- Sadiq meets staff and responders from London Ambulance Service, Met Police and London Fire Brigade
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, today met members of the capital’s emergency services to express his deepest gratitude on behalf of all Londoners for their calm and professional response to the Westminster terrorist attacks.
There were four victims of in Wednesday’s attack: including police officer Keith Palmer, 48, Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, 43, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, and Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Streatham.
This morning, Sadiq visited London Ambulance Service headquarters in Waterloo to meet with emergency service staff in the control room who took calls and dispatched paramedics to Westminster to treat the 40 injured victims of the attacks.
The Mayor then visited the London Fire Brigade’s Lambeth base, to meet members of the fire service boat crew who rescued a Romanian tourist who plunged into the River Thames from Westminster Bridge. He also met other fire crew responders who worked at the scene and the command team that led the operation from Union Street.
In addition, he spent time at the Metropolitan Police’s Special Operations Room who coordinated the response to the attack and continue to work on a live operation.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “On behalf of all Londoners I have today expressed our heartfelt gratitude to London’s emergency services for the way they responded following Wednesday’s awful events.
“It was a privilege to visit and thank the London Fire Brigade responders and commanders today face-to-face. They did an incredible job in the face of adversity and there is no question that without their swift response the outcome would be even worse.
“Since Wednesday, staff from London Ambulance Service and doctors and nurses in our National Health Service worked round-the-clock to care for those who were injured in the horrific attack. I pay tribute to their dedication and skill.
“I also want to pay tribute to the Metropolitan Police officer, Keith Palmer, who died while courageously protecting our city, our parliament and keeping Londoners safe. My thoughts are with PC Palmer's family and colleagues at this awful time. He was 48 and a husband and father.
“These brave police officers work tirelessly to keep us all safe. They prepare meticulously in case of attacks and put their lives on the line in order to protect the city. They ran to confront danger while encouraging others to run to safety. All Londoners are grateful for their efforts over the past few days.
“This was not only an attack on our city and our country, but on the very heart of our democracy and the symbol of the values we cherish most – democracy, freedom, justice and tolerance. These are the same values that those who attack us hate so much. And the best way we can honour those who have tragically lost their lives is to ensure that we always uphold these values.”
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Notes to editors
The Mayor was welcomed by Andrew Grimshaw, chief executive, and Paul Woodrow, Director of Operations, at London Ambulance Service this morning, before meeting ambulance workers.
Sadiq was accompanied by Fiona Twycross, Chair of the London Fire Authority, to Union Street, where they were welcomed Steve Apter, Interim Director of Safety and Assurance at the London Fire Brigade, before meeting commanders and responders.
The Mayor was accompanied by Deputy Mayor for Policing, Sophie Linden, when he was welcomed by Acting Deputy Commissioner Fiona Taylor, Commander BJ Harrington, and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Terry from the Metropolitan Police. He met with police staff and workers from the Special Operations Room.