So the idea that this is a panic meteorite re-entry manoeuvre IMHO needs to be rethought. I wait to be shot down, but note I comment only about the ROD when in an sufficient O2 environment. Remember, in B's QRH it suggests maintaining crz speed in descent if structural damage is in doubt. If it's OK for the people then it's OK all the time. Thus ROD will be less than max even at high levels.
I agree. On many routes I fly there are long periods with MSA in the teens: we carry enough oxygen for crew and pax and if necessary have pre-planned escape routes, therefore there is no hurry in the latter stages of the descent.
Priorities on decompression:
1) Pilot(s) go on O2 ASAP.
2) Confirm a safe altitude to descend to (not necessarily the MSA for the current leg).
3) Check if a turn back / offset / escape route is required.
4) Start descent.
5) Assess possible damage before going Mmo/Vmo.
6) Ease off the RoD some time before you reach your chosen altitude.
For a well-trained crew that has been paying attention during the flight, items 1-3 take very little time to accomplish but are fairly essential. An extra ten seconds thinking time is not going to harm anyone but diving into (unexpected) ground will.
I think the whole “get it down as fast as you can without thinking” ethos came from certification requirements and a certain breed of instructors from a few decades ago who focussed on things like “one knot fast”, “one degree off” or “two seconds too long", rather than the big picture of survival by being practiced and using intelligence in a non-normal situation.