By Kelly Barker
The Daily Post
LLANGOLLEN, Wales — Fire chiefs yesterday defended a decision to tell crews to wait before rescuing a father and son from a river.
While firefighters were held off, awaiting the arrival of their rescue boat, 20 minutes away, quick-thinking paramedic Mark Timmins tied a rope round his waist and saved a dad from drowning.
The man had plunged into the River Dee near Llangollen to rescue his seven-year-old son, when the pair got into difficulties on Saturday. Shortly afterwards, the boy was plucked from the water but his dad was left clinging desperately to a rock in a semi-conscious state.
Mr Timmins said he would have “gone under any minute” when he decided to take a “calculated risk” by going in after him.
Yesterday, Clwyd South MP, Martyn Jones slammed the Fire Service, who he claimed were “hidebound by procedure,” but said in emergency situations, “common sense should prevail”.
“In this situation, the paramedic anticipated there wouldn’t be time to wait for the boat to arrive,” he said.
“Mr Timmins could see that the man was in trouble and would be washed away any minute so he decided to do something about it.
He added: “The Fire Service’s policy should be flexible and allow for discretion in deteriorating situations. “It leaves a question mark hanging over the effectiveness of blanket policies such as that.”
Jones MP But chiefs hit back and said: “NWFRS has very clear procedures for dealing with the wide range of incidents it encounters on a daily basis. We were the first emergency service to arrive at the riverbank and immediately assisted with the treatment of the child at the same time assessing the situation and making the scene safe. The commander identified the location of the child’s father on a rocky outcrop in the river.
“The child’s father was conscious and shouting to the crew. The crew attempted to deploy throw lines but were obstructed by overhanging trees. One firefighter was deployed downstream to see if there was any other access to the casualty and to see if he could see any other persons in the water.
“Due to the location, the established communication and the unknown depth of the water the Fire and Rescue Service Commander decided there was sufficient time to wait for the appropriate resources.”
Father and son were taken to Wrexham Maelor Hospital but have since been discharged.
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