Merseyside firefighters targeted in violence during last year’s Bonfire period
Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) is urging parents and guardians to know where their children are this Bonfire night, following multiple violence at work incidents during last year’s Bonfire period.
On Bonfire Night 2025, MFRS attended two violence at work incidents, including an incident at Knowsley Heights where a woman was struck in the face by a firework. Firefighters attending the scene were also targeted with fireworks after a fire started when a firework came into contact with combustible materials on a balcony.
The previous month, in October 2025, firefighters were targeted in two separate attacks on consecutive nights. Three firefighters suffered temporary hearing loss and a fire engine was damaged after fireworks were deliberately aimed at crews responding to a fire in Beechwood, Wirral on 6 October. The following evening, another fire engine was damaged when youths threw a piece of wood at an appliance as crews left an incident at Walton Hall Park, Walton.
MFRS Group Manager for Community Safety Craig Whitfield said:
“Our firefighters are there to protect our communities, not to be attacked while doing their job. It’s completely unacceptable. We’re asking parents and carers to know where their children are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing, particularly at this time of year when we often see increases in anti-social behaviour.”
MFRS continues to work closely with Merseyside Police, local councils and community partners to remove potential bonfire materials, prevent illegal fires, and promote attendance at safe, organised events.
During the Bonfire period in 2025, MFRS saw a decrease in deliberate fires with firefighters attending 67.3% fewer deliberately set fires on Bonfire Night compared with 2024, with incidents across the wider Bonfire period also reducing by 67.6%.
MFRS is keen to see this progress continue and is urging parents, carers and communities to play their part in preventing deliberate fires and keeping neighbourhoods safe.
GM Whitfield added:
“Every deliberate fire takes resources away from real emergencies and every attack on our crews puts lives at risk. Please talk to young people about the dangers of playing with fire or fireworks, and the very real consequences of anti-social behaviour.”
MFRS is reminding the public to:
Attend organised, public bonfire and firework displays instead of lighting their own.
Report unlit bonfires or fly-tipped rubbish that could be set alight via local councils or the MFRS website:https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/community-safety/bonfire-safety/report-an-unlit-bonfire/
Speak to children and young people about fire safety and respecting emergency services.
Crews will continue to be out across Merseyside over the coming days, working hard to keep communities safe. Firefighters need the support of our communities to prevent further incidents.
If you have information about people involved in anti-social behaviour, please report it. If an incident is not an emergency, please use Merseyside Police’s non-emergency reporting channels, including AI Bobbi on our force website, 101, or social media channels @MerPolCC on X or Facebook. If there is a crime in progress, an immediate threat to life or someone is in danger, always call 999.
For fire safety advice, or if you do not have working smoke alarms, call Fire Service Direct on 0800 731 5958.
For more tips on staying safe this Halloween & Bonfire, visit Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service on Facebook, X (@MerseyFire), Instagram (@Mersey_Fire), YouTube (@MerseyFire), Nextdoor, or at www.merseyfire.gov.uk
