Cliff 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, can these 12 and 13-year-old cadets

'be transformed into life-saving coastguards?

'They have just 24 hours to learn everything they need

'to take on an extraordinary Hero Squad rescue.

'A couple are out walking, when one of them slips and falls.

'Will the cadets get to him before it's too late?

'It's 8am and we're in Exmouth in Devon.

'This beautiful stretch of coast is visited by millions of us every year,

'but the cadets aren't here on their holidays.'

-Right, everyone ready?

-CADETS: Yep.

Kit on? Right, there's someone who wants to meet you. Follow me.

Pete Pritchard of Her Majesty's Coastguard

is in charge of looking after the visitors to this amazing scenery.

He's going to be the cadets' mentor.

And they'd better get their skates on,

because he's not a man who likes hanging around.

-Looking up, can you see anything?

-CADETS: Yes!

-Cadets, that is your mentor.

-Cool!

-Pretty awesome.

Pete's challenge is to turn our cadets

into a hotshot rope rescue unit,

and find a squad leader who can

take charge of tomorrow's Hero Squad rescue.

-Hi. Hi, Hero Squad.

-CADETS: Hi.

-I think we need to establish some ground rules, don't you?

-CADETS: Yeah.

So, you need to switch on, pay attention,

remember what you're taught and concentrate.

Because this is where team work is at its most important.

Coastguards like Pete go out in all weathers,

working with helicopter and lifeboat units

to save people from cliff falls and exposure.

12 and 13-year-olds have never worked alongside

these brave teams before,

so it's no surprise Pete wants to start training

well away from a dangerous cliff top.

This pile of essential gear contains

everything you need to set up a cliff top rescue.

But before they learn what all these weird contraptions do,

the cadets need to kit themselves out.

Helmets, safety glasses to shield their eyes from debris,

and gloves to protect them from rope burn.

The first job on any cliff top rescue

is to build what's called a stake holdfast.

It's like knocking in the biggest tent pegs you've ever seen.

And it makes a secure anchor point

to use when there is nothing else to a tie the rope to.

Little round turn.

Lashing the two poles together using special knots

gives it incredible strength.

Just tuck it away at the back,

nice and strong.

Who would like to have a go at building one of those? Okey doke.

Pete wants to see the cadets working in twos to rig a secure holdfast.

No. No, you didn't quite catch it, there.

Push that up there. That's it.

Tomorrow they are going to be doing this for real,

and one of the Hero Squad will head over a cliff relying on their work.

Make sure it stays like that, all right? And give it a tug.

Right, I think they've had enough practice time.

Let's see how they get on on their own.

-Does that make you feel nervous, Katy?

-A bit. With him doing it!

Come on Andy, legs apart!

No wonder it looks so difficult -

these sledgehammers weigh seven kilograms!

-How's that Luci, is it heavy?

-Yes!

And even once they've mastered the mallet...

I tell you what, I reckon that's enough.

..nothing will hold without the right knots.

Take all the stretch out.

They must get the lashing tight...

-You've got just a little bit.

-Pull that through.

..because it's the two stakes working together

that gives the holdfast all of its amazing strength.

And now you pull through Alex, that's fine. Well done.

Now that's what I call a high five.

Well done.

I think they've done pretty well,

but I think they really need testing to see how strong they are.

Shall we get some bigger people in to test it?

Yeah! Come on then, let's get 'em in!

RAV LAUGHS

-Are you having a laugh!?

-Seriously?

-So strong.

I hope you hammered it in tightly, guys.

'We've borrowed over 300 kilograms of local rugby muscle.'

-Looking a bit nervous now, Kiera.

-Uh huh.

'And they've brought their scary-looking scrummage machine

'which they are going to use to try and drag the stakes out of the ground.'

I was actually quite scared when they came running out,

cos they're, like, big men with big muscles.

and I thought they were going to try and take us out instead of the posts.

'First to feel the strain is Andy and Kiera's stakehold.'

