I didn’t know anything about Babbs Mill Lake in Solihull until this morning. But the tragic news about the death of three young boys after falling into the lake means everyone knows about it today. I just watched a brief press conference from a senior police officer and firefighter, with the lake plainly in view behind them. Heartbreaking, and you could almost touch the emotion as they spoke. What they said didn’t add a great deal to what we already know because the last thing we need is idle rumour and speculation. I hope we can all respect this.
What we don’t need – and I have already seen on social media – are people commenting on why the boys were on the lake in the first place and the reason they were there in the first place. We do not know and we should wait for the answers and even then, I hope we don’t end up in an ugly blame game. What we do know is that the emergency services were heroes.
Police officers and firefighters went into the frozen lake without any protective equipment to try to effect a rescue. One suffered hypothermia but mercifully has now recovered. Trained divers are now at work, to see if any other children got caught up in the tragedy. One police officer beat away at the ice with his bare hands to reach a child. Sometimes, we take for granted the heroism of our emergency service workers but this was surely bravery of the highest level. As they set off to the lake after the emergency call, they knew what they would be walking into. They risked their lives in order to save others.
For the families of the boys and for their rescuers, these are the most traumatic times imaginable. Let’s not make them even worse with foolish speculation, eh?
