Medic tells inquest heat-injury documents were 'just guidelines'

A combat medic told an inquest into the deaths of three SAS reservist recruits that he was 'not told to read' Ministry of Defence guidelines on preventing deaths from climatic injury.

The soldier, identified only as 1H, told the hearing in Solihull he had "not really looked at" joint service guidance advising military exercises should be halted if a heat injury is diagnosed.

Lance Corporal Craig Roberts, from Penrhyn Bay died in the Brecon Beacons along with Lance Corporal Edward Maher from Northern Ireland and Corporal James Dunsby in 2013. All three collapsed due to the effects of heat in the latter stages of the 16-mile (26km) 'selection' test.

Soldier 1H was asked if the air ambulance and Welsh Ambulance Service should been put on notice due to the weather conditions. He said: "In hindsight, they maybe should have been put on standby, but I didn't think to then."

He was asked by coroner Louise Hunt if his training had involved a treatment algorithm that suggested military activity should be stopped if there was a heat-related case and all personnel stopped if the operational environment allowed.

Referring to the joint service document on climatic injury, he said: "They are just there as guidelines. I have not really looked at it myself."

Soldier 1H told the hearing he had looked at the document since 2013, but added: "We are basically just told we don't have to read it."The inquest continues.