Posted: Monday 15 April 2019, 14:13
At 22.00 hours on Friday 12 April 2019 Firefighters from Clay Cross Fire Station responded to a fire in the open at a skate park on Chesterfield Road, North Wingfield when two of the crew were assaulted.
Both Firefighters and their colleagues were left shocked by this unprovoked attack, which resulted in one of the crew being taken to hospital for precautionary checks. The Service has been providing ongoing welfare support to the crew since the incident took place.
Speaking following the incident, Deputy Chief Fire Offer, Gavin Tomlinson said: “The Service is absolutely appalled that its Firefighters have been attacked in this way.
“Attacks like this place the safety of firefighters, and the people they are trying to protect, at risk. Thankfully, this type of incident is extremely rare in Derbyshire and it is only a tiny minority of people who would ever consider acting in such an irresponsible way.
“However, even one attack on a firefighter is completely unacceptable and we will continue to work alongside our police colleagues, who have been extremely supportive, as they continue to investigate these attacks and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”
The Assaults on Emergency Services Workers (Offences) Act was introduced in 2018. Firefighters, police officers, prison officers and NHS staff are among those covered by the new law, which carries a potential 12 month jail term for anyone charged with the offence.