Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) have thanked local people and community groups for their continued support and cooperation during what is always recognised as the Service’s busiest time of the year.

In the build-up to Bonfire Night TWFRS experiences additional demand on its operational and educational services. This is reflected in the number of emergency calls that were received by the TWFRS Control Room team.

The overall number of 999 calls that were received throughout the extremely busy day totalled over 480 compared to an average day where the Control Room team answers between 100 and 110 emergency calls.

The total number of incidents attended on the 5th of November at the time of this release* was 111 compared to 153 the previous year, more than a 25% decrease.

The Service also proudly delivered 54 fire safety sessions to 26 schools reaching 9376 young people.  The sessions saw TWFRS prevention and education officers providing essential fire safety advice ahead of Bonfire Night.

Paul Russell, Area Manager for Community Safety, said:

“First and foremost we would like to thank our staff, crews, residents, community groups and regionwide partners for their ongoing support during the Darker Nights season, which includes the busy period of Bonfire Night.

“We work closely in the local community to help educate people, young and old, about the dangers of deliberate fire-setting and the effects it can have on individuals, their family, friends and the local area.

“As ever, our Fire Service colleagues efficiently dealt with the influx of emergency calls and requests that were received by the Control Room team and then handled by operational crews and Duty Officers.

“It is our goal to keep people safe from harm all year round.”

TWFRS would like to thank all of its partners for their support throughout the period of Darker Nights including blue light colleagues, local authorities, housing associations, regional hospitals, and schools.

If anyone wishes to report incidents of anti-social behaviour relating to deliberate fire-setting in their local community then people can call Firestoppers anonymously by ringing 0800 169 5558 or by completing an online form www.firestoppersreport.co.uk