Fire chiefs call for ambulance service merger

Tory fire authority chiefs proposed a series of "joint working" ideas that could effectively give the Mayor power over both "blue light" services.

The brigade believes £50 million could be saved by shutting 50 of the 70 ambulance stations and moving ambulances into nearby fire stations.

It has also backed calls from the London Assembly for joint purchasing, shared "back office" functions and a combined emergency control room for the two services. There are already three joint fire and ambulance stations - in Barnet, Millwall and Acton.

Fire authority chairman Brian Coleman said "this could be just the tip of the iceberg". He said: "Together, the fire brigade and ambulance services should look at the potential benefits to Londoners of sharing a range of services from procurement, to property and 999 control centres. No options should be off the table when it comes to the London Fire Brigade and the ambulance service working more closely together."

A London Assembly report last month found the London Ambulance Service - which receives almost 1.5 million emergency calls a year - had seen the number of incidents attended rise by 12 per cent over four years.

A report being considered today by the fire authority said it would be "logical to bring the emergency response activities of the LAS within the scope of the Mayor".

LAS chairman Richard Hunt said: "It would not be in the best interests of our patients for us to be managed by the Greater London Authority; our job is to deliver clinical care to Londoners and we can do this most effectively if we remain integrated within the health service. We are managing increasing numbers of calls while improving our response to the most seriously ill and injured patients."