DEMANDS have been made for the head of Scotland's biggest fire service to resign after a report outlined a catalogue of errors by his officers in the failed rescue of a woman who died after falling down a mine shaft.
Politicians described Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Chief Officer Brian Sweeney's position as "no longer tenable" after the publication yesterday of a hard-hitting report by the fire service inspectorate into the death of Alison Hume.
The mother-of-two fell 45ft down a disused mine near her home in Galston, North Ayrshire, in July 2008, but was not rescued for seven hours because firefighters feared the implications of health and safety laws.
Mrs Hume, 44, who had developed hypothermia, suffered a heart attack as she was brought out of the mineshaft. She later died in hospital.
In his report, the Chief Inspector of Scotland's Fire and Rescue Authorities, Steven Torrie, said there existed a perception the service was becoming increasingly "risk averse" in response to the challenges and action it had faced recently.
Mr Torrie said there was an "inexplicable lack of focus" on Mrs Hume's medical condition, the risk of hypothermia and the consequent time pressure for a rescue.
He described multi-agency working at the scene as weak, with little evidence of a professional discussion between police, fire and paramedics, nor of a shared risk assessment or decision-making.
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley MSP Willie Coffey said a comment by Mr Torrie that the brigade was "not a learning organisation" was "a damning indictment of the senior management of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, and those involved should be considering their positions".
Labour justice spokesman Lewis Macdonald said: "There is now no doubt that wrong decisions were taken that contributed to, and may indeed have caused, Alison Hume's tragic death. The position of those responsible for those fundamentally flawed decisions is no longer tenable."
Mrs Hume's stepfather, Hugh Cowan, claimed Mr Sweeney ran an organisation which had told lies to the family and tried to "cover up" its role in the tragedy.
He said: "The buck stops with him. Mr Sweeney should be prepared to come out in public and explain why this family was told a pack of lies. If he does not do that, he should resign."
Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell added: "It beggars belief how in this incident basic humanity and common sense went out of the window".
The inquiry found that fire and rescue services were becoming less willing to take risks because they were increasingly being challenged and charged with failures and offences, and this was influencing the way they operated.
The report continued: "This influence is creating a growing cautiousness with the service.
"It is argued that the complexity and the legal challenges which have been faced by fire and rescue services are leading to the services becoming increasingly risk averse."
One firefighter, Alexander Dunn, was lowered into the shaft but commanders then prevented his colleagues from trying to reach Mrs Hume, choosing instead to wait for mountain rescue teams to arrive.
Mr Torrie said specialist fire and rescue crews told him they believed they had the skills and equipment to effect a rescue and were angry they were ordered to stop work.
His report said there was a view among the crews that their commanders did not properly consider the service's own potential to conduct the operation.
Good guidance was available to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue in its own manuals but "guidance on pre-planning and liaison with other agencies and voluntary organisations was not followed".
On-site command was also criticised. It was passed from Watch Commander Chris Rooney to Group Commander Fred Howe and then, as the senior officer present, to Group Commander Paul Stewart. The report said control arrangements were overly complex, with unnecessary transfers of command.
A rescue using ropes was ruled out after the brigade changed its policy five months before the accident but the report says a specialist unit from Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service could have been at the scene within 75 minutes.
Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said the report made several recommendations, adding: "It is right that we take time to consider these in detail before we agree with individual fire and rescue services what action needs to be taken."
Mr Torrie's report is to be considered by the procurator- fiscal.
A Strathclyde Fire and Rescue spokesman would not comment on Mr Sweeney's position.
Mr Sweeney said "invaluable" lessons learned from the tragedy would help save lives in the future.
He said: "I want to reiterate our apology to Alison Hume's family on behalf of the entire service."
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