I understand that the LFB is under huge pressure to make savings and that some changes have to be made, but I’m very concerned about the impact the current plans could have on Hackney. The response time for engines reaching six wards in Hackney will be well over the LFB’s target. Most alarmingly, the response time in De Beauvoir ward for the first engine would increase by almost 75 per cent, from 4.24 minutes to 7.37 minutes, whilst for the second engine it would increase from 5.43 minutes to 8.37 minutes. Dalston, Queensbridge, Leabridge, New River and Springfield would experience similar increases in response times; that’s almost a third of Hackney affected by these cost-saving plans. Given that fires can dramatically increase in intensity in a couple of minutes, this gives us serious concerns that the proposed closure of Kingsland fire station would put the safety of Hackney residents at increased risk.