By Chris Watt
The Herald
GLASGOW, Scotland — There is a thin line between idiocy and heroism, the head of Scotland’s Fire Brigades Union said as he insisted health and safety laws posed no threat to river rescues.
Roddy Robertson, senior official with FBU Scotland, hailed veteran lifeguard George Parsonage as a fantastic human being for his decades of work with the Glasgow Humane Society.
However, while he said he had a lot of sympathy for the 66-year-old volunteer, who was criticised by authorities for helping save a woman from the Clyde on Monday night, he maintained that firefighters were best off working alone.
He’s done a wonderful service for the people of Glasgow over the years, Mr Robertson said of the lifeguard, who was relieved of his official duties in 2007.
I was very sad when the police said he was unable to continue. That being said, things have moved on, and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue have taken responsibility for the Clyde.
It is a thin line between somebody being a hero and somebody being an idiot.
If too many unofficial groups join rescue attempts, he said, there is a danger that you end up with not just the person needing rescued, but also rescuers being rescued, and rescuers losing their lives trying to save people.
Authorities have faced a barrage of criticism for their approach to emergencies. A Fatal Accident Inquiry last month found that health and safety rules prevented firefighters from saving lawyer Alison Hume after she fell down a mine shaft, and commentators have been quick to draw comparisons between this and Monday’s incident.
Mr Parsonage has been supported by witnesses in his claim that he reached the drowning woman long before firefighters arrived by boat. He urged officials to work together with his organisation in future for better results.
Mr Parsonage, who was made an MBE in 1999 and has been credited with more than 1,500 rescues, stressed that Joe Public should steer clear of jumping into rivers to attempt rescue. However, he stressed that he and his team were well-qualified and had a great deal of experience in river rescue.
If there is a boat nearby the scene of an incident, ask that boat for help, he said, adding that even since his duties were officially taken over by the fire brigade in 2007, he has on occasion been unofficially approached by police officers when he is known to be in the area.
Mr Robertson told The Herald that health and safety rules have never prevented any rescues that I’m aware of, but added that firefighters would routinely set up a safety cordon around an incident and then prevent anyone from entering, regardless of their apparent qualifications.
Mr Parsonage and eyewitnesses said officers had called to the police to arrest him during Monday night’s rescue.
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