Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service has condemned a large group of youths who attacked firefighters as they tried to extinguish a fire on Sookholme Road, Shirebrook, on Friday, 25th February.
A spokesperson for the service said that firefighters were approached by a large group of youths who verbally abused the crew and threw missiles at them.
Area Manager Paul Moreland said:
“The Service is appalled that Firefighters from Shirebrook fire station were attacked while responding to a fire in the open on Friday evening.
“The crew themselves posted on social media that this behaviour isn’t acceptable in any way, shape or form and the Service wholeheartedly supports this view.
“Our Firefighters are members of the community who go above and beyond to protect the communities they serve, and like all emergency responders, they should be able to do this safe from harm and attack.
“Thankfully, this type of incident is extremely rare in Derbyshire, and it is only a tiny minority of people would ever consider acting in such an irresponsible and aggressive way.
“We will continue to work with our police colleagues as they continue to investigate this attack and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
A message written by one of the firefighters and shared on a community WhatsApp group said:
‘This evening, while in attendance at a fire in the open at the rear of Sports Direct, crew members were verbally abused and bombarded with projectiles by a group of 20+ youths.
‘This isn’t acceptable in any shape or form.
‘We are all members of the community & give everything we can as a crew to serve you.
‘Disappointing is an understatement.
‘Do you know where and what your kids are doing? This needs addressing.
‘Police will be reviewing video from both our appliance and body cameras‘.
Anyone with information about this incident has been asked to contact Derbyshire police, quoting reference 882 of 25 February.
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