Xinomorph

Whilst official government figures show that attacks on firefighters dropped from 1,300 in 2006 to just 400 in 2007, the FBU's Easy Targets? report has shown an INCREASE to 1,500.

Aside from the unique case of the government getting something wrong, this is an utterly abhorrent situation. These brave men and women are supposed to be offering us protection and performing life-saving tasks in tricky circumstances, and yet receive no more respect than a tramp.

According to the report, most attacks take place in the North-West of England, particularly in areas of poor housing and/or social depravation. Whilst that's not exactly what one would call a surprise, I just do not understand the mentality of the kinds of scum who do such a thing.

A number of specific cases were highlighted in the report:

John Cartwright, a firefighter in Greater Manchester, said he and his colleagues were attacked as they tried to put out a large bonfire.


He said: "We began to extinguish the fire, then we were making up the equipment when we were attacked by about 30 youths. One of the firefighters had six on top of him, punching him. They chucked bottles at us, bricks, garden ornaments."

And not forgetting:

In one incident a hoaxer lured firefighters to a supposed car fire in Cheshire before attacking them with bricks. In another, a petrol bomb was thrown at a fire engine in Merseyside as firemen tackled a rubbish blaze.

All I can say is that, with any luck, the perpetrators of such abhorrent attacks will need help one day, but be within what the fire brigades have defined as a no-go area. Similar incidents have been highlighted recently concerning attacks on ambulance and medical staff on emergency call-outs, so perhaps that is the only answer.