High-Speed Rescue Hero Squad

Coming up... On Hero Squad...

'Six wannabe heroes...'

..Facing the worst nature can throw at them.

'There's a new emergency crew in town.'

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?'

Today on Hero Squad,

our six cadets are back at the RNLI for some high-speed drama.

I hope they've got their towels with them,

because what's in store involves a lot of the wet stuff.

'In just two days, these six cadets must transform themselves

'into an RNLI lifeboat crew, for an extraordinary Hero Squad challenge.

'Two kayakers are out at sea... when they capsize.'

Drifting cold and alone in the water,

they need the Hero Squad to rescue them.

This heroic group of cadets are about to be trusted

with some SERIOUSLY fast lifeboats.

'It's 8am at training HQ...'

Morning, morning. OK, guys, gather round.

'I've got a plan to make sure the cadets are properly awake.'

-Big day today, excited?

-ALL: Yeah.

Should be. Follow me, I've got something to show you..

The sea survival training pool is where the charity's

lifeboat crews from all over the UK and Ireland come to train...

and today, the team have a plan to make a big impression on the cadets.

If you want to learn how to survive a capsize this is where you come.

Why aren't they coming out?

It's quite worrying now.

No need to worry,

mentor Glen Mallen likes to meet all new cadets this way.

Morning Rav, morning cadets. ALL: Morning.

Today, we're going to train you

on how to become a crew member in one of our inshore lifeboats,

the fastest of the fleet.

Shall we get changed? ALL: Yeah.

Let's go for it.

MUSIC: "I Travel" by Simple Minds

Head Trainer Glen has been involved in nearly 200 rescues

in over 13 years with the RNLI.

His mission today is to find the cadet who's ready to step up

and lead their own rescue.

So it's time to pay attention as training kicks off.

OK, guys. It's important you listen up to this. This is new equipment

and is designed to protect you on our inshore lifeboats.

The cadets will be staying cosy inside a bear suit

underneath a watertight dry suit..

and it's a very snug fit.

An RNLI lifeboat crew can go from civvies to full kit

in less than a minute.

That's it, Luci, well done!

CLAPPING

I don't think my head's going to go through.

It will go through, trust me. There you go.

I don't think that record's in much danger today.

Keep going...yes!

The cadets certainly look the part,

but now they need to learn to walk the walk.

OK, cadets.

Time for your capsize brief.

It's vitally important you listen very carefully

to the details of what I'm about to say to you.

Key points. As the helmsman, I am number one...

Our 12 and 13-year-old cadets are the youngest ever to go

through an RNLI training capsize,

so Glen's taking a gamble on just how brave they are.

We need three volunteers.

THEY LAUGH

Good, very positive to see. OK, so what we're going to do is go,

"One, two, three."

You're our first three, OK?

Lewis, step on board.

Lewis, you are number one, you are our helmsman.

-Happy with the controls?

-Yeah.

-Happy with the throttles?

-Yeah.

-OK, stay where you are.

The pressure's on Lewis, Keira and Alex as they take their places.

But, out of the three, Lewis should be feeling at home.

Back at home in Edinburgh,

Lewis loves messing about on the water.

I like sailing,

because you have a sense of freedom when you're going on the water.

But that doesn't mean today's training

is going to "float his boat".

If I was in a capsize situation,

I would be really scared and nervous...

but if I'm saving someone else,

I've got to put them behind me and help the person.

OK, fellas, do you want to move us into the centre of the pool?

Good luck, cadets.

The boat's ready.

The team are set.

'The cadets adopt a capsize position.

'There's no going back now.'

I think they're going to start feeling a bit nervous now.

'And, to cap it all off, some storm-force wind and rain.'

They're in the position.

Seconds away.

Hold on! Go!

Wow, that looks scary!

'Lots of legs kicking,

'so we know they're OK,

'but concerned friends on the poolside are dying to know

'how they're staying under there for so long!'

Woo!

Well done. Excellent!

The boats are specially designed to create an air pocket

to protect the crew after a capsize,

much to the relief of our intrepid cadets.

-Whee!

-Whee!

Next stage is to get themselves out safely.

Deep breath! Three, two, one.

Bang on the side! Good effort.

Number two, deep breath. Bang on the side when you're outside.

One, two, three, go!

There's two. One more to go!

Three, two, one...

Here he comes!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Brilliant effort!

Now we've got an upside down boat to deal with...

but luckily they've thought of this.

'A massive inflatable tube blows up underwater,

'forcing the boat to flip over. Amazing!'

Wow, look at that!

Woh-hoh!

Look at them all helping each other, working together,

that's what it's all about.

