More protection equipment to tackle attacks

New fire engines and even more body cams to tackle attacks are on the shopping list for emergency services chiefs in Tyne and Wear.

Four vehicles are currently being prepared to enter service in the region, with bosses promising 10 more by the end of March in 2021 and the prospect of more to come.

But while new kit will be welcome for crews on the ground, they are also expecting a delivery of new safety devices after a spate of attacks on firefighters.

“This authority provided body-worn cameras to all frontline fire engines some time ago and we’re now looking to extend that,” said Peter Heath, assistant chief fire officer at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.

“Many people have been lobbying hard on the scourge which is attacks on emergency services workers.

“Body-worn cameras are there for the protection of our staff.”

Heath was speaking at a meeting of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority, which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

A £1,000 bounty was offered in September to anyone who provided the police with information about a series of attacks which prompted fire chiefs to refuse to enter parts of Sunderland without a police escort.

In one incident, in Hendon, crews were pelted with stones by children as young as 10 while trying to extinguish a fire which had been started deliberately.

Investment in vehicles, c a m e ra s a n d eve n a n ew ‘Wellness and Fitness Advisor’ is expected to be mostly funded by savings built up over the last 10 years, when the services was also forced to make cuts in the face of reduced public funding.