Criticism of fire service over arena attack response premature says inquiry chair

The man heading up the inquiry into how the emergency services responded to the Manchester Arena attack says criticism of the fire service in the wake of the attack is premature and unfair on those working on the night and to the families of those who died, at least until their process has run its course.

Lord Kerslake told ITV News his inquiry would examine how each emergency service responded to the attack, and their response times, but stressed it was important for each service to balance the need to react swiftly with ensuring the safety of their staff.

He went on to say they were aware of the concerns of some firefighters, and that those with concerns should make them known to the inquiry, and that the points they raise will be fully examined.

It follows a leaked report which says firefighters were not allowed in to help the injured until nearly two hours after the first 999 call.

It found that:

• Greater Manchester's fire chief was not informed of the attack for 35 minutes

• No fire crews were immediately deployed for fear of a second attack

• Fire crews were not deployed until 1 hour and 47 minutes after the blast

Greater Manchester Fire Service say they will not comment on the leak, while an independent report into how various agencies responded to the attack in May is ongoing.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured over 500 when he detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert in May.

Only three paramedics were into the foyer where the bomb went off but the North West Ambulance Service say this is the clinical model they use on all major incidents and that they are "extremely proud" of the response provided. They went on to say that within an hour, 50 paramedics were on scene and all critical patients had been moved and treated.

A review into the role of the emergency services on the night will be published in March 2018.