes and two seconds for firefighters arrive. This includes reporting the incident, the crew’s preparation, and their journey time.

The response time was up on eight minutes and 18 seconds the year before.

It ranked 10th out of the 44 fire services in England for response times.

The average time it took the service to handle calls was one minute and 33 seconds.

The fire service attended 1,164 primary fires – those with a threat to life or property - in the year to March. This was 94 more than the year before.

Across England, the number of primary fires saw a five per cent rise compared to the year before, due to the warm dry weather last summer.

The National Fire Chiefs Council said response times have been gradually increasing as the range of incident type has grown and resources have been targeted at higher risks such as fires in the home.

Ben Selby, FBU assistant general secretary, said response times are deteriorating due to fewer fire stations, fire engines and firefighters.

He added: “Years of brutal government cuts to the fire service are having a clear detrimental impact on public safety.

“Every second counts in a fire. It is about time that the government stopped counting pennies and invested in our fire service to protect people.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government is committed to ensuring fire services have the resources they need to keep us safe, and overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.6 billion in 2023-24.

“Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.”