Manchester Islamist murders: Blundering actions of fire service commanded by Northern Ireland’s current chief Peter O’Reilly come under renewed spotlight

A public inquiry into the mass murder yesterday heard that all available firefighters and their equipment should have been scrambled to scene, but that the fire service behaved in a “risk averse” fashion.

They turned up only after two hours had elapsed.

Firefighters who had been so close to the scene that they heard the bomb go off had instead been instructed by bosses to drive three miles in the opposite direction, the inquiry was told.

The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service was at the time headed up by Peter O’Reilly, who has since apologised for the failures of that night, and retired.

Then, just a few weeks ago, he was selected to head up the Northern Irish fire brigade.

Here is more on the upscale corporate PR team hired to handle Mr O’Reilly’s appointment (and which you are paying for):

NI fire brigade hires ‘reputation management’ PR squad – whilst having lost over 100 actual firefighters in five years

His name was not mentioned during yesterday’s proceedings in Manchester.

Matthew Hall, a former senior fire officer appointed by the inquiry to compile an independent expert report, was called to give evidence.

He said fire crews should have been sent to the scene after reports of the terror attack came in, rather than muster at a station three miles away.

Fire chiefs could not contact the police force duty officer to find out what was going on, and wrongly suspected an armed terrorist was on the loose following the bombing.

The information vacuum left the fire command in paralysis, with frustrated firefighters waiting hours for their bosses to allow them to attend the scene, the inquiry heard.

John Cooper QC, representing some of the families of the 22 murdered in the suicide attack, asked the witness: “But certainly this was a major challenge, wasn’t it?

“This is what they are there for. A major incident...

“On May 22, 2017, the last thing the public needed was a risk-averse fire service, wasn’t it? And that’s just what they got, isn’t it?”

Mr Hall replied: “The evidence would support that.”

Some of the dying and injured were ferried from the scene by police and the public on crash barriers, used as makeshift stretchers.

For more click here: Methodist leader criticises British Empire amid Carrickfergus migrant controversy

The fire service had specialist teams and technical rescue units, with stretchers and enhanced first aid units.

In the event, once the fire brigade did arrive, its contribution consisted of 12 firefighters – the same response as to a domestic house fire, the inquiry has heard.

Mr Cooper said: “It was a great loss to the effort, wasn’t it?” Mr Hall replied: “In my opinion, all available and adequate resources should have been deployed at the earliest opportunity.”

A PR firm acting for the NI fire brigade said last night: “No comment.”

For more click here: DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson picked by Tories as trade envoy to African state of Cameroon, one of the world’s poorest countries

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptionsnow to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.