I know its a while since this was posted but I have only just come across the details.
You did the right thing, Well done and dont you ever forget it, or start to doubt yourself.
I wish your naysayers had the spine to 'do the right thing' with their chairbound dilema, and support your on the spot assessment. You were the one there and you were the one who had to act in realtime.
Its so easy for rear echelon types to act in hindsight.
Good luck in the future, I hope someone reading this will be in a position to help you in a new job, in a environment that has the right balance between SOP's/rules and dynamic descision making.
