Latest news with #firstResponder
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Met officer recalls terrifying moment she realised true horror of 7/7 attacks
A first responder has recounted the chilling moment she grasped the true horror of the 7 July bombings, two decades after the devastating attacks. Superintendent Anna Bearman, then a 23-year-old police constable with the Metropolitan Police response team, was on duty when suicide bombers struck three London Underground trains and a bus. Initially, she and her three colleagues were informed of an incident at King's Cross, believed to be a fire. However, Ms Bearman vividly recalls the pinch-in-the-stomach feeling as she understood the situation was far more sinister than first reported. She said: 'On July 7, it was a nice summer's morning and everyone was elated because we had just won the bid for the London Olympics the day before. 'We were on duty and heard that there was confusion at King's Cross and that perhaps there'd been a fire, so we made our way down to the train station. 'As we were by Euston station, we were asked to divert to Russell Square, and we were told that there were injured people fleeing both stations. 'I remember that being the moment when I thought that it wasn't a fire, and it was something more sinister. It was a pinch-in-the-stomach moment.' Ms Bearman described how the four constables in the vehicle fell silent, as it dawned on them that it was a major incident. Upon arrival, they saw dozens of people running out of Russell Square station, with many suffering from injuries. She said: 'There were walking wounded and a sense of hysteria and panic, but we couldn't stop and speak to them because we had to get into the tunnel to help those who couldn't walk out. 'We walked about a mile on the tracks, and then we carried one person out who had lost a lower limb, as there were no stretchers, and we took them out a mile back to Russell Square.' After carrying a second injured person out and returning to the train for a third time, they were told there were no more people who needed to be rescued, and they turned to finding oxygen tanks for the injured in the makeshift triage area. Ms Bearman recalls: 'After that, the main task was directing and reassuring members of the public, trying to keep them calm in the moment. 'Later on, I saw that my trousers and my legs were absolutely blood-stained, and that was when the shock of the whole day set in. 'The 20-year anniversary is really important to remember the people who have been affected, the lives lost, but also their families and loved ones.' Dr Peter Holden, a GP from Derbyshire, was 50 when the bombings took place. He was not supposed to be in London on 7 July, but, in his role as deputy chair of the BMA GP committee, he was called to a meeting with a government minister at BMA House in Tavistock Square. That was where a fourth device exploded on a bus that had been diverted after the attacks on Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square Tube stations. Dr Holden, who had received major incident training and helped dozens of people on the day, recalls: 'I realised it was really serious when the Royal London helicopter was hovering overhead for a considerable length of time. 'And then I just turned around to my colleague Mary Church, who's the chair of the committee, we heard a bang and then everything just went salmon pink. 'It was something that shook the ground. We were three floors above where the bomb on the bus went off, and we looked out of the window, and there was a white plume of smoke, and the tree canopy had gone. 'When I got downstairs, there were people being brought in on collapsible table tops used for conferences as makeshift stretchers.' As someone with emergency care training, Dr Holden recalls directing 15 doctors and setting up a makeshift triage area. He remains proud of the effort his team made in the crisis, despite having to make difficult decisions surrounding who to prioritise in the moment. Dr Holden said: 'There was a complete range of people – there were Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, those of no particular faith. 'I think there were eight different nationalities from all over the world – medicine is really an international practice. 'But we had to leave two people who we describe as P1 expectants, those who are deeply unconscious and for whom medical care is extremely unlikely to help, and you just have to leave them with another human being so they are not on their own. 'It was the most difficult decision of my life, and it still haunts me, because there's a humanity in delivering care. 'It was a terrible day, but I was thankful that I was there and could help people.'
The Independent
06-07-2025
- The Independent
Met officer recalls terrifying moment she realised true horror of 7/7 attacks
A first responder has recounted the chilling moment she grasped the true horror of the 7 July bombings, two decades after the devastating attacks. Superintendent Anna Bearman, then a 23-year-old police constable with the Metropolitan Police response team, was on duty when suicide bombers struck three London Underground trains and a bus. Initially, she and her three colleagues were informed of an incident at King's Cross, believed to be a fire. However, Ms Bearman vividly recalls the pinch-in-the-stomach feeling as she understood the situation was far more sinister than first reported. She said: 'On July 7, it was a nice summer's morning and everyone was elated because we had just won the bid for the London Olympics the day before. 'We were on duty and heard that there was confusion at King's Cross and that perhaps there'd been a fire, so we made our way down to the train station. 'As we were by Euston station, we were asked to divert to Russell Square, and we were told that there were injured people fleeing both stations. 'I remember that being the moment when I thought that it wasn't a fire, and it was something more sinister. It was a pinch-in-the-stomach moment.' Ms Bearman described how the four constables in the vehicle fell silent, as it dawned on them that it was a major incident. Upon arrival, they saw dozens of people running out of Russell Square station, with many suffering from injuries. She said: 'There were walking wounded and a sense of hysteria and panic, but we couldn't stop and speak to them because we had to get into the tunnel to help those who couldn't walk out. 'We walked about a mile on the tracks, and then we carried one person out who had lost a lower limb, as there were no stretchers, and we took them out a mile back to Russell Square.' After carrying a second injured person out and returning to the train for a third time, they were told there were no more people who needed to be rescued, and they turned to finding oxygen tanks for the injured in the makeshift triage area. Ms Bearman recalls: 'After that, the main task was directing and reassuring members of the public, trying to keep them calm in the moment. 