In your face.

Take it forward, take the slack out.

That's it, lovely.

Hopefully they've driven them in hard enough.

We'll give it a go. See how we get on.

Hopefully it'll hold us, cos it wants to hold them

when they go off a cliff face

'Can these massive players yank the stake out of the ground?'

Touch, pause, engage!

THEY GRUNT

'It's not moved a millimetre.'

Kiera and Andy have beaten them.

CHEERING

-It's the muscles.

-You pleased with that?

-We use the muscles.

'The bad news continues for the rugby lads,

'as they have no joy with Lewis and Luci's effort.'

LUCI LAUGHS

'And then finally, Katy and Alex's.'

It's not moving at all.

THEY GRUNT AND STRAIN

-There you go!

-CHEERING

Well done.

'It holds! A great success for the cadets, versus these massive opponents.'

Ain't no chance of that going anywhere.

'And I think we've recruited four more heroes.'

Would it help if we stand on our tip toes?

When Rav and Pete said we were going to have people

who were bigger and stronger, I was just expecting

bigger, stronger people from the coastguard.

That was the last thing I would've expected to come round the corner.

'It's a great start, but learning how to rig a secure anchor point

'is just the first part of a rescue.'

It's that to go down,

it's that to go up.

-Just feel the weight of this one.

-Oh, my...!

'There are lots of jobs involving ropes, winches

'and all sorts of exciting kit

'that Pete needs the cadets to learn.'

Now take it forward until you hear it click. There you go, reset.

There's a lot of pieces of equipment and it's quite complicated,

and we have to remember the names of all of them,

so it will be quite hard.

Can you now see that that handle

won't go back to that panic grab position?

'Pete's keeping a close eye on the cadets

'because he's on the lookout for his squad leader for tomorrow's rescue.'

They've impressed me with their attitude and their application.

At the moment, I've kind of got probably three or four of them

who are really impressing,

where we can give them perhaps an even greater challenge.

'One cadet who's catching Pete's eye is 12-year-old Luci.

'The sports mad cadet from County Armagh is a bit nervous

'about the possibility of leading the others.'

I would be a little bit shy at first cos I don't really know them,

so that would be hard knowing which role to give everybody.

'But that shyness doesn't last long before the real Luci comes out.'

I could sometimes be a little bit bossy,

but that would only be if they weren't doing the thing right.

'You've been warned, cadets!'

'It's one thing impressing Pete on a flat rugby pitch.

'Real heroes come into their own in the wind and rain of a cliff top,

'and Pete's brought the cadets here to train them in their roles,

'alongside his eight-man coastguard team.'

People will have to be switched on, thinking about what we're doing

because although speed is of the essence, safety is always the key.

'These people can rig a secure rope rescue in just 15 minutes,

'but today they're taking it step by step.'

The cadets are taking what they've learnt on a simple rugby field

and trying to put it into practice

here at the top of a cliff edge over the raging sea, there.

It's a lot different.

'Because of their great teamwork working on the stakes,

'Pete's picked out Alex and Katy

'to take on the all-important cliff edge jobs.

'Edge safety, Katy's job is to communicate

'with Lewis and Kiera working the ropes

'and Andy and Luci on the winch

'to make sure lead rescuer Alex gets down safely.

'Lots of pressure, particularly because 12-year-old Alex and heights

'don't go well together.

At home in Staffordshire, Alex is a keen scout.

but that doesn't stop him getting in a twist with his knot tying.

I can't do it!

I might struggle with doing physical things with my hands

because sometimes I can get confused with what way the rope goes.

When you're going over a cliff on the end of a rope,

it's not just your knots you have to worry about.

If there was one thing I was nervous about, it would be cliff rescue

cos you all your trust of your life is in your team-mates and ropes.

But this cadet's a fighter when he's on the ropes.

I want to learn to be a hero so I can say I've done that.

'Now's your chance, Alex, because Pete's decided

'they're ready for a run through,

'and that means you're going over the edge.'

