Political parties have united to oppose plans to axe one of Epsom’s fire engines which would double response times, sparking fears that lives will be lost and homes destroyed.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has launched a consultation on the reconfiguration of services across the county after West Sussex Fire Service decided to remove a fire engine out of Horley from April 2013.

Under the proposals to re-distribute fire services more equally through Surrey and "create a chain of single fire engine stations running through Epsom and Ewell, and Reigate and Banstead", both Epsom and Reigate, which currently have two engines each, would lose an engine. 

The engine from Epsom would be relocated to Burgh Heath by the summer of 2014, and the engine from Reigate would be moved to Horley from April next year on an interim basis while a permanent site in Salfords is found.

The average time it takes for a first fire engine to attend to an incident in Epsom is currently just over five minutes which would increase to just over six minutes.

Crucially, the average time it takes for a second engine to attend an incident would nearly double - from just over six minutes to almost 12 minutes.  

An Epsom fire officer, who did not want to be named, said: "With most fires you can’t start attacking them until you’ve got nine firefighters - which is two fire engines. 

"Under the changes, they will run two properties with two stand-alone appliances which is detrimental to cover, training and staffing levels.

"Epsom and Ewell is the most densely populated borough in Surrey, it contains about 10 per cent of its whole population.

"Having a fire engine in Burgh Heath would serve 20 to 30,000 people, whereas both engines in Epsom currently serve 75,000 people.  The change would result in one under-used engine and one over-used."

But Surrey County Council’s (SCC) cabinet member for community services, Kay Hammond, defended the plan insisting it would provide faster cover.

She said: "Opening stations in Salfords and Burgh Heath would create a chain of fire engines that would be able to provide cover faster. 

"By investing in these stations, we would be investing in people’s safety."

At a meeting of Epsom and Ewell Council on December 11, Lib Dem councillors raised the plans as an urgent issue, with group leaders agreeing to coordinate a cross-party response to the consultation, before it closes on February 1.

Lib Dem councillor Julie Morris said people had to "fight this sort of cost-driven change" which did not put response times first and urged residents to respond to the consultation.

Residents’ Association councillor Neil Dallen said "minutes do count" and that the plans were "not good news".

He said: "Surrey is trying to spread their resources equally, but it’s a service that’s needed in Epsom and we should keep it as it is." 

Labour councillor Sheila Carlson agreed: "A few more minutes is the difference between life and death.

"We are a densely populated borough, especially with all the new developments, there’s the potential for needing two fire engines."

Councillor Eber Kington, who is a borough and SCC councillor, said he would be voicing his concerns "very strongly" to  SCC.

He said: "This whole exercise has come about because a neighbour has taken a decision which affects us. 

"Any plans for Epsom need to ensure they look at what’s happening and what might happen across the borders in the future."

We also need to know from the fire service that the increase in response times would not endanger life."

Richard Jones, the Surrey secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said the plans were "very worrying" for Epsom’s residents but response times to surrounding areas would improve.

He said: "Minutes and seconds wasted in response times make a difference in terms of casualties and recovering bodies. 

"But people living closer to Burgh Heath will get a faster attendance than they would have done."

A spokesman for Epsom and Ewell Council said that although it is not a party to the decision-making process, it will "lobby for our residents' best interests".

He added: “The council urge all residents to take part in this consultation, the results of which may have a significant effect on the borough.”

What do you think about the plans to remove afire engine from Epsom fire station?  Call Hardeep Matharu on the newsdesk on 0208 722 6346, email hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk, or leave a comment below.