She Got The Shaft Alright

Here comes more UK ridiculousness. A group of Scottish firefighters were sent to the aid of Alison Hume, a woman who fell down a mine shaft. They had all the equipment they needed to pull her out, but a safety memmo said they could only use it to save their own men. So, she waited for six hours for a mountain rescue team and consequently died.

What kind of safety memmo is that? If they're all trained to use the stuff, why can't they use it on anyone? What a senseless loss.