'Later on, I saw that my trousers and my legs were absolutely blood-stained, and that was when the shock of the whole day set in. 'The 20-year anniversary is really important to remember the people who have been affected, the lives lost, but also their families and loved ones.' Dr Peter Holden, a GP from Derbyshire, was 50 when the bombings took place. He was not supposed to be in London on 7 July, but, in his role as deputy chair of the BMA GP committee, he was called to a meeting with a government minister at BMA House in Tavistock Square. That was where a fourth device exploded on a bus that had been diverted after the attacks on Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square Tube stations. Dr Holden, who had received major incident training and helped dozens of people on the day, recalls: 'I realised it was really serious when the Royal London helicopter was hovering overhead for a considerable length of time. 'And then I just turned around to my colleague Mary Church, who's the chair of the committee, we heard a bang and then everything just went salmon pink. 'It was something that shook the ground. We were three floors above where the bomb on the bus went off, and we looked out of the window, and there was a white plume of smoke, and the tree canopy had gone. 'When I got downstairs, there were people being brought in on collapsible table tops used for conferences as makeshift stretchers.' As someone with emergency care training, Dr Holden recalls directing 15 doctors and setting up a makeshift triage area. He remains proud of the effort his team made in the crisis, despite having to make difficult decisions surrounding who to prioritise in the moment. Dr Holden said: 'There was a complete range of people – there were Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, those of no particular faith. 'I think there were eight different nationalities from all over the world – medicine is really an international practice. 'But we had to leave two people who we describe as P1 expectants, those who are deeply unconscious and for whom medical care is extremely unlikely to help, and you just have to leave them with another human being so they are not on their own. 'It was the most difficult decision of my life, and it still haunts me, because there's a humanity in delivering care. 'It was a terrible day, but I was thankful that I was there and could help people.'
CBS News
04-07-2025
- CBS News
Esparto man "heard screams" as he tried to help after California fireworks explosions
In the first moments after explosions at a fireworks warehouse in Northern California rocked the Yolo County community of Esparto, a man who lived nearby sprang into action towards falling flames and live fireworks, just hoping he could help. Alberto Vega was in the right place, at the right time and with the right equipment. When water and power shut off during the chaos of Tuesday's explosions, he saw a chance to help, not realizing that he'd be a first witness to this tragedy. From the driver's seat of his water truck, Vega was on the frontline of chaos and devastation, which was like nothing he could have imagined. "It looked like fireballs coming down to the ground," he said. "Next thing you know, a fire popping up here, a fire popping up there." Vega started filming in disbelief while spraying water on fires moving quickly through farmland and brush. "It happened so fast, the flames were just... it seemed like they were nine, 10 feet tall," he said. When one fire was out, another would start. forcing Vega to fill up down the road at the community pool. After restocking with another few thousand gallons, he'd start again with the heat growing more intense. "There's no time to really waste," he said. "I felt that it was the right place, at the right time. I did what I could." The fire was coming up behind him as he rolled down his window and said a prayer. In the silence, Vega said, "I heard screams." "As crazy as it sounds, with the explosions going off and whatnot, I know that I heard yelling," he said. "Just not being able to see people, not being able to get to them, that's where it weighs on me." As of Thursday night, more than 48 hours after the initial explosion, seven people remain unaccounted for. Details have remained limited from law enforcement, but investigators were finally able to enter the property, which they still deemed too dangerous the night prior. Among the seven people missing are three brothers whose family identified as 8-year-old Jesus Ramos, 22-year-old Johnny Ramos and 28-year-old Junior Melendez. A fourth person was identified by family as Carlos Rodriguez. The other three people remain unidentified. Law enforcement officials have not confirmed the identities of the seven people. Vega said that he didn't even know the fireworks facility was there before the explosions, and he hasn't been able to forget what he heard. "It made my stomach sink to the bottom of my feet," he said. "I know that somebody who is going through a situation like that and screams at the top of their lungs, you're going to hear it." Shaken but focused, Vega emptied the tank in his truck and got out of there, thinking not of his safety, but of the people he heard screaming. "There's somebody's pride and joy in there, somebody's relatives in there, husband in there," he said.
CBS News
30-06-2025
- CBS News
Sentencing day in killing of FDNY paramedic Alison Russo
The man convicted in FDNY paramedic Alison Russo's brutal killing will learn his fate today. Russo, 61, was stabbed to death in September, 2022 while walking from her stationhouse to get a snack. A jury found Peter Zisopoulous, 36, guilty of second degree murder and weapons possession. Russo, a 9/11 first responder and 25-year FDNY veteran, was attacked after she went on break and went to get food. A jury found that shortly after she walked past his apartment, Zisopoulos charged and attacked her, stabbing her 20 times. The killing was caught on surveillance video. Zisopoulos took the stand in his own defense. He testified he never left his home the night Russo was killed, saying he was asleep until police knocked on his door. When he was arrested, he was found with a bloody kitchen knife in his pocket, prosecutors said. Zisopoulos testified after two doctors had previously determined he was psychologically unfit to stand trial. Russo's family spoke out after Zisopoulos was convicted. "This brings closure for my family. Nothing can erase the pain," Russo's brother Craig Fuoco said at the time. "It's tough to explain. Happy that I think justice was done. Happy to start to move forward. But Alison will continue to be missed. It's continuing to be difficult to move on, but we'll find a way." Russo was posthumously promoted to captain. She is survived by a daughter, her parents and her younger brother.
