Firefighter morale is 'lowest ever seen' after Bonfire Night attacks, says union
Local stations across Glasgow and the West are condemning attacks which targeted emergency responders on the 5th of November
Clyde 1 News is hearing morale amongst firefighters across Glasgow and the west is at an all-time low, after dealing with widespread violence on Bonfire Night.
The local branch of the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) is condemning the targeted attacks on emergency services which happened across Scotland on Sunday evening.
Three instances of Scottish Fire and Rescue staff suffering violence while protecting communities were recorded across the wider Glasgow area.
Crews had fireworks thrown at them while responding to a bonfire on the city's Dunn Street as of 7.36pm on Bonfire Night.
This was followed by similar abuse in the Kendoon Avenue area of the city shortly after 10pm.
Firefighters also experienced violence in the Heathcliffe Avenue area of Blantyre shortly after 6pm.
An additional attack was recorded within Glasgow City in the days immediately before Bonfire Night.
No injuries were suffered as a result of any of these attacks, however, a total of eight police officers suffered minor injuries across Scotland - one in Glasgow required hospitalisation.
In all, more than 500 emergency calls were responded to by firefighters across the West of Scotland on Bonfire Night and more than 240 bonfires attended.
'Staff morale is the lowest I've ever seen'
Colin Brown from the FBU said: "If we have a situation where we're already stretched thin on the ground, and then we have to have emergency vehicles unavailable because of damage from attacks, then you can see very quickly that communities become at risk.
"In the past we've had windows smashed in fire appliances making them unavailable for a number of days or weeks.
"It could be their community, or worse, their family that are requiring the fire and rescue service to respond and it may be their actions preventing the response from being deployed.
"Support your firefighters and support your emergency services in order to support the safety of you and your communities.
When asked how this impacts firefighers, Colin added: "To be going to your place of work, and be faced or threatened with acts of violence it's deeply demoralising.
"It's a workforce that's already quite demoralised - staff morale is probably at the lowest I've ever seen."
'We don't deserve such mindless abuse'
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Stephen Wright is the SFRS Head of Service Delivery for the West of Scotland.
He said: "No one should go to their work and expect to be attacked.
"Our firefighters protect their communities each and every day and do not deserve to be met with such mindless abuse.
"We know that the overwhelming majority of people across Scotland will be disgusted by this kind of behaviour, but it's important to note that violence against our staff cannot and will not be tolerated.
"We will be working closely with our police partners to identify those responsible.
"I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all SFRS staff and our partners who have worked tirelessly to protect communities during this busy period."
A total of 15 attacks against firefighters were recorded during a seven day period up till Sunday, 5 November.
Attacks took place across the country in Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blantyre in South Lanarkshire and Blackburn in West Lothian.
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