Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service will not attend call outs in West Denton without police support following the "worst attack that has happened in Tyne and Wear".
Teenage thugs are reported to have thrown a petrol bomb and a heavy glass bottle at firefighters who were called to a car fire in West Denton at around 6.30pm on Saturday. It is alleged that the group of approximately six teenagers aged around 14-years-old then prevented crew from leaving the area by barricading the fire appliance using sandbags and fencing.
Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther said the shocking incident was "some of the worst attacks I've known in my 26 year career". And in a move to protect firefighters has implemented an exclusion zone in the area, meaning the fire service will not attend calls to a fire in West Denton unless there is a police escort and a risk assessment has been carried out.
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Chief Fire Officer Chris Lowther said: "The firefighter's job is to protect the community and my job is to protect my firefighters. I've been in service for 26 years now and this is the worst attack that has happened in Tyne and Wear in all that time and I think it's probably the most serious attack on firefighters in England for a while."
"I know these firefighters and I was only speaking to them last week about what is happening in that area and they were genuinely shaken up and genuinely concerned. The glass bottle just whipped past the driver's ear. If that had hit him, it could have been life-changing injuries that he could have had."
Mr Lowther said it is rare for the fire service to take such drastic action, which was experienced during the Meadow Well riots in the 1990s. He said he will be working with local politicians, the Police and Crime Commissioner, the Chair of the Fire Authority, Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council to ensure the issue on anti-social behaviour is resolved in the area.
He added: "We as a community need to stop this happening. People will know who is doing this and they need to be reported. They need to remember that firefighters are people's wives, husbands, sons and daughters and they deserve to go home safely after their shift.
"Firefighters risk their lives enough without being attacked by a very small, but very dangerous, minority in our community. The community of West Denton is better than this. The community of Tyne and Wear is better than this. We are better than this and we've got to stop this together."
Mr Lowther also took to social media on Sunday to share his concerns about the incident. He wrote: "Last night, @Tyne_Wear_FRS crews from West Denton suffered some of the worst attacks I've known in my 26 year career. They were barricaded in an area where a car was deliberately set on fire and had petrol bombs thrown at them. Petrol bombs. This escalation can’t go unanswered."
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service shared the post, adding: "A strong message here from @TWFRS_CFO. These are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters behind the uniform. And they do what they do to keep you safe. Those responsible don't care but we know many of you do. If you know those responsible contact the police."
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