Thanks Calibri, more tales like that please. I just want a realistic approach to this problem.
Whilst discussing it with colleagues who have a fixed wing background they had an interesting take on the situation. They said they would do exactly as I would and NOT immediately descend into the mountains with the FIRE WARNING light still on. However their interpretation of LAND IMMEDIATELY was to proceed to the nearest airport where a safe instrument (or VMC) approach could be made. In my book that amounts to LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Either way it's the right answer as far as I am concerned.
Unfortunately I know from my SFI experiences that there are pilots out there that believe the QRH/ECL is 'god' and must be obeyed so those guys WILL take on the immediate descent unless the advice given is amplified.
Your experiences that night bring to mind our other outstanding debate about launching into what is effectively IMC below the Vmini which if my memory serves me well is 50 knots in the S61. How have we managed that all these years without some kind of written authority?
G.
