Clive Fairweather: Losing a life to safety concerns 'is a monstrous rebuff to us all'

I COULD hardly believe my ears when the ordeal of Alison Hume was finally described in such harrowing detail.

That she was left to die a lonely and agonising death many metres below ground, apparently because bosses in the emergency services had "health and safety" concerns about the rescue equipment immediately to hand, is, if true, a monstrous rebuff to the victim and her family, the brave men and women of our fire services, and to us all.

Having been in charge of one of the army's top units charged with the rescue of hostages, whatever the circumstances, I am quite clear, as was every member, that everything – absolutely everything – had to be tried and risked to get the victim or victims out alive.

That included putting your own neck on the line – and even if your equipment was dodgy, you used it if there was no other option.

You have failed as an emergency service, end of story, if the victim is alive when you arrive on the scene, but later comes out in a body-bag; no matter how neatly parcelled and no matter how much accompanying hand-wringing there is.

Not that today's Armed Forces are entirely immune from such considerations. Not so long ago, an RAF Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan was unable to rescue soldiers trapped in a minefield because it did not have the "appropriate" gear to lift them out, while landing the aircraft risked the triggering of further mines.

This resulted in the awarding of a posthumous George Cross to the corporal in the minefield. From all I have seen working alongside the police, fire and ambulance services' in this country, the individuals at the sharp end have exactly the same ethic as the Armed Forces – which is to risk your life in order to save others not fortunate enough to have received extensive and expensive emergency service training.

If bosses are not prepared to take the same risks, arguably they are no longer providing much of a service to anyone.

• Clive Fairweather is a former chief inspector of prisons. A former SAS officer, he was second in command during the Iranian embassy siege.