There were 933 incidents involving an attack on firefighters in England in the year ending March 2025 — a fall of 3.7% on the previous year, but the third-highest annual count in the series starting in 2011. This page brings together official England figures, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service statistics, Welsh Government injury data and London Fire Brigade reports. The periods and definitions differ, so they do not form a single UK total.
England’s series counts emergency-call incidents involving an attack, not individual acts or unique victims. It excludes attacks during training and routine station work. Figures below retain their reporting periods; the latest available England workforce release is for the year ending March 2025, while Scotland has published 2025/26 data.
Key facts and figures
- 933 incidents involved an attack on firefighters in England in the year ending March 2025.
- 3.7% — the fall from 969 attack incidents in the previous year.
- 1,030 — the series peak, in the year ending March 2023.
- 62% — 574 incidents were recorded primarily as verbal abuse in 2024/25.
- 129 attack-related injuries in England in 2024/25: 116 slight and 13 serious.
- 77 recorded attacks in Scotland in 2025/26: 41 verbal, 16 physical and 20 targeting property or equipment.
- ~2 a week — the historical average from 517 London Fire Brigade assault incidents during 2019–2023.
- 61.4% — the rise in England’s recorded attack incidents from 578 in 2014/15 to 933 in 2024/25.
Sources checked on 15 October 2026. England’s workforce and attack statistics are published separately from the incident totals; the newer incident release does not make the attack figures a 2025/26 series.
How many attacks on firefighters were there in the UK last year?
England recorded 933 emergency-call incidents involving an attack on firefighters in the year ending March 2025. This is an England figure, not a UK total.
An incident may involve several people or several acts, and one person can be affected at more than one incident. The total therefore cannot tell us how many unique firefighters were attacked. Attacks outside attended emergency-call incidents are outside the series.
Scotland, Wales and individual services publish different measures. London is already within England’s coverage, so its figures must not be added to the England total. The regional figures below are shown separately with their dates.
Are attacks on firefighters increasing or decreasing?
The year ending March 2025 saw a 3.7% fall — 36 fewer incidents than the 969 recorded the year before — but the longer trend is upward, and the single-year dip sits well above where the series stood a decade ago. The count peaked at 1,030 incidents in the year ending March 2023, the highest since consistent collection began in 2011, before easing back over the following two years.
The table compares the recent England figures. In the same official series, recorded attack incidents rose from 578 in 2014/15 to 933 in 2024/25, an increase of 61.4%. This ten-year comparison uses consistent incident counts rather than combining campaign figures with a different reporting basis.
| Year (ending March) | Attack incidents (England) | Attack-related injuries | Of which serious |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,030 (series peak) | – | – |
| 2024 | 969 | 96 | 14 |
| 2025 | 933 | 129 | 13 |
Note the counter-movement in the most recent year: attack incidents fell, yet the number of resulting injuries rose from 96 to 129. Fewer incidents caused more harm — a reminder that incident counts and injury counts measure different things, and that a falling headline does not automatically mean crews are safer.
Are most attacks physical or verbal?
Verbal abuse was the main recorded type in 574 of England’s 933 attack incidents in 2024/25 (62%). The other categories were objects thrown (182), physical abuse (65), harassment (20) and other attacks (92). A main category does not establish that no other form of abuse occurred.
Scotland’s 2025/26 figures recorded 41 verbal attacks, 16 physical attacks and 20 attacks on property or equipment. These categories describe the recorded incident; they should not be treated as a measure of the number of victims or the severity of every attack.
How many firefighters are injured by attacks?
Attacks caused 129 injuries to firefighters in England in the year ending March 2025 — 116 slight and 13 serious, where a serious injury is one requiring a hospital stay, according to MHCLG. That is up from 96 attack-related injuries (of which 14 were serious) the previous year, so while the number of incidents fell, the injury toll rose.
Attack injuries are a small share of the wider harm firefighters absorb on duty. Across England, 2,631 firefighter personnel were injured on duty in the year ending March 2025, including 1,120 at operational incidents, alongside one on-duty firefighter fatality. In Wales, the operational statistics recorded 87 injuries to firefighters during operational and training activities in 2024-25. Set against those totals, attack injuries are a minority of on-duty harm — but they are the share that is deliberate, and that is what makes them a distinct policy and safety concern rather than an ordinary occupational risk.
What do Scotland, Wales and London show?
The figures below describe different reporting areas, periods and outcomes. They are useful context, but are not directly comparable national attack rates.
