THREE firefighters were injured dealing with incidents on Bonfire Night, with one requiring a visit to hospital, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has reported.
The SFRS further said they had received more than 1000 calls in just an eight-hour period on what is one of the force’s busiest nights of the year.
Initial figures show firefighters were called to 374 bonfires across Scotland between 3.30pm and 11.30pm on November 5.
A breakdown of the calls released by the fire service shows that the majority of calls and bonfires were in the West of Scotland, while the majority of attacks on firefighters happened in the North.
The breakdown is as follows:
- West (shown in red): 582 calls received, two attacks on crews, and 258 bonfires attended.
- East (shown in blue): 301 calls received, one attack on crews, and 86 bonfires attended.
- North (shown in green): 138 calls received, five attacks on crews, and 30 bonfires attended.
The fire service appealed to the public to be aware of the dangers of both fireworks and deliberate fire-setting and to also consider the impact of their actions on communities and emergency services.
SFRS Chief Officer Martin Blunden tweeted on Friday: “Less than two hours in to Bonfire Night and three attacks so far with one of these requiring a visit to hospital.
“Please do not attack Scottish Fire and Rescue Service firefighters who are only doing their job.
“In fact, why attack any emergency service worker when we are here to protect you from harm?”
Less than 2hrs in to Bonfire Night & 3 attacks so far with 1 of these requiring a visit to hospital. Please do not attack @fire_scot firefighters who are only doing their job. In fact, why attack any emergency service worker when we are here to protect you from harm? https://t.co/yGqVtyaEvx
— Martin Blunden (@FireScot_Chief) November 5, 2021
Condemning attacks on crews, Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens added: "Attacks on our firefighters are completely unacceptable.
"This type of behaviour not only prevents our crews from bringing any emergency to a safe and swift conclusion, but it can impact on our emergency service colleagues - including the police when they must escort us at the scene.
"This type of behaviour is, of course, carried out by a very small minority and we once again thank our communities for their continuing support and working together with us to stay safe.”
He went on: “Bonfire Night is traditionally one of our busiest nights of the year.
"I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism and resilience of our frontline and Operations Control firefighters and our support staff who have shown extreme dedication over this period.
"I must also thank our partners, and indeed communities across Scotland, for their continuing support in sharing and heeding our safety messaging.”
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