Wow I am amazed a some of the comments from what I assume are aviators.
As a HEMS Pilot I can tell you without a doubt the crews main consideration would have been selecting a safe landing area. The fact the the article didn't describe that a helicopter had been grounded due to FOD or that it had caused havoc with flying debris inuring people might just indicate that the landing site was appropriate. In a HEMS operation you really do not have a lot of time to make a decision on where the best place to land is. Most of the time its a matter of getting the aircraft on the ground safely but with as little delay as is possible. Every landing site is hostile and the crew are probably pretty good at assessing and balancing those risks. Now I'm not saying that they chose the best spot however cardiac arrest is one of the few situations where minutes really do matter. A couple of sheets of dry wall are not worth a human life.
As for removing barriers luckily in my part of the world there is a very sensible law that states emergency services can remove or cut any fence, barrier or gate if needed. Any costs of repair are covered by the government. One would hope that UK would also have this type of law.
What I find typical are the actions of this Health and Safety Lady. If the site was so unsafe wouldn't her best actions have been to organise an escort for the medic so they can safely get to the patient. Perhaps work to ensure the area around the helicopter is safe and that any lose items are stowed for the departure. Instead she tried to stop medical attention been given to a patient. Like so many others in Her profession it would appear that safety is something you tick on a clip board with very little relevance to the real world, something I find indefensible.
Last edited by SLFMS; 7th Feb 2018 at 05:06.