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SAS inquest: medic says civilian rescuers should have been on standby SAS inquest: medic says civilian rescuers should have been on standby
(about 2 hours later)
An army medic has accepted that civilian emergency services should have been put on standby on the day an ill-fated SAS test march took place in soaring temperatures. An army combat medic has told an inquest he cannot remember if he checked whether a military rescue helicopter was available on the day three SAS candidates suffered heat illness and died during a mountain test march.
The soldier also conceded that he had not considered the problem of getting a mobile phone signal to dial 999 in the remote mountain terrain where the test march took place, an inquest into the deaths of three SAS candidates who suffered heat illness during the march heard on Friday. The medic also accepted it would have helped if the civilian emergency services had been forewarned that the arduous test was taking place on the Brecon Beacons in south Wales.
In addition, the medic admitted he had not read official guidance that says an exercise should be halted, if operationally possible, if someone suffers a heat illness. In addition, the soldier conceded he had not taken into account the lack of a mobile phone signal to call emergency services in the remote mountain terrain in which the test march took place.
Three army reservists – Lance CorpCraig Roberts, 24, Lance Corp Edward Maher and Corp James Dunsby, both 31 – died after suffering hyperthermia as temperatures reached 27C (80.6F) during the 16-mile test in July 2013. At least seven more reservists suffered heat injuries. The soldier, who was in charge of planning the medical response to any emergency that day, admitted he had not read Ministry of Defence guidance stipulating that an exercise should be halted – if it is operationally possible – when someone suffers heat illness.
The inquest in Solihull, West Midlands, heard a claim that the march was not called off because that would have caused too much paperwork. Candidates have given vivid accounts of running out of water, collapsing in the heat and having to be helped by civilians. Three army reservists – Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, 24, Lance Corporal Edward Maher and Corporal James Dunsby, both 31 – died after suffering hyperthermia as temperatures reached 27C (80.6F) during the 16-mile test in July 2013. At least seven more reservists suffered heat injuries.
Concerns have been raised over how long it took for civilian medics to reach the spot in the Brecon Beacons where the test took place and how difficult it was to communicate with emergency workers by mobile phone. The men’s inquest in Solihull, West Midlands, has heard claims that the march was not called off despite the heat because a cancellation would have generated too much paperwork. Candidates have given vivid accounts of running out of water, collapsing in the heat and having to be helped by civilians.
Codenamed 1H, the medic told the inquest he had drawn up the medical plan for the test march. The coroner, Louise Hunt, asked 1H if the ambulance and air ambulance should have been warned that an exercise was going ahead in the very hot weather. Concerns have been raised over how long it took for medics to reach casualties and how difficult it was to communicate with civilian emergency workers by mobile phone.
On day five of the inquest it emerged that the medical plan drawn up by Soldier 1H stated it was a “critical requirement” that a check was made that the military’s own air ambulance was flying on the day of a test march.
Soldier 1H was asked by a lawyer for members of Roberts’ family, Alexandra Tampakopoulos, if that check had been made. He replied: “I can’t remember if it was. I’m not sure... I can’t remember checking it myself.”
The inquest heard that a civilian air ambulance from Bristol arrived on scene around an hour and a half after Craig Roberts’ emergency “man down” alarm was activated.
Civilian paramedics, who were heading by road to help, were given an eight-digit grid reference for Roberts’ position, the inquest heard. 1H said he did not realise they had no way of using the grid reference to find Roberts.
Asked by coroner Louise Hunt if the civilian emergency services should have been warned that an exercise was going ahead in the very hot weather, 1H said: “In hindsight they maybe should have been put on standby.” He said that mountain rescue teams did know when marches were taking place, but he did not know if they were officially informed or just got to hear about them.
The coroner asked 1H if he had thought about the “erratic” mobile phone coverage in the hills. He replied: “I guess not.” The inquest heard that when soldiers went to help Roberts after he collapsed, one had to move 300m away from him before he could get a mobile signal.
1H was the second soldier to admit that he had not read the Ministry of Defence’s code of practice set out in a document called JSP539, stating that if there is a case of heat illness an activity should stop if operationally possible.
He said: “I wasn’t aware all activity had to be stopped. I wasn’t aware of that, no.” Of the document he said: “You are basically told you don’t have to read it.”
Related: Brecon Beacons inquest: SAS instructor 'not aware' of heat illness guidanceRelated: Brecon Beacons inquest: SAS instructor 'not aware' of heat illness guidance
He replied: “In hindsight they maybe should have been put on standby. I didn’t think to.” He added that mountain rescue teams did know when marches were taking place – but he did not know if they were officially informed or just got to hear about them.
The coroner asked if he had thought about the “erratic” mobile phone coverage in the hills. 1H replied: “I guess not.”
The medic was the second soldier involved in overseeing the test to admit that he had not read the Ministry of Defence’s code of practice, set out in a document entitled JSP539, stating that if there is a case of heat illness, an activity should stop.
He told the coroner: “I wasn’t aware all activity had to be stopped. I wasn’t aware of that, no.” Of the document, he said: “You are basically told you don’t have to read it.”
Asked if he had discussed with senior officers the need to be vigilant because of the possibility of heat illness, he simply replied: “All of us knew it was going to be hot.”
1H helped a candidate codenamed 2P, who suffered heat illness, at 12.46pm that day. Asked about his condition, he said: “I have seen worse in Kenya and places like that. On a scale of one to 10, he was a six maybe.”