Report into paramedic death during rescue

[FatCanyoner]

I've been in the bush for a few days, so only just got a chance to read the ATSB report released late last week into the fatal helicopter rescue that occurred on Christmas Eve 2011.
For those who don't know the back story, two canyoners were descending a large waterfall (Bridal Veil Falls) when their rope failed, causing one of them to fall about 20m. He amazingly survived, but during the very complex helicopter rescue SCAT paramedic Michael Wilson was killed.
The full report makes for interesting reading: http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/4123815/ao ... _final.pdf
To me, it also raises some general questions for all of us involved in outdoor pursuits. Beyond the obvious ones of when you call in a rescue (in this case it was definitely needed) there are questions about what else you should do to help out. The uninjured canyoner, who is extremely experienced, made the decision to leave the rescue to the professionals and walk out, meaning one less person in need of winching. That would probably be the recommended action by the authorities. But given the complex rescue, the poor communications, and the challenging rope rigging to make it all work, would having him stay behind have helped? Would it have made things simpler, or allowed for easier communications? Just some questions to ponder in the comfort of our lounge rooms so that we are all hopefully more prepared if we happen to end up in the middle of a similar situation.