Documentary maker Ross Kemp has joined the fight to save 10 London fire stations from closure by accusing Mayor Boris Johnson of lying about the impact of his planned cuts.
In a hard-hitting campaign film released today (Friday 6 September), Kemp calls the Mayor to account for misleading Londoners in three key statements about the fire station closures and plans to cut 580 front line fire service jobs.
The film — called “Every Second Counts” — shows a domestic living room on fire and warns that fire fighters will not be able to get to fires as quickly as they do now if the cuts go ahead.
Kemp, who volunteered his services to support the Fire Brigades Union campaign against the cuts, said:
“London is not safe in Boris Johnson’s hands.
“Like all Londoners, I am angry about these cuts.
“Boris cannot seriously tell us that closing fire stations won’t put people’s lives at risk.
“Before Boris Johnson was re-elected in 2012 he promised there would be ‘absolutely no reduction in fire cover’ if he won and within a few months, without any shame, he announced the cuts.”
London FBU Regional Secretary Paul Embery said:
“Ross’s film will be very uncomfortable viewing for Boris Johnson.
“We are asking everyone who is angry and worried about the fire station closures to get involved in our campaign and sign the petitions against the closures.
“The Mayor tries to use his jokey style to avoid the fact that fire and rescue services will get to emergencies more slowly in the future because of his cuts.
“He claims that fire deaths are ‘steadily’ declining and that more parts of London will get a Fire Brigade response within the target attendance times, but both of these claims are untrue.“
The footage was arranged by the national union at the Fire Protection Agency’s training premises at Moreton in Marsh — and a national version of the film exposing the damage that cuts are causing across the UK will be produced soon.
The three false claims made by the Mayor that are exposed in the film, and shown to be false in FBU research released today, are:
1. “Since I have been Mayor there’s been a colossal reduction in deaths by fire.”
Boris Johnson, Mayor’s Question Time, 17 July 2013
Kemp says in the film: “This isn’t true. Since Boris Johnson was elected the trend rate of fire deaths in London has been going up – not down.”
2. “More boroughs will be brought within the minimum response times both for the first and the second appliance.”
Boris Johnson, Mayor’s Question Time, 17 July 2013
Kemp says in the film: “It isn’t true. Not one borough is being brought within the target of six minutes for the first fire engine to arrive.”
3. “Under this Mayor there will be absolutely no reduction in fire cover and we will continue to make London a safer city.”
Boris Johnson, Mayor’s Budget Speech, 25 January 2012
