"They have chosen not to become a refugee. They have chosen not to pick up a gun and become a fighter. But they have chosen to risk their lives, and pick up a stretcher." James Le Mesurier, the British director of Mayday Rescue who works closely with the White Helmets, commends the bravery of all those who have volunteered. "In doing so, they have saved more than 72,000 people. And I think that can only be described as extraordinarily heroic." The risks they take in this line of work are enormous, and statistically one in six White Helmets die or receive life-changing injuries in the course of operations. However, with the situation in Aleppo so dire that other aid organisations dare not enter, their work is crucial in helping an embattled civilian population. Their courage has been rewarded with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. But in light of this international recognition, concerns have been raised that the White Helmets are siding with the rebels in this conflict. "The fact remains, they respond to aerial bomb attacks, and there is only one side in this conflict that is dropping bombs", is James' answer to these accusations.