Fire crews had to respond to more than 400 incidents in Greater Manchester over this past bonfire weekend.
It was subsequently named “one of the busiest weekends of the year”.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said in a statement on its website that North West Fire Control (NWFC) received 701 calls between 5pm on Friday 5 November and 8am on Monday 8 November, and that GMFRS responded to 431 incidents – which is a significant increase from last year, when firefighters attended 276 incidents.
While firefighters worked hard to keep the public safe, unfortunately some crews came under attack.
“Our firefighters did a brilliant job keeping the public safe during bonfire celebrations this weekend [and] I’d like to thank all staff and emergency services involved for working hard over a busy weekend,” said Dave Russel, Chief Fire Officer at GMFRS.
ADVERTISEMENT
Greater Manchester firefighters responded to hundreds of calls over Bonfire Night weekend 🚒
— Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) November 8, 2021
“Unfortunately, while attending some incidents, crews were met with physical or verbal abuse [and] I have heard personally from colleagues the shocking incidents that took place.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt, however I would like to remind the public that this behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Attacking emergency service workers is also a criminal offence.”
Just before 6pm on Friday 5 November, crews attended an incident in Oldham on Arundel Street and were subject to an attack, and then later that evening just after 11pm, firefighters from Blackley were attacked with fireworks on Ash Tree Road, and alongside that, fireworks were also thrown at a fire engine when attending an incident in Manchester on Atlantic Walk at approximately 9pm on Friday – but thankfully, no one was hurt during any of the incidents.
Other incidents attended over the weekend included deliberate wheelie bin fires, and bonfires on parks and public land, GMFRS revealed.
ADVERTISEMENT
👨🚒 Our fire crews have responded to 232 incidents this evening.
— Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) November 5, 2021
“GMFRS, alongside Greater Manchester Police, North West Ambulance Service and North West Fire Control did a fantastic job keeping Greater Manchester communities safe, particularly during this busy period of the year,” said Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
“I would like to thank the public for following the firework safety advice from the Bang Out of Order campaign and supporting the emergency services so they can help keep people safe – however, hearing that some crews and police were subject to attacks with fireworks is unacceptable.
“Our emergency workers work hard every day keeping the public safe and should not have to deal with abuse.”
Featured Image – GMFRS | Pixabay
News
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
News
Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
9th November 2021 