'Now the cadets must get safely back on board.'

Lewis is in!

Come on, Lewis!

Helping his team mates.

'Lewis is brilliantly overcoming his fears to help his team...

'and now gets to finish the job off by starting the boat.'

That was the coolest thing I have ever done.

Words cannot explain what we just did in there. It was so cool!

'Now it's the turn of 12-year-olds, Andy, Luci and Katy.

'They must be itching to get this out of the way.'

Look at the waves!

-That was scary.

-I never knew the waves went that high!

-Big waves!

'Is this going to be a cadet clean sweep?'

There they go!

Hold on!

Well done, Andy.

Say hello to the camera! Yes!

'Another successful capsize!'

That's it.

'Once everyone's safely out...

'they upright the boat and it's left to Andy to do the honours.'

Big cheer if they make it.

THEY CHEER

Brilliant! Massive amount of courage and determination

from all the cadets.

Absolutely brilliant effort.

I just closed my eyes and held on really, really tight.

We thought it was sort of like some mini roller-coaster, but it wasn't.

You'll be pleased to get out of those suits, eh?

'A brilliant effort from the first kids of their age to EVER do this.

'No wonder Glen's team are seriously impressed.'

We have adults that have been doing lifeboat-ing for years

and years and they come to do this and they are very nervous...

so the fact that these children have done it is an amazing achievement.

It's fantastic.

'The Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat is one of the superstars

'of the RNLI fleet.

'They're always in the news carrying out rescues all over Britain,

'and last year, they plucked nearly 5,000 people from danger.'

Hopefully, our cadets won't have to deal with such extreme conditions,

but they will need to get to grips with one of these things...

and it's no pedalo.

Capsize complete.

Time to learn home to drive one of these things! Ready?

Let's go.

I hope Glen knows what he's doing.

With all their specialist kit, these boats cost more than a Ferrari...

so he needs to find out which of the cadets have the skills

to step up and drive them for real on tomorrow's rescue.

Go, go, go, all the way round!

Look at Andy go!

He's off!

Through this gap, go, Andy, push it,

turn, go on, go on, go on!

'Some great work from the cadets so far...'

Turn, turn, turn, well done!

'Last but not least, it's Alex's turn at the wheel.'

OK, Alex, give me some of the rules.

Slow is pro... and...

One hand on the wheel and one hand on the throttle.

'And no-one's told Glen that he's got a wannabe

'Lewis Hamilton on his hands.

'Speedy Alex is no stranger to putting his foot down.'

I'd make a good hero because I love doing adventurous stuff.

It's great doing fast things,

because you can go as fast as you like

and you're not doing anything wrong, and it's just so fun.

'He may be good on four wheels...

'but will his skills transfer to the wet stuff?'

Watch this very expensive yacht here.

That's good.

Not too fast, not too fast... That's fast enough.

Ha-ha-ha-ha!

-Spin the wheel spin the wheel!

-You've got to turn!

'Glen has to take the controls

'before they get too close for comfort to another boat.'

-Look how close we came!

-Ha-ha-ha!

So what we're going to do is start from here again.

-We're going to carry on.

-Go slower?

I would think that's a good idea. Well done.

-OK.

-I don't want to go back with him!

THEY LAUGH

I don't blame you, Luci!

I think we should end training before Alex does some real damage.

Two weeks ago, I was sitting in a classroom doing work!

Now I'm driving a speedboat and capsizing a boat.

The cadets have come through some of their scariest training yet.

They've mastered the capsize drill...

and taken control of the powerful inshore lifeboats.

Tomorrow's high speed rescue is going to be a major test.

So which cadet has impressed Glen enough to become Squad Leader?

Really good effort today. Really impressive.

In that pool, you're the first youngsters to complete that capsize.

You should be very proud of yourselves.

The boats, they're expensive, they're big,

you managed them very well.

Well done.

Glen and I have decided

that the person we think should lead the others tomorrow

is going to be you, Lewis.

-Congratulations, buddy. Well done!

-THEY APPLAUD

'Great result for Lewis, after his hard work today.'

I don't really want to be a bossy leader...

but I'd like to be quite strict, so everyone knows the rules...

but not messing around, or anything.

It's early hours of the morning.

The cadets think they've got a lie-in,

but Glen said there's work to be done,

so I think it's time we got them up.

Morning, it's Rav, come on, get up... get ready in 15 minutes.

'Even heroes need their sleep

'so I'm definitely not flavour of the month.'

Morning. Lewis, 15 minutes - you've got a lesson with Glen downstairs.

Don't go back to sleep.

OK, come in, cadets.

'Here they come.'

Line up, line up, line up.

