Attacks hinder quick response , warns fire officer

David Bell, the third officer at Dublin Fire Brigade headquarters, who has worked in the fire service for 25 years, says a violent…

David Bell, the third officer at Dublin Fire Brigade headquarters, who has worked in the fire service for 25 years, says a violent attack on one member of a crew can have a devastating ripple across the city.

Currently fire crews at Townsend Street generally can get to anywhere in the city within a six- to eight-minute time frame, he says, but this quick response is compromised each time a firefighter is attacked.

"We are not allowed to operate below certain manning levels and to comply with health and safety you need at least four men to operate a ladder," he says.

"An attack on a fighter can therefore incapacitate an entire crew, and force another engine, from another area, to attend to the call. An attack has a knock-on effect in both timing and cover.

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"If you get to a smoke-clogged house, and there are children upstairs, seconds can mean the difference between those children surviving and not."

The physical and psychological effects on a firefighter who has been assaulted can be "absolutely devastating", according to Bell, who has been the victim of aggression himself.

He cites the camaraderie among those in the brigade, as well as the support services offered by Dublin City Council and those members of the brigade trained in debriefing and counselling, as important in helping assaulted firefighters deal with the psychological implications of an attack.

While not new, Bell says assaults on emergency service workers, aggression and violence are an-almost daily part of the jobs.

"I'd say that 90 per cent of the time drink and other substances are usually involved. It's the type of society we currently have. From a Garda, and from everyone else's point of view, violence is escalating everywhere."

Bell is convinced that tougher sentences for those who carry out attacks on members on the emergency service, including the ambulances who are staffed by firefighters, is the best course of action.