Councils are signalling deep cuts in the fire service in England and Wales according to a survey carried out by the Fire Brigades Union. And there is no evidence that response times to 999 calls are being improved.

It shows councils outside London want 378 job losses with another 196 under threat. The exception is London, the only authority to take on more staff to cope with the terrorist threat.

The overall job losses are skewed by London's unique decision to take on substantially more staff. This makes the net job losses are 109 if London's decision is included.

At least 19 fire engines are also being axed alongside 22 special appliances like high reach ladders and platforms and emergency tenders. There are no station closures currently signalled.

The survey comes as the fire service moves towards locally set standards today. The union says this is already leading to a postcode lottery for fire service standards and cuts.

The government has also slashed its targets for reducing fire deaths, giving itself five more years to hit them. By the government's own figures this is likely to result in 800 more fire deaths during the 5 year period. It has also severely weakened its targets for reducing car arson which is reaching epidemic levels in many areas.

The intention to push for large cuts have been signalled in the West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater Manchester with the north west of England hardest hit. But many councils have held back from a quick dash for cuts, notably in the shire counties.

Merseyside planned nearly 149 job losses - one in eight of the local fire service - before looking for 50 job cuts, still a significant number. The other 100 jobs are still under threat.

West Midlands considered cuts which would have halved the number of fire engines before stepping back and looking for 38 job cuts. But again the instinct for massive cuts was clearly signalled.

Greater Manchester also wants major cuts of 50 frontline staff. There are also 28 jobs losses proposed in Cheshire and with a further 38 jobs threatened in Lancashire which leaves the north east of England the worse hit area in the UK.

But there are also significant cuts proposed in the south east with Surrey and Kent particularly badly hit while some neighbouring authorities such as London and West Sussex planning increases in firefighters or no cuts at this stage.

The survey shows vastly different approaches to how authorities approach responses to automatic fire alarms. Some have opted for instant cuts while others take a more cautious approach of pilot-testing new ideas to test their impact.

Despite intensive research and checks the union can find no examples of improvements in response times. There are also significant cuts in fire appliances, including specialist rescue equipment, with 38 already facing the axe.

FBU General Secretary Andy Gilchrist said: "What we are seeing is a postcode lottery of rescue cover with people in some areas being given a second class stamp. The end of the national safety net means we must save the service from going into freefall.”

"Some councils are clearly flagging up their intention to slash the country's frontline rescue service. And the Government has put almost no new money into safety initiatives such as fitting smoke alarms but rely on budgets it had already set.”