The FBU says there are about 40 attacks every week on firefighters

Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary Matt Wrack says it is not acceptable for firefighters to put up with verbal or physical abuse.

He is calling for a "government-led strategy" to tackle the problem of violence at work.

Zero tolerance

I will not tolerate firefighters coming under attack from thugs and vandals

Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase, West Yorkshire Fire Service

At present, every fire and rescue service has its own policy to minimise attacks on crews.

These include engaging with youth groups, dedicated training to deal with conflict, protection of crews using CCTV cameras, and practical measures including shatter-proof glass on fire appliances.

There is also new legislation covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland to protect emergency service workers from being obstructed. It introduces a maximum £5,000 penalty for those who hinder emergency service personnel.

West Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase says: "I will not tolerate firefighters coming under attack from thugs and vandals and will take whatever steps I can to help the police bring these people to justice."

But the FBU says attacks are so common, they often go unreported.

Its north west regional secretary, Kevin Brown, who has been a firefighter in Manchester for 31 years, says: "I'm a 6ft 5in ex-rugby player and I've been attacked many many times, firefighters feel vulnerable."

The Greater Manchester Fire Service has fitted CCTV cameras to more than 60 of its front-line pumping appliances.

Greater Manchester: recording starts when an appliance is mobilised

There are four cameras, one on the front and rear, which can be moved from the cab, and two fixed side cameras that record on to a hard-drive as soon as the crews are mobilised.

"Ultimately this is the last line of protection," says Station Commander Ian Holt, whose fire service has been using the cameras for two years.

He adds that funding for the project was provided through council grants.

'Silent witness'

In West Yorkshire, fire appliances have been fitted with cameras for more than 10 years, initially to deal with an isolated problem in one area of Leeds.

Their so-called "silent witness" cameras are now fitted to all front-line appliances.

CFO Toase says: We have taken this issue seriously for some years and have cameras on our fire engines, [and] shatterproof glass in our cabs".

But the cameras are as not popular with the FBU.

"We've seen very little evidence that cameras work for what they were intended - to identify and prosecute," says Kevin Brown.

"We need to get to the bottom of why our members are being attacked."

The union says that images are often not clear enough to ensure prosecution, and has reservations about how images could be used against its members, for example, if an appliance was involved in an accident.

Youth 'inclusion'

All fire and rescue services offer youth training - in Manchester there are two schemes.

It has a cadet scheme for 13 to 16 year-olds. "We make it known through school visits that there are opportunities for pupils to join as cadets," says Stn Cdr Holt.

There is also a scheme for young offenders, and those excluded from school - "to bring the fire service into young people's lives".

The FBU says such training should "incorporate initiatives to prevent/reduce the impact of violence at work", and it suggests fire services encourage partnerships with other agencies.

This approach is also supported by the Chief Fire Officers' Association - the collective voice for senior fire officer in the UK:

"The most productive way of reducing attacks on firefighters is to build relationships with the community.

"[Fire services should] engage with communities and agencies working with young people to reduce attacks on firefighters and anti-social behaviour in general."

Greater Manchester Fire Service has also taken the lead with providing conflict training for its own crews.

In the past year, about 1,200 of the service's 1,600 operational staff have been taking part in exercises with the police.

Crews are taught to read a situation early on, to try to engage in conversation, to diffuse potential conflict or simply walk away.

Fire appliances are often reversed into cul-de-sacs to allow for a quick withdrawal and to avoid ambush.

But the FBU says there is no nationally agreed protocol for requesting police assistance, and says that in some cases, the response came from community support officers with limited powers.

West Yorkshire Fire Service says it occasionally sends a second crew to assist firefighters under threat, but this could inevitably lead to areas being left with reduced fire-cover.

The FBU's research suggests that firefighters were sometimes reluctant to withdraw from incidents as it is their moral duty to "save lives".