Scotland recorded 77 attacks in 2025/26: 41 verbal, 16 physical and 20 targeting property or equipment. This compares with 59 in 2024/25 (19 verbal, 21 physical and 19 property or equipment attacks). The latest total includes 57 person-directed attacks.
London Fire Brigade reported 517 physical and verbal assault incidents during 2019–2023, averaging about two a week over that historical period. Its 130 incidents in 2023 were 35% above the 96 recorded in 2022. These are dated London figures, not a current UK rate.
| Area | Attacks / abuse | Data period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 933 attack incidents | 2024/25 | MHCLG |
| Scotland | 77 attacks: 41 verbal, 16 physical, 20 property/equipment | 2025/26 | SFRS |
| London | 130 assault incidents | 2023 | London Fire Brigade |
| Wales | 87 firefighter injuries (operational and training) | 2024/25 | Welsh Government |
The Wales row measures injuries from operational and training activities, not attacks. London overlaps with England, and the periods differ. Do not add these rows together.
Why do attacks on firefighters spike on Bonfire Night?
Bonfire Night can expose crews to attacks during a busy period of outdoor fire calls. On 5 November 2025, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reported two attacks on crews between 15:30 and midnight, alongside 751 emergency calls and attendance at more than 250 bonfires.
This is a specific evening’s operational report. It does not establish that 5 November is the worst day in every year, or quantify the contribution of alcohol or deliberate ambushes. Annual incident totals and a single-night report answer different questions.
Is it a crime to attack a firefighter in the UK?
Yes. In England and Wales, the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 provides a specific offence of common assault or battery against an emergency worker acting in the exercise of their functions, including firefighters. For offences committed on or after 28 June 2022, the maximum sentence on indictment increased from one year to two years’ imprisonment. It is a maximum, not an automatic sentence.
Other offences may apply depending on the conduct and harm involved. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate legal frameworks, so the England and Wales maximum must not be presented as a single UK rule. Fire-safety enforcement against premises duty-holders is a separate subject from assaults on crews.
Frequently asked questions
How many attacks on firefighters were there in the UK last year?
England recorded 933 emergency-call incidents involving an attack in 2024/25. Scotland recorded 77 attacks in 2025/26, including 20 on property or equipment. These different measures and periods cannot be summed into a UK total.
Are attacks on firefighters increasing or decreasing?
England’s recorded attack incidents fell by 3.7% from 969 to 933 in 2024/25. They were 61.4% above the 578 recorded in 2014/15. Attack-related injuries rose from 96 to 129 in the latest year.
Why do attacks on firefighters spike on Bonfire Night?
Crews face a busy evening of outdoor and bonfire calls. Scotland reported two attacks between 15:30 and midnight on 5 November 2025 while handling 751 calls and attending more than 250 bonfires. That report does not prove an annual UK-wide seasonal peak.
Is it a crime to attack a firefighter in the UK?
Yes. In England and Wales, the emergency-worker common assault or battery offence has a maximum sentence on indictment of two years for offences committed on or after 28 June 2022. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate laws.
Do the official figures count every attack?
No. England’s series covers attended emergency-call incidents involving an attack. It excludes training and routine station work and does not count unique victims.
If you are responsible for fire safety at work, these figures set the context: fire crews attend under pressure and, too often, under threat, so the more your own team can do to evacuate calmly and manage an incident before crews arrive, the better. Our Fire Warden Training course covers evacuation, sweeps, assembly-point management and everyday fire safety checks — £18 per learner, RoSPA approved and CPD accredited, 60 to 90 minutes online, with an instant certificate on passing and bulk discounts from 10 delegates.
Related guides
- Fire and Rescue Service Statistics UK: Incidents, Staffing & Funding
- Fire Evacuation Statistics UK: Rescues, Drills & Behaviour Data
- High-Rise Fire Statistics UK: Tall-Building Fire & Safety Data
- Fire Door Statistics UK: Failures, Faults & Compliance Data
- Fire marshal responsibilities: the complete UK duties list
Sources & references
- MHCLG — England workforce, attacks and injuries, year ending March 2025
- MHCLG — Fire statistics data tables, including FIRE0510
- SFRS — Fire safety and organisational statistics 2025/26
- SFRS — Bonfire Night operational report, 5 November 2025
- London Fire Brigade — Assault incidents during 2019–2023
- Welsh Government — Operational and training injuries, 2024/25
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, section 2
- UK Parliament — Emergency-worker assault penalty and commencement date
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety and accredited online training for Fire Warden Training, part of Online CPD Academy.