In response to Javelin's comments, and as a member of the Emergency Services:
You only have so many resources, you have to prioritise things and you should despatch services appropriately.
Absolutely right, and this is done as often as possible.
This particular incident involved a 2 seat light aeroplane, on an airfield, with no fire and - as I understand - it was established that the people had left the aeroplane.
Unfortunately information that accurate and concise is rarely available at the receipt of an emergency call, nor indeed until the first units arrive on scene.
So, you need 1 ambulance, 1 police car and the other services on a standby.
Potentially, but I really wouldn't like to make that assessment from sat here in front of my computer. Experience has shown me that you need to be at the scene to make that decision. Personally (and I think most accident victims would agree) I would rather an excess of resources than a defecit. Situations change very quickly - just because a casualty is out of an aircraft or vehicle does not mean they are uninjured and just because an aircraft or vehicle isn't ablaze doesn't mean there isn't a fire risk, for example.
Imagine what would have happened if a serious bus crash or house fire had occurred during the response to this incident ? The services would have been stretched and would probably not been able to attend.
That's very easy. Any surplus units at the scene would have been dispatched to this second serious incident and any en route who were similarly not required would have been diverted. The role of control room staff and supervisors at the scene is to prioritise and allocate resources as appropriate. We're actually quite good at it
Just because the word 'AEROPLANE' is mentioned, the world seems to descend into pandelirium
Ok, possibly. Bear in mind that often the emergency services, unless based at an airport, have little or no experience at dealing with aircraft. Perhaps more resources are occasionally allocated than needed in these circumstances but again, I would suggest this is in response to the limited information available at the point of the first call.
It comes down to common sense - I am 50, I have survived so far despite my best attempts at times to interfere, this would not have happened 10 years ago, however I wonder whether in this litigious, nanny society we live in, things have changed irreparably.
Well done you. Many people are / have been less fortunate. Emergency service response to an incident such as this is nothing to do with either a Nanny State or the fear of litigation, but simply a well-rehearsed response to an incident requiring an emergency response. I have lost count of the number of times I have attended accident scenes that look like World War III only to see everybody dusting themselves down and shaking hands, and to apparent non-occurrences that result in fatalities. I guess that's the nature of accidents...
Regards,
DBChopper