How long the engine takes
Two minutes separates the fastest borough from the slowest.
Data access
Use the machine-readable JSON record or the flattened CSV download or the compact Markdown version.
Preview the latest 33 observations
| Series | Period or category | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Kensington and Chelsea | 261 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Lambeth | 271 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Tower Hamlets | 273 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | City of London | 278 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Hammersmith and Fulham | 289 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Southwark | 292 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Islington | 292 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Wandsworth | 293 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Hackney | 295 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Camden | 296 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Westminster | 297 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Lewisham | 299 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Waltham Forest | 300 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Croydon | 303 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Sutton | 310 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Greenwich | 311 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Newham | 312 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Merton | 315 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Kingston upon Thames | 316 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Haringey | 319 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Ealing | 327 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Barnet | 328 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Harrow | 334 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Hounslow | 335 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Barking and Dagenham | 337 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Brent | 339 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Bexley | 341 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Redbridge | 343 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Richmond upon Thames | 346 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Havering | 347 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Enfield | 347 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Bromley | 356 | seconds to first engine |
| Value | Hillingdon | 370 | seconds to first engine |
Methodology
Median seconds from call to the first fire engine arriving, per borough, across every incident since January 2024. Median rather than mean, because a handful of very long attendances would move an average somewhere no borough recognises. Calls where no engine was sent — advice given over the phone, or a duplicate call to an incident already being attended — carry no attendance time and are excluded rather than counted as instant. The brigade's own target is a first engine within six minutes.
Provenance
- Source
- London Fire Brigade
- Cadence
- monthly
- Engine
- comparison
- Licence
- Open Government Licence v3.0