Alison Hume

In the article Could you stand by and watch someone die?, I wrote about the cowardly and shameful behaviour of Strathclyde Firemen who done just that when they waited patiently for six hours for someone they could have saved to die of hypothermia.

Not good news is it.   But never mind it is all not bad because the man in charge of the rescue operation, Group Commander Paul Stewart who delayed the rescue described it as "a successful operation". 

A woman is dead because of this man's inertia and slavish obedience to "Health & Safety" and he callously says:

"It was a successful outcome in the fact that we managed to get the casualty out.

Stewart, a fast tracked Officer with little experience, ignored the advice of no less than four very experienced fire fighters and actively prevented them from doing their job and saving the woman.  In fact the only reason Stewart was supposed to be at the scene was to handle media inquiries but he decided to take control of the "rescue" mission when he learned he was the Senior Officer.   His usual duties besides handling the media are to solicit donations for the Strathclyde Fire Support Trust - that kind of experience always help when you are in a hole.

Stewart also said that had he arrived earlier he would not have allowed Fireman Sandy Dunn, who acting courageously had already gone down the mine shaft into which the woman had slipped, to help her, had he been present.

The brave Dunn vowed not to leave the shaft without the woman and so was also left in danger whilst Stewart dithered at the top.  At this moment in time, regardless of whether Dunn should have gone down the shaft or not, the deed was done.  All Stewart had to do then was to order the men he had disastrously taken command of to pull the brave fire-fighter and victim up.

Men like Stewart must be replaced.  The whole business of fast tracking officers in the fire service as well as the police has proved to be an unmitigated disaster.  Firemen and Police Officers need leaders with experience gained over the years not leaders with degrees in Health and Safety.