Firefighters banned from helping Manchester Arena bombing victims by bungling chiefs beg for forgiveness
The bomb blast claimed the lives of 22 people who had been at the Ariana Grande concert in May last year
A GUILT-RIDDEN firefighter's letter apologising for not rushing to the aid of Manchester terror victims has resurfaced in the wake of a report slamming the emergency service.
The anonymous letter revealed that the firefighter had been plagued by guilt for not being able to help for two hours - despite begging their senior officers to go to the Arena.
In the poignant letter, the firefighter wrote: "I have felt nothing but guilt, feeling ashamed and feeling let down by senior officers who didn’t have the balls to commit us.
"We pleaded with our high ranking officers to let us go but that got declined on numerous occasions.
"Young children were dying and we weren’t there to help."
The letter, penned last year, has resurfaced after the Kerslake Arena Review into the tragedy yesterday found that fire crews had been "brought to the point of paralysis" and played "no meaningful role" in the emergency response.
A FIREFIGHTER'S APOLOGY: The anonymous apology
I would personally like to apologise to the people of Manchester, the victims and their families because I was part of a service that you depend on and we weren't there when you needed us...
I have been a firefighter for 10 years now and never ever felt so much guilt in all my life.
I was one of the first crews who got turned out to the tragic event in Manchester. We stood around and were not given any updates.
We got most of the information from news updates even though we were at a rendezvous point with high ranking senior fire officers.
Two hours went by, watching numerous paramedics from as far away as East Midlands turning up and being deployed while we just stood around doing nothing.
Even a paramedic came to us pleading.
She had just taken a young girl to hospital, sadly one of the tragic victims of this horrid attack.
She was begging us, pleading with us to help, because they needed it.
Help in getting the casualties away from danger, help with triage and help with carrying victims.
I have felt nothing but guilt, feeling ashamed and feeling let down by senior officers who didn’t have the balls to commit us.
We pleaded with our high ranking officers to let us go but that got declined on numerous occasions.
Young children were dying and we weren’t there to help.
I did not sign up to the best job in the world to turn my back!
We were only half a mile away from helping, from potentially saving lives.
This will stick with me forever.
I would personally like to apologise to the victims and their families because I was part of a service you depend on and we weren’t there when you needed us.
Please please forgive your firefighters who were begging to help.
Instead, firefighters "stuck to the rules" of an operation meant to keep emergency services safe during ongoing terror attacks.
But in the letter, the firefighter wrote: "This will stick with me forever. I would personally like to apologise to the victims and their families because I was part of a service you depend on and we weren’t there when you needed us.
"Please please forgive your firefighters who were begging to help."
Twenty-two people were killed and dozens more injured in the attack that saw a bomb rip through crowds as they left an Ariana Grande concert last year.
The 226-page report found there was a series of communication breakdowns on the tragic night, saying that the "immense frustration on the firefighters’ faces" had been obvious.
Members of the public, paramedics and police officers had desperately worked to evacuate the injured - forced to use display boards and metal crowd barriers to get them away from the scene.
Lord Kerslake, who authored the report, yesterday told media that the decision by the fire crews was surprising, saying: "I would absolutely acknowledge that it was quite extraordinary that they did not pick up what happened.
"But that is exactly the situation. It wasn't until much later that that they became clear they should have gone forward rather than back."
The shocking report released yesterday also revealed:
- Fire crews heard a bomb go off but were "kept away" from the scene at Manchester Arena
- "Out of the loop" fire service barred crews after a communication breakdown with cops
- It meant firefighters played no "meaningful role" for two hours
- Ambulance crews arrived on the scene within 11 minutes
- Police chiefs declared "Operation Plato" meaning emergency services could treat victims - but not all services were told
- "Selfless" cops risked "death" to treat victims after arriving "remarkably fast"
- Victims were carried on advertising boards due to a lack of stretchers
- Vodafone slammed for its "catastrophic failure" in providing emergency hotline
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