Sea Rescue Hero Squad

'This is a 999 emergency. So buckle up and get ready for action.'

Today, on Hero Squad -

'this CBBC series will push

'six children to their limits as they join forces

'with the real emergency services,'

facing the worst nature can throw at them.

'Tackling amazing challenges on land, sea, and in the air.

'It's time to find out if a group of kids can handle

'the pressure of being emergency lifesavers.'

I'm Rav Wilding and this is Hero Squad.

Six ordinary school kids.

Their mission - to learn how to save lives.

But do they have what it takes to become real-life heroes?

Meet our rookie cadets,

handpicked by CBBC from all over the UK.

12-year-old Alex from Staffordshire.

I'm really excited about Hero Squad.

I think it's going to be epic, life-changing and so, so fun.

13-year-old Kiera from Essex.

My dad's a fireman and my mum's a paramedic

so I've heard all their stories, so I just want to do it now.

13-year-old Lewis from Edinburgh.

When I first found out I was on Hero Squad,

I just ran around the kitchen going, "Wah!"

I can't believe I'm on it!

12-year-old Luci from County Armagh.

I want to be a hero because I love helping people.

12-year-old Andy from Stoke.

I'd make a good hero because I'd make people laugh.

And finally, 12-year-old Katy from Derbyshire.

Well, even if anything looks a bit too tough,

I'll keep going and I won't stop until I've overcome it.

Six ordinary kids, but the time for ordinary is over.

These cadets will face ten challenges as they work with

the brave people who make up our emergency services.

They'll train with firefighters in Salford,

go underground with cave rescue experts,

and even work with four-legged lifesavers in Devon.

Find!

But every year in the UK,

thousands of rescues take place not on land, but at sea.

So the training starts here at the RNLI headquarters in Poole.

Good morning, cadets!

The cadets have come together for the first time

and have no idea what to expect.

Now, over next few weeks, you'll be doing things

that no youngsters of your age have ever done before.

It's OK at times if you're scared,

but it's not OK if you don't give 100% and help each other.

So who's excited and ready to go?

ALL: Me!

That's it! So what are you waiting for then?

Let's get the uniforms on and get out!

Each cadet gets their own Hero Squad uniform.

Pressed, dressed and ready for action.

Time for the Hero Squad's first mission -

sea rescue, with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Since it was set up in 1824,

the RNLI have saved nearly 140,000 lives,

and their courageous volunteer crews are on call 24/7.

Every day, RNLI lifeboat crews go out in all weathers,

rescuing people in danger around the UK coastline.

In just two days, these six cadets must transform themselves

into an all-weather lifeboat crew,

for an extraordinary Hero Squad challenge.

A man's fallen overboard, and is stranded at sea.

The Hero Squad must get him to safety

before he gets dangerously cold.

But before that, they've got a lot to learn

and here's the man who's going to teach them.

-Good morning, cadets.

-ALL: Good morning.

My name is Glen Mallen and I'm going to be your mentor.

Mentor Glen has spent 20 years with the RNLI.

He trains volunteers to deal with the toughest sea rescues

any time of the day or night.

We're going to issue you your own pager,

and if it makes a noise or vibrates or goes off,

I want you to report to the kit room as soon as possible.

Let's go and get kitted up.

Just like a real RNLI all-weather lifeboat crew,

the cadets are wearing boots, trousers, jackets and life-jackets.

They'll need the protection,

because Glen's sending them straight in at the deep end

of one of the UK's biggest sea survival pools,

where lifeboat crews train to stay on peak lifesaving form.

Eyes up.

Olly? Ready to jump?

Before the cadets are let loose on the lifeboats,

Glen has to make sure they can survive

the same dreadful sea conditions

as the people they're trying to rescue.

First task, how do you get off a sinking boat safely?

-Jump!

-Like this.

It's a four-metre-high jump.

Glen's never allowed any 12 or 13-year-olds to do this before.

Mentor Glen will be choosing one cadet to lead the others

in a Hero Squad rescue tomorrow.

They each need to impress him.

If they're scared, they can pull out at any time.

I'm a bit nervous. But it looks good.

I'm going to enjoy it.

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm a bit nervous as well.

I'm really excited!

-It's that time. Are you ready for jumps?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

Good. So who's up first?

Kiera volunteers.

Out of all the cadets, she's the strongest swimmer.

Three, two, one, jump!

Excellent!

A great landing. Next, it's keen Scout Alex.

Then football fanatic Katy.

Hang on, I think she's dropped something!

Andy, Luci and Lewis are still to go.

