Meningitis baby stranded after Air ambulance refuelling blunder at GLA

[rondun]

A baby with suspected meningitis was stranded in Orkney early on Sunday morning when Air BP refused to fuel the Gama operated King Air ambulance after the Signature refueller failed to turn up.

Disgraceful.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7322326.stm

[sanjosebaz]

Air BP refused to fuel the Gama operated King Air ambulance ... Disgraceful.
The 'disgrace' here seems to be with Signature rather than BP. There appears to be a comms problem with Gama too, if this quote is anything to go by:BP said it was not told that the incident was a medical emergency.The implication being that they would have assisted if told the whole story.

I agree that the situation is shocking. Disgraceful even. But be careful not to quote a very small part of an article, when the full facts are far from obvious.

[Skytrucker]

Maybe it's not the BP bowser driver we should be looking at. The whole thing smacks of people too frightened of the Elf 'n' Safety Nazis with Waffen SS Security holding a rule book and just waiting for someone who has to do a real job to put a foot wrong, all so they can "Have them". I don't know what we have come to in Robber Browns vision. No-one acts without first considering if what they are asked to do is written down in black and white so their a**e is covered, initiative is not approved by the cabinet. This Stalinist State now has us letting babies die, by order of a Government appointed official (in a hi vis of course). :mad:

[rondun]

After it emerged that the refueller from Signature was uncontactable, Gama requested support from BP.
However, they were told that BP's tanker was not licensed to go across the airfield.
Gama claimed that BP also refused an offer to be escorted by airport officials, or let the ambulance taxi over to them.


Depends who you believe, I suppose, but if your aircraft was refused fuel in such circumstances you'd be screaming at them that it was a medical emergency

[sanjosebaz]

...but if your aircraft was refused fuel in such circumstances you'd be screaming at them that it was a medical emergencyI absolutely agree with that. But it is just possible that whoever was making the extraordinary request (a controller Gama, I presume) failed to point it out. I do find the BP quote surprising; but the fact that they said it needs to be taken into account.

[PPRuNeUser0171]

What would the story have said if an accident had occurred during refueling? I don't agree with all the safety Nazi's but health and safety rules are there for a reason.

[transilvana]

Well, I think it´s only a misunderstanding, we have that everyday on corporate and doesn´t show up on the news, they would be collapsed. If such an emergency flight arises you may call airport responsible official on duty and explain it. I flew many medical and transplant flights during years and never had a problem, airport authorities and air traffic control are normally widely open to requests on these cases.

By the way, my congratulations to all these people who helped me, they saved many lives without knowing it, specially on organs transplant flights.

[loloflyer]

Gama operate the aircraft and it must be their responsibility to ensure adequate refuelling arrangements are in place at the airports they use 24/7.

Their spokesman blames everybody else - apart from Willie Walsh!

Thankfully the patient appears not to have suffered because of the delay.

[bilderberger]

Gama operate the aircraft and it must be their responsibility to ensure adequate refuelling arrangements are in place at the airports they use 24/7.

Their spokesman blames everybody else - apart from Willie Walsh!

loloflyer (or whatever you call yourself) if you have come on here as a probationary ppruner to make a statment like that, my advice to you mate would be, stay well away!! You clearly have no knowledge of the incident or the operator. This fiasco is nowt to do with Gama, Of course they ensure refuelling available 24/7 for every airport they use!!
What tree did you fall out of?

This is sheer incompetence & lack of basic business skills from FBO's & airport managment, typical of GLA I am afraid.

Skytrucker you are spot on.

Best to leave this one be, it is being dealt with than higher powers than us!

[Coleman Myers]

So it does'nt only happen in African then ?. :ugh:

Glad the patient was ok