'But I'm sure I can only count five cadets.'

Bit earlier than you expected?

I had my alarm set for half-past eight.

Sometimes the lifeboat crew get called out at all hours,

so you have to be ready to go.

It's exactly what Glen does...

Andy! Good afternoon(!)

Come on, join the others.

What happened?

Did you not hear your door getting knocked quite loudly by me?

Did you?!

THEY LAUGH

Andy, did you sleep through that?

'There's definitely no snoozing allowed

'in Glen's vital training about how to navigate around Poole Harbour.'

You use a map on a road,

use a chart on a boat.

This is Poole Harbour, here. Can everyone see it?

If you had to put your finger on the bit you think was water...

I want you each to put your finger on a bit you think is water.

Good.

Good.

The colours on the chart

show different depths of the water within Poole Harbour.

This is vital information for lifeboat crews,

because their large all-weather lifeboat

needs two metres of water to stay afloat,

where the smaller inshore lifeboat only needs half a metre.

It's really important we choose the right boat

for the right service, isn't it?

Meet our two Hero Squad kayakers.

They're enjoying the picturesque coast just outside Poole Harbour.

It may look pretty, but strong currents

and fast-changing tides can easily turn things nasty.

When one of them capsizes,

he realises he's not got the energy to get himself back on board.

Cramp is setting in...

and when his friend tries to help him out,

he, too, is tasting the freezing English Channel.

Suddenly, they are desperate for help,

drifting out of control in the dangerous currents.

People on the beach spot them in peril and phone 999...

# I'm gonna to pick up the pieces

# And build a Lego house... #

Back at the RNLI, the Justin Bieber of the team,

Lewis, keeps us entertained.

He's good, isn't he?

PAGER BEEPS

Whose is that? Is that yours?

Let's go, guys!

The call's in and the cadets scramble.

Coastguard have notified me that is only an all-weather lifeboat call,

the inshore lifeboats aren't going.

The all-weather lifeboats can deal with many callouts themselves,

but places on board today are limited.

So Lewis has a big decision to make.

I need you to select two people to join the crew.

The boat's ready to go.

The rest of the squad are stood down, back on the pagers.

I think... could Alex and could Luci go?

Lewis has trusted Luci and Alex to start the search for the kayakers.

And within five minutes,

they are ready to board the all-weather lifeboat.

The remaining four cadets are left with a bit of time on their hands...

making sure those pagers stay firmly in earshot.

On board Hero Squad One, Alex and Luci await more information

about the exact whereabouts of the kayakers.

RADIO: 'Hero Squad One, this is Lifeboat Coastguard.

'I believe the report is that the kayakers

'are in the area of the Milkmaid Bank, over.'

Lifeboat Coastguard, this is Hero Squad One, all received, over.

The cadets now know the rough location

of the Hero Squad casualties.

They've been in the water for an hour...

so it's a race against time to get to them.

We are about here,

so we have to get all the way down somewhere near here.

So I was thinking, if we stayed on the main channel,

and then, it's quite shallow here,

so we'll have to figure out some way of getting to there.

Luci and Alex must use their charts training to work out

whether their boat can get to the rescue site without running aground.

If it's too close to shore, because here's 0.6...

that might be a bit too shallow for this boat.

We might have to call in an inshore lifeboat, on the radio.

Fantastic work, guys.

They have worked out that their boat will not be able to get to

the Hero Squad casualties,

so they now need back-up from the in shore lifeboats...

and fast.

Time for the remaining cadets to scramble.

Push your arm, push your arm!

-Come on, Andy, come on!

-Come on.

The cadets have split into two teams of two,

Keira and Katy and Lewis and Andy.

They're in charge of their own inshore lifeboats...

and, yes, they'll get the chance to put them

through their paces out at sea.

Andy is straight into his role on comms for squad leader, Lewis.

Lifeboat Coastguard, this is Hero Squad Two.

Can we have an updated position please, Coastguard? Over.

RADIO: 'They're in the vicinity of the Milkmaid Bank, over.'

Andy now knows where the kayakers are,

and he needs to check the chart

to get this message to Lewis as quickly as possible.

-Lewis? We are going there.

-OK.

-Milkmaid Bank.

We'll come out through the main channel...

Once the harbour opens out,

it's the moment Lewis and Keira have been waiting for!

Off we go! Keep going, keep going. Here we go!

Keep going, keep going, keep going!

RADIO: 'This is Harbour Control.

'We have two to three lifeboats speeding through the harbour.'

How many 13-year-olds get to do this?

Amazing!

Up ahead, Alex and Luci are keeping their eyes peeled

for our Hero Squad casualties.