Come on, Lewis! Straight in. Well done!

Next, it's Luci's turn.

Step forward.

Last, it's computer game-loving Andy,

and his nerves are showing. Glen thinks he could do

with some encouragement from the rest of the Hero Squad.

-Give him some support then, guys!

-CADETS CHEER

Come on, Andy! Here we go.

And he reassures him it's not too late to back out.

In three, two, one...jump.

He's done it,

joining the other five cadets in the survival pool.

A fantastic effort from those six cadets. Unbelievable.

First time we've had children into that pool.

Every one of them jumped.

Lifeboat crews are all about teamwork.

The Hero Squad cadets have only been

in each other's company for a couple of hours,

but they're going to have to work together

to survive Glen's next section of training.

Waves on.

First, he's going to re-create some seriously choppy sea conditions.

We're ready for the waves!

The waves in the survival pool can swell up to a metre-and-a-half high,

and our cadets must swim 25 metres through the waves

to the other end of the pool.

But 12-year-old Katy is more at home

on a football pitch than in the water.

I panic a tiny bit when I'm, like, underwater.

I wouldn't say I'm the strongest ever swimmer, but I can swim enough

to, er, stay alive.

Let's see if Katy can put her fears to one side.

OK, guys? Off you go!

'Confident swimmer and junior triathlete Kiera's way ahead,

'but Katy's struggling.'

-Katy looks a bit nervous.

-She's definitely looking around.

-A little bit nervous.

-Absolutely.

'No matter how hard she tries, Katy's getting nowhere.

'She's so far behind, she can't even see the other cadets.

She needs support from the rest of her team.'

They're all helping her out now, that's nice.

'Remember, Glen wants to see teamwork,

'the cadets helping each other. In a real survival situation,

'a person's life could depend on it.'

Come on, Katy!

'She looks exhausted. But crucially,

'Katy's not giving up and she's battling on.'

Alex is reaching out as far as he can to get her in.

Look at him. And he's got her!

Well done!

-What a team effort.

-Well done, cadets! Brilliant effort!

'A few hours ago, the cadets were complete strangers.

'Now they're helping each other through tough sea survival training.

'But it's not over yet.

'The cadets need to learn how to use one of these, a life raft.

'Every lifeboat carries one, in case the crew have to abandon ship

'and keep themselves and any rescued passengers safe.

'But getting in is just the easy bit!'

All right? OK?

Nice deep breaths.

'In you go, Lewis!'

Are you all right?

'Not the most graceful entrance, Luci!'

-A face plant!

-That was a face plant!

Come on, Andy!

'Andy's last, helped in by the other cadets!

'Just like a real-life situation,

'the cadets must now wait in the life raft to be rescued.

'They have no idea how long that could take.

'And mentor Glen has created the worst possible sea conditions -

'rain, wind and darkness.

'All the helpless cadets can do now is wait.

'Inside the cramped life raft,

'they're singing to keep their minds off the conditions.'

# ..Round and round Round and round

# Round and round... #

'12-year-old Luci's doing her best to keep everyone's spirits up.

'Back home in County Armagh, Luci goes swimming every week,

'and she's not scared of deep water.'

I love swimming,

because when you're in the pool, it makes you feel very energetic.

'But she did once have a bad experience at sea.'

We were out in the boat one day

with my dad, and then the weather all of a sudden changed.

It was quite scary with the waves really high,

and it was raining as well.

Well, if Luci's scared now, she's certainly not showing it.

THUNDER ROLLS

But Lewis looks terrified,

and Katy and Kiera seem to be struggling

with the motion of the ocean.

They've just got to hang on and wait to be rescued.

-Let's get them out.

-Let's do it.

In a real-life rescue, a helicopter might be the only way

to get stranded survivors out quickly and safely.

So Glen and his team are recreating

an air-sea rescue for the cadets,

right here in the survival pool.

It's down to the winchman to carry them to safety.

The cadets are winched out one by one

until there are just two cadets left in the life raft,

where conditions are increasingly unpleasant.

Luci can see Alex has had enough.

So she offers to let him go first.

Luci leaves the raft, only after making sure everyone else is safe.

I was going to go fifth but then someone else wanted to go before me

so I let everyone else go and then I got off.

Even fully qualified lifeboat crews can struggle with this training,

and our cadets have spent a whole 40 minutes on board the life raft!

Some found the task tougher than others.

Horrible.

I felt sick in the boat. It was horrible.

I was a bit scared when the water was going over my head,

but I'm quite pleased I've done it now.

Glen's impressed.

