In praise of … Glasgow's emergency services

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/01/glasgow-emergency-services

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Glasgow, in shock from the helicopter tragedy, has rightly also been indulging in a little quiet self-congratulation. Ordinary people flocked to help from the moment the first boom of the crash echoed down the Clyde, and there have been countless tales of courage, quick-thinking and generosity. But it is always the emergency services that carry the greatest burden. It is the people who answer the 999 calls, the fire, police and ambulance workers who set out for every call ready to face anything from the trivial to the life-threatening, from the individual disaster to the kind of almost unimaginable catastrophe that happened last Friday night. There will be terrible pain and grief among the survivors and the bereaved for months ahead. But it is the emergency services who are still at the site 48 hours on, picking minutely through the debris, always respectful of human dignity – and always ready for the next time.

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