Greater Manchester Fire Service Cautions Public After Firefighter Injured by Firework

Greater Manchester’s fire service has issued a caution to individuals causing trouble, stating that the deployment of fireworks as projectiles “will not be tolerated.” This warning follows an incident where a firefighter sustained injuries after a rocket was directed at their crew. To underscore the severity of the issue, a video has been made public, depicting the rescue worker taking evasive action while responding to a fire incident prior to Bonfire Night in 2023. A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the crew member, who was hit after disembarking from a fire engine, was “off work for some time” following the assault. This caution from the service follows the documentation of 22 assaults against firefighters between September and November of the previous year. During the identical timeframe, the service reported that emergency services dealt with over 1,100 intentionally set fires and 1,017 false alarm calls. Kate Green, the deputy mayor for Greater Manchester, reiterated that anti-social behaviour “will not be tolerated.” She stated that a small segment of the population had intentionally aimed to inflict “distress to residents, communities and emergency services.” She further elaborated that such occurrences have encompassed fraudulent phone calls “that distract firefighters from attending more serious incidents, and attacks on emergency service workers who are trying to help.”