The team spirit and the crew that you created between you

was really top notch.

You should be very proud of yourselves.

In less than 24 hours, the cadets will have to crew up their own

all-weather lifeboat in a rescue miles out at sea.

There's a Hero Squad emergency when a sailor falls overboard.

The dangerous sea currents mean he's in serious trouble.

To find him, the cadets are going to need to prove they've got all

the necessary Hero Squad skills.

But first, time to get on board their very own all-weather lifeboat.

-Shall we go?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

Costing over £2 million and weighing more than 40 tonnes,

this is the biggest lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.

It takes a highly-trained crew who know what they're doing

to handle an impressive boat like this.

So the cadets need to crack on with their rescue training.

Because so many RNLI rescues involve people adrift at sea

it's essential for the cadets to know

how to get a casualty safely onto the lifeboat using the hoist.

After getting him attached

and working together like a tug of war team...

-Heave!

-All pulling together!

-Heave!

..they give a few good heaves

and he's out of the water and safely on board.

It's the end of training.

The cadets went straight in the deep end.

They overcame fears, pulled together as a team...

THEY CHEER

..and helped each other through some stomach-churning sea conditions.

You've stopped singing, have you?

Tomorrow, the cadets will face their very first Hero Squad rescue.

For every challenge they face, one of them will be

chosen to be the squad leader by their mentor.

For their first rescue,

they'll need a strong character who will keep the others on track.

Glen has a tough decision to make.

All of the cadets have put in excellent performances.

But there can only be one squad leader,

and one cadet in particular stood out today.

From inside the life raft we heard that one person in particular

kept that team going, and when everyone else was starting to flag

slightly, continued singing right to the end.

So the squad leader is Luci.

I'm really excited about being squad leader. It's a big responsibility.

The next morning the cadets are on call.

Glen's left them to their own devices.

They don't know it yet, but two miles from shore

a couple of yachtsmen are about to get into serious trouble.

The engine has blown. There's instant panic

and one of the crew falls overboard.

Whilst the water might look calm, there's a strong undertow

that quickly separates the Hero Squad casualty from his boat.

With no engine, his friend is powerless to help.

He puts in an emergency call to the coastguard,

-who contact the lifeboat crew.

-Hi, coastguard, please.

PAGERS BLEEP

This is it, guys. Time for your first rescue. Move!

Every time on Hero Squad, the cadets will face a nerve-wracking

challenge based on real-life emergencies.

They'll be racing against the clock to save their casualty,

and it's the cadets alone who will be calling the shots.

It really is all down to these 12 and 13-year-olds.

Two days ago they were in school,

now they're rushing to the aid of a Hero Squad casualty.

Luci's first job as Hero Squad leader is to organise her team.

Who is the communications? Do you want to go in first?

So that's Alex on the radio.

'Hero Squad lifeboat, this is training coastguard...'

Katy and Andy are on navigation...

Guys, this is your squad leader.

..and Lewis and Kiera on lookout.

'Please proceed at your best speed to the last-known position.'

Each time on Hero Squad,

the cadets' mentor will be looking for a Hero Of The Day -

a recruit who shows exceptional bravery,

quick wits and determination.

First of all, Alex needs to get more information from the coastguard.

'There's believed to be a man overboard

'so please treat as an immediate distress. Over.'

Alex, will you tell us all the information, please?

It's a yacht - Splash Happy - in distress.

There's a man overboard.

Every second counts now. The sea is just ten degrees

and even with protective gear on, that's dangerously cold.

The engine has failed and there's no radio communication.

The most important thing is there's a man overboard.

The cadets still need to work out where they're going.

So while Kiera keeps her eyes peeled,

Katy tries to make sense of a large navigation chart.

'..Approximately five-zero degrees...'

Using the chart and co-ordinates given to them by the coastguard,

she's doing the job of an onboard sat-nav.

Katy plots the course they need to take to the yacht.

She's found it.

And thanks to her,

they can head straight to our Hero Squad casualty...and fast.

'All stations, picking up speed now.'

The clock is ticking.

And the fate of our Hero Squad casualty is in the hands

of these six young cadets.

Can they remember their training

and all work together to successfully complete this rescue?

With a full emergency crew on board the lifeboat,

I'm watching all the action from a distance.

Can I please have everyone up on deck for lookout?

The cadets are on lookout for the stricken yacht, Splash Happy.

Yacht, straight ahead.

I think Kiera's seen it, straight in front.

We think it's over there.

Kiera's right! She's spotted the casualty afloat in the sea.

I can see someone waving from the yacht.

