A MOTHER-OF-TWO who died after falling 50 feet into a mine shaft would be alive today if vital medical training now planned for firefighters been in place at the time of her fall, her family has claimed.

The family of Alison Hume, 44, spoke out after Scotland's chief inspector Inspector of Fire and Rescue, Steven Torrie said he now wants the country's firemen and women to become medical life-savers and to turn out to health emergencies as well as fires.

Mrs Hume, a solicitor, was left down a deep hole in Ayrshire while commanders from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue worried on the surface about health and safety.

During her attempted rescue in 2008, two fire commanders stopped a paramedic going into the hole in Galston, leaving her in the sole care of firefighter Sandy Dunn.

He was trained to fit a neck brace and was a First Aider but Mr Torrie's recommendations go much further than this. He wants fire first responders to be equipped with defibrillators, which can save the life of a heart attack victim.

It was a heart attack which eventually killed Mrs Hume, just as she was being lifted, after spending more than six hours below the surface. Mrs Hume's stepfather, Hugh Cowan, said: "Had these changes been in place six years ago, Alison would still be here.

"Even if a paramedic was unable to get to her - for whatever reason - a fully-trained fire fighter properly equipped could have saved her. I am not for a minute blaming Sandy Dunn. To our family, he is a hero and should have received a medal for want he did for Alison.

"But we, as a country, are living in the dark ages as far as emergency responses are concerned. These changes are long overdue."

During his campaign for justice for Alison, Mr Cowan researched the way fire services across the world react to emergencies.

He found fire rescue services doubling up as medical responders in Ireland, Australia, America and Canada.