Richard John Dyson and Simon Brian Midgley · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 29 December 2017 I commenced an investigation into the death of Richard John Dyson aged 38 and Simon Brian Midgley aged 36. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 14 April 2021. The conclusion of the Inquests was that both men were unlawfully killed as a result of:

1(a) Inhalation of smoke and fire gases
1(b) Hotel Fire

Mr Dyson and Mr Midgley were guests staying at the Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomond on the weekend of 16-18 December 2017. Around 6.30 am on Monday 18 December 2017 a fire broke out in the hotel. The two men were found in an unresponsive condition after 8 am by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. They were pronounced dead later that morning.

(1) Every hotel should have a readily accessible and accurate list of the guests and staff members in the establishment on a particular night. In an emergency situation it is imperative that the Fire and Rescue Service are provided with accurate information speedily in case anyone remains trapped in the building. It is a situation where every second counts.

(2) It is foreseeable that in the stressful atmosphere of an emergency, people may hesitate or make mistakes. In this case, forgetting to take the guest list as the building was evacuated. In consequence, although the Fire and Rescue Service had arrived at the hotel by 6.51 am, it was not until sometime after 8am that it was established two guests were missing. Critical time was lost before rescue efforts began to find them. The precise times cannot be provided as the Procurator Fiscal was not willing to disclose copies of witness statements or reports on the ground they were confidential.

(3) To avoid needless impediments to rescue efforts, it would be prudent for hotels to have an electronic system such as SharePoint which would enable the emergency services to gain prompt access to such vital information.