During a fire response, youths began trying to climb on the fire engine as well as throwing bricks and stones.
A firefighter has recalled being “bombarded with stones” while responding to an incident on Bonfire Night last year.
On November 3, crew leader Jonny Milliken was leading a response to a series of grass fires in Troon when youngsters attempted to jump onto the fire engine and throw bricks.
Mr Milliken, an on-call firefighter, criticized the behavior, stating that he and his colleagues are “local people trying to do their best for their town.”
He recalled the night, saying, “The stones were rattling off the side of the fire appliance.”
“We opted to keep the entire crew inside the appliance to protect their safety. After being bombarded with stones, we had to retire and leave the area.”
While the team was aware of disruptive behavior, Mr Milliken stated that he and his colleagues were “completely shocked”. based on the experience.
He added, “As on-call firemen, we live and work in our community. Troon firefighters responded to the situation.
“We are just local guys trying to do the best we can for our community. We are real people with real lives in our community, and we deserve to be recognized and able to do our jobs correctly.”
November 5 is usually one of the busiest nights of the year for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), and last year, firefighters across Scotland were attacked nine times in eight hours.
SFRS reported receiving 892 calls on Bonfire Night in 2023, with Operations Control workers responding to 355 bonfires.
According to statistics issued by Care of Burns in Scotland (COBIS), 37 persons received emergency care for fireworks-related injuries between November 4 and 6, 2018.
The agency stated that public events are the safest way to enjoy fireworks and encourages people to join them rather than hosting their own.
Deputy chief officer Andy Watt, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s director of Prevention, Protection, and Preparedness, stated: “We want people to celebrate, but we want them to do so safely and with consideration for others, including our crews who work hard to respond to emergencies.
“Bonfires and fireworks go hand in hand at this time of year, and we encourage people to attend scheduled events wherever possible. “This is the safest way to enjoy fireworks and bonfires.”
Community safety minister Siobhian Brown stated, “Fire crews and other emergency service workers do an outstanding job protecting communities during the Bonfire Night period, and any attack on them is utterly despicable.”
“Such assaults endanger 999 workers and can prevent crews from reaching those in emergency situations who desperately need help.”
“Attacks on 999 crews using fireworks or pyrotechnics are aggravating factors that courts can take into account when sentencing offenders,” she reported.
“We have also introduced a ban on providing fireworks to under-18s and provided local authorities with powers to designate firework control zones within their boundaries.”
Brown went further: “These new powers will be used for the first time this year in areas across Edinburgh over the Bonfire Night period.”
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