--- title: Fifty Shades of Grey Movie: London Fire Brigade Issues Handcuffs Warning description: London Fire Brigade warns Fifty Shades of Grey moviegoers who try handcuffs not to get stuck so firefighters can handle real emergencies canonical: https://time.com/3708221/fifty-shades-of-grey-effect-london-fire-brigade/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-12T23:13:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:03:06.725Z og:title: London Firefighters: Please Don't Get Stuck in Handcuffs After Seeing 'Fifty Shades of Grey' og:description: London Fire Brigade warns Fifty Shades of Grey moviegoers who try handcuffs not to get stuck so firefighters can handle real emergencies og:url: https://time.com/3708221/fifty-shades-of-grey-effect-london-fire-brigade/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: London Firefighters: Please Don't Get Stuck in Handcuffs After Seeing 'Fifty Shades of Grey' twitter:description: London Fire Brigade warns Fifty Shades of Grey moviegoers who try handcuffs not to get stuck so firefighters can handle real emergencies twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # London Firefighters: Please Don't Get Stuck in Handcuffs After Seeing _Fifty Shades of Grey_ ## Video: Video: Fans Welcome E.L. James to New York [Watch (HLS stream): Video: Fans Welcome E.L. James to New York](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fooCMHAM.m3u8) (7:09)  _Published 2012-03-30. Enthusiastic fans welcome E.L. James, the author of the “Fifty Shades” trilogy, to New York_  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Feb 12, 2015 11:13 PM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Feb 12, 2015 11:13 PM UTC On Thursday, the London Fire Brigade [warned](http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/LatestNewsReleases%5FAA70ED7F665640C5857103C448B776A0.asp#.VN0izVodXDo) lovers who are inspired to use handcuffs after seeing _Fifty Shades of Grey_ to keep the key within reach so firefighters can spend time attending to actual emergencies. The department published a similar alert in summer 2013, arguing that it has seen an increase in the number of these incidents since E.L. James’s best-selling erotic trilogy became popular. “In 2013-14, firefighters attended 472 incidents involving people being trapped or stuck, often in everyday household items,” [according to](http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/LatestNewsReleases%5FAA70ED7F665640C5857103C448B776A0.asp#.VN0izVodXDo) a release. The authorities release cheeky alerts about the most bizarre 999 calls, from the man who got his “manhood” stuck in a toaster to the man who had “fallen behind a toilet and become trapped.” _Read next:_ [_The Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Won’t Arouse You Like the Book Did, According to Science_](http://time.com/3706466/fifty-shades-of-grey-movie-erotic-science/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3708221/fifty-shades-of-grey-effect-london-fire-brigade/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3708221/fifty-shades-of-grey-effect-london-fire-brigade/"},"headline":"London Firefighters: Please Don't Get Stuck in Handcuffs After Seeing Fifty Shades of Grey","datePublished":"2015-02-12T23:13:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:03:06.725Z","description":"The department has seen an increase in the number of these incidents since the best-selling trilogy became popular","url":"https://time.com/3708221/fifty-shades-of-grey-effect-london-fire-brigade/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Bizarre"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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