Firefighters shot at, bitten, and headbutted on call-outs

Firefighters in Dublin have been punched, kicked, and even threatened with guns while on call-outs, with figures showing almost 150 incidents of violence and abuse since the start of 2010.

At least 142 incidents have been reported in the past two-and-a-half years involving firefighters and ambulance staff in the city, including an incident in which a fire crew was shot at while attempting to put out a blaze in 2010.

About 30 incidents have been reported up to Aug 28, with Dublin Fire Brigade staff physically assaulted in almost half of those cases.