Fire crews attacked and abused in Peterlee and Seaham on Bonfire Night

Firefighters faced verbal abuse and attacks from members of the public as they responded to call-outs across the community on the busiest night of the year.
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County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) crews faced three attacks as they attempted to deal with multiple blazes across their area.

In Peterlee, Blue Watch crews had fireworks thrown at their engine as they attempted to extinguish a tyre fire.

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Then, on another two occasions crews in Peterlee and Seaham faced with verbal abuse as they tried to deal with incidents called through to control.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters at Belmont Business Park Durham.County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters at Belmont Business Park Durham.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters at Belmont Business Park Durham.

Graeme Metcalf, Community Risk Management Group Manager, said: “I am saddened to hear that certain groups of people think it is acceptable to attack our crews while they are attempting to deal with multiple incidents across the county.

“These individuals endanger the lives of our dedicated firefighters who come to work every day to protect the community.”

According to the latest figures, the service has seen almost a 40% reduction in fires and a 34% reduction in calls compared to this same time in 2018.

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Last year, the service attended 58 fires on Bonfire Night compared to 32 in 2019. Their control room received 116 calls compared to 175 in 2018.

In Peterlee, Blue Watch were faced with fireworks thrown at their fire engine as they attempted to extinguish a tyre fire, on another two occasions crews, again in Peterlee and Seaham, were faced with verbal abuse as they tried to deal with incidents.