Fire death probe uncovers radio safety concerns

• Ewan Williamson died tackling the flames in an Edinburgh fire

An investigation by the government's Health and Safety Executive has found that radio communications between fire teams in some buildings could be disrupted if radios are set at a certain frequency by firefighters to avoid excessive background noise.

A communications expert employed by the HSE found that firefighters are altering their radio frequencies to avoid the "annoyance" caused by "electrical" noise generated by the operation of older fire engines.

Although the report does not suggest a radio fault had any connection with Williamson's death, it advises brigades to "review the thresholds" at which radios are set.

It adds that if it proves "impossible" to eliminate the background noise then older vehicles should be removed from service as "soon as reasonably practical."

The Fire Brigades Union has now alerted all fire services to the potential problem after receiving extracts from the HSE report. The Union's national safety officer, John McGhee, said that the problems identified with radio equipment by the HSE could have "very serious safety implications".

Wiilamson, 35, died in July 2009 after battling the flames at the Balmoral Bar in Edinburgh's Dalry Road. As he became trapped in the burning building after a floor collapse, his colleagues rescued 20 people, including a baby, from the flats above.

The HSE report claims that HX481 radios, widely used by UK brigades, can be affected by high levels of electrical interference, sometimes generated by older fire engines.

In some circumstances, the report claims, there can be "problems in reception and signal break-up" and "the radios can fail to pick up signals if firefighters are deep inside buildings with thick walls or similar screening material".

Outlining concerns if radio frequencies are altered to reduce "annoyance", the report says: "If firefighters were deep inside buildings with thick walls or similar screening material, the resulting weaker signals could cause problems in reception and signal break-up.

"The consultant is not saying that this was the cause in the incident under investigation as it has not been possible to reproduce the exact conditions prevailing at the time of the fire in the Balmoral Bar. The consultant, however, contends that it is not good practice to mask one problem with another, in this case elevating settings to eliminate noise, an action that effectively reduces radio range."

The Lothian and Borders brigade insisted its radio equipment was safe but said it would review its operation following the HSE advice.

Williamson died after entering the Balmoral Bar as fire tore through the building on July 11 last year.As he put on breathing apparatus and entered the building with Oliver Carrigan, his colleague from Green Watch at Edinburgh's Tollcross fire station, their colleagues rescued those trapped in the flats above.

However, following the floor collapse, Williamson's colleagues later pulled him from the building in the early hours of the following morning but could not revive him.

After his death, thousands of people lined the streets of Edinburgh to pay their respects as his funeral cortege made its way to St Giles Cathedral.

In the weeks that followed, more than 3000 people signed a petition calling for Williamson to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal.

Williamson's death was the first fatality suffered by a firefighter on duty with the Lothian and Borders brigade. His family attended a memorial service last weekend for fallen firefighters in London.

Police and the Health and Safety Executive have submitted an interim report on the Balmoral fire to the procurator fiscal. A police spokesman said: "We are in regular contact with Ewan's family to keep them fully updated on the progress of the inquiry. It is a complex, multi-agency investigation, which inevitably takes time."