Firemen attacked by gang of yobs
8:49am Tuesday 24th August 2010 in Your Town
Firefighters were pelted with stones as they tried to tackle fires in two separate incidents.
Crews from different stations were attacked when attending incidents over the weekend.
CCTV of the yobs throwing rocks at the crews — filmed by the fire engines — was last night being studied by police.
One attack happened in Halliwell on Sunday when a crew from Bolton Central was putting out a skip fire at an industrial estate off Bertha Street, when about seven teenagers started throwing stones from behind a wall. It happened just minutes before they were called to a flat fire with a person reported as trapped inside.
They were able to attend the second because the engine was not damaged.
Paul Rushby, watch commander, said: “If it had been damaged and unable to go, it would have compromised attendance times and the safety of other people.
“Attacks like this are quite rare we hope it is an isolated incident.
“We are doing a lot of work with youngsters in the Bolton area, through the Young Firefighters Scheme and Blazing Squad, which allows young people to work with the fire service. We have been making great headway with youngsters.
“Fire engines are needed for emergencies; if it is damaged and cannot go, then it compromises the safety of other people.”
They spotted the youths in a cafe in Halliwell Road as they were driving back to the station, but they ran off when they saw the firefighters.
The owner of one of the buildings on the industrial estate, which is currently being renovated, said: “We have had a lot of trouble recently with youths throwing stones. Last week they smashed all the windows. “Now they are setting fires and attacking the firefighters which is terrible.
These problems need to be addressed.”
On Saturday evening, crews from Farnworth were attacked when they were called to a rubbish fire at a park.
They went to three incidents in MacDonald Avenue, Farnworth, from 6.30pm.
On each occasion, they discovered that yobs had set fire to piles of rubbish in a park. About eight youngsters hurled abuse and then started throwing stones at them.
Crew commander Kevin Wright said: “Ultimately, a normal rubbish fire gets one fire engine to deal with it, but because there was a likelihood of us coming under attack again, we had to send both engines.
“We are stripping Farnworth of both crews for a minor incident and this has serious implications.”
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 872 5050, or Crimestoppers
