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Some of the key findings and recommendations from the London Assembly's July 7 Review Committee, which published its report today on the response of the emergency services into last year's suicide attacks on three London Tube trains and a bus:
1. Finding: The three Tube bombs went off within two minutes of each other, between 8.50am and 8.52am, but passengers stuck underground on the trains had no way of communicating with the driver. Train drivers could not communicate with London Underground Network Control Centre and emergency service radios did not work underground.
Solution: London Underground, Transport for London and others should work to implement new systems, including in-train systems and CONNECT underground radio network, due to be completed by the end of next year.
2. The London Underground Emergency Response Unit does not have radios that work underground and its vehicles do not have "blue light status" allowing them to use bus lanes. They are also subject to the London congestion charge.
The vehicles should have blue light status, be able to use bus lanes and be exempt from the C-charge. They should also have access to the underground radio network.
3. Better communication between the emergency services and London Underground Network Control Centre could have avoided some of the confusion on July 7, when the various services each declared "major incidents" at the scene of each explosion.
Procedure should be changed so that only one service need declare a major incident.
4. Individual members of the London Ambulance Service worked "extremely hard under exceptionally difficult conditions" and saved many lives, but were unable to communicate with their control room so ambulances, supplies and equipment did not get through. Frontline staff did not know which hospitals were still receiving patients.
Communication and supply system need overhaul. Rescue and medical equipment should be stored at Underground and main line stations.
5. Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital played a major role treating victims of Russell Square bombing, but was not officially notified of the incident.
Emergency plans should include notification of all hospitals, not just those listed as "acute".
6. A total of 946 injured people and survivors gave statements to the police, less than a quarter of those directly caught up in the attacks. Many others were allowed to wander off without any attempt at collecting their contact details.
Procedure should be established to collect contact details of survivors at scene of terrorist attack.
7. Message "go in, stay in, tune in" was replayed on the broadcast media all day even though it had been withdrawn.
Scotland Yard advice messages should be time-dated and updated hourly, even if they have not changed.
8. Mobile phone networks crashed or became clogged up because of the increased volume of calls.
Scotland Yard advice messages should spell out whether mobile phone use should be restricted.
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