Heros

"Most people involved took a big risk and are heros"

The above is a quote from a doctor who found himself treating casualties of the London bombings on the 7th of July.

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This evening quite by chance I turned the television on to find a programme just beginning, episodes of which I have seen before. The programme was 'Trauma', a fly on the wall documentary that accompanies HEMS and London paramedics to incidents in and around London as they occur. This evenings episode was however very different and centered on the emergency service personnel involved when the major incident plan that they had trained for so often, became a terrifying reality.

Only once before in my life have I felt as I did watching this programme and that was watching live coverage of the aircraft that hit the Twin Towers on 9/11.

This documentary was not graphic, horrifying, blood thirsty images, it wasn't footage of individuals screaming in fear and pain, though it so easily could have been. Instead it was interviews with those on the front line, those who's bleepers, phones and colleagues had called them to assist in what will likely be the most dangerous and demanding job of their careers.

These people are astounding to me. We assume that paramedics, doctors, nurses, firefighters and the police are used to dealing with the less pleasant aspects of life and certainly to a point they are, but to hear these highly skilled professionals describe not only the carnage but their reactions and thoughts to it, is probably one of the most powerful pieces of television I will ever see. Individuals used to seeing and dealing with the worst an RTA or illness can throw at them, visibly moved and describing with such humility and care the events of that awful day didn't just make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it sent shivers all over for the duration of the broadcast.

One doctor was quoted as saying that for one serious incident they could reasonably expect to lose 50% of the resources needed. Consider then that this fateful day bought not one but four major incidents and still each and every incident was attended quickly and by all required professionals.

I can't begin to repeat all that was said and even if I could the power in the words would be lost here, but along with great sadness for the victims, as I listened to these professionals thoughts and descriptions of the environments they had to work in and situations they faced, I felt and enormous sense of pride in being British and in these skilled men and women who we so often take for granted.

We have a great debt of gratitude and much to thank them for, and whilst I am sure most of them would refute it, these individuals are for me, and I am sure for most others, some of our true heros.