Figures reveal how often firefighters face assaults at work in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire firefighters were abused dozens of times over five years, it has been revealed.
Figures show that there were 38 incidents were crews faced verbal or physical aggression as South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (SYFR) shared details of incidents that occurred between November 2019 and November 2024.
Incidents that have been reported recently have included firefighters being pelted with fireworks while they dealt with an incident in Sheffield, in November 2024
Crews were attacked late on Bonfire Night as they tried to deal with a deliberately started fire on Raby Street, near Tinsley. South Yorkshire Police were also sent to the scene,
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said of the new statistics: “Attacks like this place the safety of our firefighters, and the people they are trying to protect, at risk.
“Thankfully, this type of incident is extremely rare in South Yorkshire and it is only a tiny minority of people who would ever consider acting in such an irresponsible and dangerous way.”
The figures were obtained by Legal Expert, a law business.
‘Assaults’ on firefighters can range from verbal abuse to a physical attack or missiles being thrown in the direction of crew or their appliances..
Of the 38 incidents, one was a physical attack on a crew member. Fortunately, neither this or any other assault led to a staff member requiring sickness leave or hospital treatment.
The worst months for incidents were April 2021, October 2023 and August 2024, in which three cases were noted. The August assaults accounted for half of all those that SYFR placed on record across 2024.
The data only captures assaults recorded and logged on the service’s systems. SYFR acknowledged that not all reports are recorded and therefore the true number of attacks on firefighters may be even higher.
Before leaving his role in January, Fire Brigades Union general secretary Matt Wrack called for greater trust and protection for firefighters.
He said: “Firefighters must be able to respond to emergencies everywhere without fear of abuse or injury from attacks.
"It is vital that fire and rescue services retain and build trust with local communities, but community engagement projects have been cut while firefighters are sent out with fewer resources and smaller crews.
“Some services are now overseen by police commissioners, which jeopardises public perception of the service as independent and humanitarian.
“We need investment in the fire and rescue service to reduce the risks firefighters face while they are protecting others."
Of the fire services that responded to Legal Expert’s request for information, West Midlands Fire Service returned by far the highest number of cases, with 666 physical and verbal assaults. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service reported a total of 372 attacks, while there were 296 noted by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service between April 2019 and March 2024.