Britain’s firefighters are under-worked and inflexible, says Leo McKinstry. It’s time we created a unified emergency service
A cooling breeze wafted through the plane trees under the inky-black Provence sky. In the distance, the band played as couples danced. The rural village’s annual summer celebration presented the gentlest of scenes. But suddenly there was a loud crash, followed by a commotion. I looked round to see the aftermath of a nasty accident. An elderly woman, standing near the dance area, had fallen over, badly gashing her mouth and breaking her front teeth.
Within minutes, a red emergency vehicle arrived. ‘What use is that? This lady obviously needs an ambulance, not a fire appliance,’ I thought to myself. Then three men jumped out. With a mixture of tenderness and confidence, they guided the injured woman into the back of the vehicle, where they gave her urgent medical treatment before setting off for hospital in a blast of sirens.
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