After coroner blames health and safety for failing Cumbria gunman's victims, 999 crews told: You must risk your lives

Emergency services were told yesterday they should be prepared to ‘risk their lives’ to protect the public.

At the inquest on victims of the Cumbrian gun massacre, coroner David Roberts said it was disturbing that paramedics were prevented from reaching the injured because of red tape which cost vital minutes.

And a senior police officer said the response had been severely hampered by slavish adherence to health and safety regulations.

‘The public have a right to expect the emergency services to put themselves at risk to help them,’ he said.

On the day of the rampage, when crazed gunman Derrick Bird murdered 12 people and wounded 11 others, ambulance crews were ordered to remain at ‘safe rendezvous points’ for anything up to two hours until the police gave them permission to treat victims.

This dithering was compounded by a catastrophic breakdown in communication between the different services.

A total of 13 ambulances, three air ambulances and four rapid response vehicles were held back for up to 90 minutes because police officers were unaware the crews were waiting for their go-ahead before helping the wounded.

Yesterday, after listening to 70 witnesses during 18 days of harrowing evidence, the inquest jury returned verdicts of unlawful killing on each of Bird’s 12 victims.

They also found that Bird had killed himself.

Mr Roberts said that though he did not believe the misguided safety measures had cost lives, they could easily do so in future incidents.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369931/Cumbria-gunman-Derrick-Bird-murdered-12-people-committing-suicide-inquest-rules.html#ixzz1HeoilMFU