Brigade calls for abusive behaviour towards firefighters and control room staff to stop following incident rise – data shows two staff abused every week

London Fire Brigade’s Deputy Commissioner is calling for an end to physical and verbal abuse targeted at its staff after new figures show 2023 had the highest number of incidents compared to the past five years.

London’s firefighters and control room officers reported a 35% increase in incidents last year, compared to 2022. While the majority were due to verbal abuse, four staff were physically assaulted, including a female firefighter requiring hospital treatment and stitches after she was punched in the face.

New data from London Fire Brigade, shows there have been more than 517 reports of physical and verbal assaults against staff from 2019 to 2023 – an average of two incidents per week. This includes objects being thrown at vehicles and other acts of aggression.

Last year alone, there were a total of 130 incidents reported. One of the incidents saw firefighters responding to a 999 call on Ridley Road in Hackney. Bottles were thrown at a fire engine and a firefighter was injured. Police officers were called to attend the scene.

In another incident that happened this year, firefighters were verbally abused when parking outside a property. A firefighter was pushed and fell into a colleague leading to an injury caused by their helmet.

More recently, verbal abuse is on the rise, last week saw a resident screaming at firefighters because a road was blocked as part of the emergency response to an incident in Bow.

Deputy Commissioner for Operational Preparedness and Response, Jonathan Smith, has said the figures are shocking and that any attack on an emergency worker is abhorrent.

He called for an end to abusive behaviour against fire service staff and their blue light colleagues. He said the Brigade won’t hesitate to take action and will do everything it can to support the police to bring criminal charges against perpetrators.

There is never any excuse to target an emergency service worker

Deputy Commissioner Smith explained: “Firefighters and Control officers dedicate their lives to saving and protecting people and the vast majority of Londoners would never do anything to deliberately make a tough job even harder.

“This increase in attacks is concerning. There is never any excuse to target an emergency service worker – either physically or verbally – and right-minded people will join us in condemning those who attack firefighters or our blue light workers in this way.

“We take any attack on our people seriously and managers provide full support to any colleagues affected, as well as access to our counselling and trauma team if needed.

“I want to remind Londoners that whenever they see us, or our emergency service partners, out and about – in what are often very difficult circumstances – please be kind and give them the support needed to do a professional job.”

In line with the Assaults on Emergency Workers Act 2018, the Brigade works with the Met Police to actively pursue convictions following assaults on any staff.