The Evening News
DALRY, Scotland — Speculation that failures in safety procedures contributed to the death of firefighter Ewan Williamson have been fiercely rejected by the fire service.
Reports at the weekend suggested Mr Williamson, 35, became lost in the blaze at the Balmoral Bar in Dalry two weeks ago and suffocated.
But sources and the head of training at the department said this was not the case, and it was the ferocious heat of the fire which claimed the life of Mr Williamson, for whom 15,000 mourners lined the streets in a tribute last week.
One source reportedly said: “Ewan was on the ground floor when a large section of the floor collapsed, leaving him stranded.
“It destroyed his only exit route and he couldn’t be reached by colleagues and was overcome by the heat.
“To suggest any wrongdoing by firefighters is wrong.”
And those sentiments were backed up by David Young, head of training for Lothian and Borders Fire Service. He pointed out that all fire fighters received intensive training, adding: “Fire is an unpredictable thing.”
Police are still investigating the incident along with fire chiefs.
Over the weekend several firefighters claimed that it was not the floor collapse that killed Mr Williamson, but that procedural errors may have contributed to his death.
One reportedly said: “All the news reports indicate he died because the floor collapsed into the basement where the fire was — which is not directly true. Ewan’s body was found on the ground floor, not the basement, where he would have been if the floor collapse had directly killed him.
“The floor did collapse but did not cause his death which would have been asphyxiation as he actually ran out of air in his breathing apparatus set.”
Firefighters also claimed that the hose being used to guide them through the thick smoke had been left in a mess as the result of a “culture of complacency.”
Copyright 2009 The Scotsman Publications Ltd.
All Rights Reserved