I can see a few boats, but I can't see any kayakers.

They're doing very well.

They're trying to work out now

where everything is on the map they were shown earlier.

Really good work.

'Keep looking, Alex,

'because that cold water is taking all their energy

'and they can't keep holding on forever.'

A mile or so behind the all-weather lifeboat,

Keira and Lewis are closing in fast...

flat-out at 35 knots.

-Oh, I think I see two speedboats!

-Where?

-Over there.

I see the two...

Brilliant, so help's on its way.

Now you have to find these casualties. It's critical now.

Right, so we need to search around here to find them.

Major pressure now to find the Hero Squad casualties.

Two kayakers over there.

Right over there - it's white and blue.

The eagle-eyed cadets have spotted the kayakers,

and waste no time in passing on the news.

Go over that way! This way!

Go to the right! To the right!

With the kayakers now almost within reach, Andy updates the coastguard.

Lifeboat Coastguard, this is Hero Squad Two,

we have them in sight, over.

RADIO: 'If you could recover them and let me know how they are, over.'

Squad leader Lewis now must co-ordinate the two boats

to rescue the kayakers who've been in the water for nearly two hours.

Not a minute to lose.

-How many metres away he is?

-Just a bit more!

-Are you OK?

-Everything all right?

Remember, mentor Glen is watching the cadets very carefully

to find his Hero of the Day.

OK, Andy, come on give us a hand.

Your call Andy, you call it.

Three, two, one, pull!

Good call, Andy! Well done.

Well done, Andy!

'One down, one to go.'

'The second kayaker is safely loaded.

'Now it's all about first aid.

'And Luci and Alex are already ahead of the game.'

Yep, they're ready.

I've got a blanket here.

But the drama's not over yet.

The casualties need to be moved over to the all-weather lifeboat

on a special manoeuvre called a slow-speed transfer.

It's down to Andy to let everybody know what speed

both boats must travel at.

Lifeboat, Hero Squad One, keep a constant course...

at six knots... over.

-RADIO:

-'This is Hero Squad One, six knots.'

We're just going to get the two boats along side each other,

but it's going to be nice and stable, so no waves knock us.

This is going to be the riskiest part of the entire challenge.

'It's down to Luci and Alex

'to help the Hero Squad casualty across this dangerous step.'

OK, guys, let's get the casualty up, nice and gently...walk him round.

What about this way?

Good lad, that's good.

'Hold your nerve, cadets.'

-Straight into the warm.

-We'll go and get you warm.

'Great work to get the first casualty on board.'

Get him straight in there.

'Now they must hold it together for the second.'

This is an urgent one, OK? He's just a bit cold.

Step on, over. Put a blanket over him.

'They've done it.

'Two Hero Squad casualties safely aboard.'

Did you have any injuries or anything like that?

No, we're just cold...

but we're all right now.

Just want to get home.

It was nice until "Dipstick" here fell in.

It's mission accomplished.

BOTH Well done!

-They're all right!

-You did really well!

Time to head back to base...

but not before the RNLI crew gives the cadets a glimpse

of what these boats are capable of.

My favourite part of today was going full-speed.

Suddenly you feel this rush and it's like on a roller-coaster.

What we've just done is just a tiny amount

of what they have to do every day.

I AM thinking of doing this some day.

I did really enjoy it.

Well done everyone!

APPLAUSE

It's the end of an amazing rescue.

Brilliant teamwork, fantastic driving and clear communications

have meant the two Hero Squad casualties

are safely out of the freezing English Channel.

So, Glen, how did you find the guys you worked with today?

Lewis, team leader, squad leader, did an outstanding job again.

Really good at driving that boat.

Andy, outstanding on the communications...

Can we have an updated position, Coastguard? Over.

..to the coastguard, to the casualty, he looked at the charts,

he communicated to the helmsman

and told him everything he needed to know.

But there can only be one hero today

who's going to earn themselves a treat.

For someone to turn around not such a good start...

to be able to be so fantastic on the boat today...

RAV LAUGHS

..To look after that casualty the way you did

and get on that radio, Andy, you were outstanding today.

I'm so proud of you. Very well done.

We have a massive bowl of ice cream for you, whenever you want.

THEY APPLAUD

'Andy has turned a bad start into a brilliant performance on comms.'

Good call, Andy.

Well done, Andy!

He made sure the Hero Squad got the job done.

Well done!

I'm feeling really proud that I got the Hero of the Day.

I woke up late, so I didn't think I would get chosen as Hero of the Day.

Next time on Hero Squad... The cadets are safely back on dry land,

and will have to pull off an ambitious cliff rescue.

If they think that means the pressure's off,

they can think again!

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