29 July 2005
People who assault fire officers in the course of their work could be imprisoned for up to two years under the provisions of a draft order published in Northern Ireland.
The order, announced by Public Safety Minister Shaun Woodward, would also make false callouts to the fire service subject to up to three months' imprisonment.
'We need to recognise the special problems facing firefighters in Northern Ireland, who have become victims of a series of hoax calls and personal attacks,' Woodward said.
'I intend to punish people who think it is acceptable to endanger the lives of firefighters.'
The draft order also introduces reforms in the way the fire service operates in Northern Ireland, including clarifying its role, not only to fight fires, but also to provide road traffic accident rescue services, to respond to other emergencies and enforce new fire safety procedures.
The existing fire authority and brigade will become the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, which will be run by a new board.
The creation of the new criminal offence was welcomed by the Fire Brigades Union, which is backing a private member's Bill to introduce similar legislation for England and Wales.
Scotland has implemented comparable measures.
Official figures for Northern Ireland record 1,200 attacks on fire crews in the past three years, though the FBU believes the real figure to be higher.
The union said there were also around 1,200 attacks on firefighters in England and Wales during the past year.
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