Firefighter delays ‘not key’ in attack aftermath

Delays faced by firefighters responding to the Manchester Arena terror attack were “not key” to whether or not people received treatment, a minister has said.

Ben Wallace praised the speed of the response from police, paramedics and ambulance crews, while also acknowledging it was “regretful” that the fire service were not there quicker.

The Home Office minister’s remarks came after the Government faced calls in the Commons to answer questions about the “serious failing” of the fire service on the night of the attack on May 22 2017.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his home-made device in the foyer of Manchester Arena as 14,000 people streamed out at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people.

A report by Lord Bob Kerslake into the emergency response found poor communications between the police and fire service meant the “valuable” assistance of fire crews was delayed by two hours and six minutes after the bombing.

Mark Rowe, north-west secretary of the Fire Brigade Union told BBC Breakfast that crews were “waiting to be deployed” after the bombing, some of them so close that they had heard the explosion, but “the order never came down from the top”.

Conservative frontbencher Mr Wallace, replying to questions, told the Commons: “Within one minute of that explosion, targeted amongst women and children, police, British Transport Police were there, PCSOs were there, paramedics were there and within 12 minutes ambulances were there on the scene.

“It is of course regretful that the fire service was not there, but that was not key to whether or not people were getting the treatment they were being given.”

Home Office minister Ben Wallace.