The Hero Squad casualty has been in the cold sea for almost an hour

so Luci needs to get the cadets organised

and get him out quickly, but she's wasting valuable time.

Which one...? You two could be at the front.

Kiera's going to be shouting, "heave", cos she did that yesterday.

OK, guys. Time's running out.

-OK, right. You go in order.

-Well done, Luci.

Good call, Luci.

She remembered the hoist from their training

and told the others to start using it.

-We'll be with you in a minute.

-Stay where you are.

-Is someone keeping an eye on the casualty?

-Yeah.

-Not long now!

It's very important to keep the casualty in sight at all times,

as while he's still in the water, he's still in danger.

It's all right, sir, we're going to get you.

At one metre 70, Kiera's the tallest cadet,

so her job is to reach down and secure the casualty

while the others work together to pull on the ropes.

Are they going to have the strength to winch him up?

They can only do it if they work together.

Heave! Heave!

The hoist works on a pulley system.

As they learnt yesterday, it's physically tough,

and they need to work as a team to pull the casualty to safety.

They're all pulling together!

ALL: Heave! Heave! Heave!

LUCI: Drop it down slightly.

They've done it! They've got him out to safety.

OK. Make some space.

Finally, the Hero Squad casualty is onboard the lifeboat and safe.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

But it's not over yet.

Have you got anybody else on the boat with you?

Quick thinking Katy's realised there's still someone

stuck on the yacht with no engine.

The Hero Squad will need to tow the yacht back to safety.

We're getting somebody to throw a rope over.

We'll be with you in a minute.

Katy's straight onto it -

getting the rope ready, so they can throw a line to the yacht.

She hands the line to keen sailor Lewis.

Can he hit the mark with his rope throw?

The pressure's really on for Lewis now.

Can he throw the rope and get it to the yachtsman?

Right, are you OK?

Try and throw it. Go!

Oh!

Oh! He's just missed.

It's a miss with his first effort. But he's not giving up.

Try again. You did really well.

Are you ready?

Well done!

And he's done it!

Pull this line!

Now the yachtsman's got the rope

he can be towed by the lifeboat back to safety.

Will you please drive forward slowly?

Yeah, OK, that's cool.

Squad leader Luci is still firmly in charge.

-Did you get it?

-Watch the rope, guys.

I think Luci was a brilliant squad leader.

She told us all what to do and she took control of the situation.

Try and steer a little bit.

Try and make sure you don't tip over.

This rescue was really cool.

Me and Kiera were up there looking out

and it was kind of like a mission!

Are you ready?

All they have to do now is make the tow back as smooth as possible.

But once again, Katy has spotted an issue

Let the rope out looser, please.

There's not enough tension on it.

So how do we get tension on it?

Go and tell them to go faster.

Will you please drive a bit faster?

Thank you!

It's a great feeling to have completed my first challenge

cos it went really well and it's just given us

lots of confidence to know we can work well as a team.

The Hero Squad's job is done.

'Training coastguard, this is training coastguard,

'please repeat your message, over.'

Recovered casualty and on the way back to shore.

The Hero Squad cadets have worked together brilliantly

in their first ever Hero Squad rescue.

They've transformed themselves from cadets into RNLI lifesavers.

Now all that's left to do is choose a Hero Of The Day,

the cadet their mentor believes has demonstrated

that extra bit of bravery, determination and skill.

The Hero Of The Day will get a special treat,

while the other cadets are given a chore.

After doing so well with their first mission, this is a tough decision.

Luci, as the squad leader, I think you really allowed your team

to develop underneath you.

Katy, what we saw from you today,

you picked up the navigation side of it

which was outstanding, really, so very well done.

So who is the one cadet to have impressed mentor Glen enough

to win the title Hero Of The Day?

The person we've decided that is going to be Hero Of The Day is...

..Katy.

-Well done.

-Well done.

I was just so excited,

it was an amazing feeling.

I'm so ecstatic.

In training, Katy struggled the most

during her survival swim, but she battled on.

And when it came to the rescue,

her navigation skills kept the Hero Squad lifeboat right on course.

I think the Hero Of The Day decision was pretty well picked

cos Katy did try her hardest.

I think Katy deserved to get Hero Of The Day

cos she was very good on the boat.

Having just had one day of training, they were outstanding.

For today's treat, Katy gets to drive top speed

in a lifeboat simulator, whilst the other cadets mop the decks!

Coming up on Hero Squad - will the cadets overcome their fears

when they go deep underground to rescue someone

who's trapped somewhere

in a three-mile-long network of caves?

Find out next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd