HAMPSHIRE firefighters expect to respond to life-threatening and critical incidents within eight minutes 80 per cent of the time by 2013 with an eventual target of 100 per cent.

The 80 per cent target is one of a raft of improvements set out by Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service in its newly published service plan.

Chief Officer John Bonney said he felt the best way to honour the memories of Southampton-based firefighters James Shears and Alan Bannon who died while rescuing residents from the inferno at Shirley Towers on April 6 “is to provide the very best service to the public’’.

Father of two Mr Shears, 35, lived at Oakdale, Poole and had been with Hampshire Fire and Rescue for seven years. Mr Bannon lived in Southampton.

Among the improvements to risk-based response standards are the gradual introduction of “small-fire’’ response vehicles which will allow tenders and platform ladders to remain on station and be ready for major incidents when they occur.

In the New Forest, where all firefighters are retained staff who have other full-time jobs, it is expected existing Land Rovers, normally used for Forest fires and to get to other rural areas, will be used for minor incidents such as dustbin fires, said area manager Andy Bowers.