-Nervous?

-No. Well, kind of, yeah.

-HE MOUTHS:

-Course he is.

-Winch, ready?

-Ready.

-OK, prepare to lower.

'The cadets must pay attention to their mentors because what they

'don't know is that on tomorrow's rescue they will be flying solo.

'And it's a long way down if it doesn't go to plan.'

Cliff top ready! Lower away both lines!

-Safety unlocked!

-Line unlocked!

'Under the watchful eye of Pete,

'the team are pulling off their roles to perfection.'

Bit more, bit faster.

'Thanks to some fantastic teamwork,

'Alex touches down safely.'

Well done. VOICE FROM WALKIE-TALKIE

'The cadets have passed a very tough test,

'and it's clear Pete's no-nonsense training is sinking in.'

I think we've learnt about teamwork

and especially safety on the ropes and to be careful.

'Because a lot of the rescue sites are so remote,

'the coastguards sometimes need to call in help

'from their friends in sky.

'Helicopters are often needed in coastguard rescues,

'so a major skill Pete's team need to learn

'is how to guide a helicopter in for a safe landing.'

There.

-Hover.

-'No, this isn't Pete's daily keep-fit class.

'He's actually teaching the cadets the hands signals

'they will need to communicate with a helicopter pilot.

'I feel a Hero Squad challenge coming on.'

-So, if you get the helicopter simulator on, Kiera.

-Oh, no!

There you go, put that on. There's one each. Don't worry.

Put the helicopter simulator on, there.

Oh, no. Hang on. Rotors turning, you've got to be careful.

Helicopters with me.

'The cadets are split into pairs,

'one playing the helicopter in the trendy cap and ear defenders,

'and the other guiding them towards the landing zone

'using only hand signals.

'Simple.'

OK, then, marshallers. Now, bring the helicopters towards you.

Hover.

-Take them to YOUR left.

-'Think, Alex!'

Take them to your right.

Down.

-And on the ground. OK, close in.

-Good, Alex, well done.

'Time to swap.'

There you go!

Oh, Lewis trending out there!

I know, I'm trending it, trending it!

Move them to your left.

-Hover.

-KIERA LAUGHS

Move them to your right.

Hover.

Down...and on the ground.

Up.

Are you trying to take off or are you giving him directions?

I think Katy's trying to fly.

-Depart to your right.

-Right... That way!

-Well done.

-And he's off and away!

Katy, I'm still not sure what that one means.

I couldn't understand a thing. I was, "Uh-huh, yeah(!)"

'It's the end of training.

'The cadets have had their skills put to the test, learning

'how to create a stake hold fast

'and abseiling down a cliff edge.

'Tomorrow, a walker slips and falls and urgently needs their help.

'They will need a strong leader, who can guide them through

'the tough Hero Squad challenge.'

OK, Andy. Come in, Kiera, so you can hear.

For me to teach this to grown-ups

who are joining a coastguard rescue team,

we are looking at four complete weekends,

so you've done really, really well.

Whilst you've been training today,

Pete's been watching you with a very, very beady eye.

The person who's going to be squad leader is going to be you Luci.

Well done.

-APPLAUSE

-Well done, Luci.

'Great work from Luci to impress Pete, today.

'Watch out, cadets - you could have a bossy team leader tomorrow!'

'Early morning in Exmouth, and the cadets have a date at coastguard HQ.

'Mentor Pete Pritchard's got them earning their keep

'washing his vehicles.'

Come on, then. Don't forget, this is the other side of the job.

We have to create a professional image. Nice, clean vehicles.

Lots of mud coming off, there. love it.

'Meanwhile, out on a nearby coastal path,

'Hero Squad ramblers Jerry and Sue

'are out enjoying the best of the Devon scenery.

'Jerry's a keen birdwatcher, and he thinks he spots a rare species

'flying over the cliff top. But he's not watching his step.'

HE SCREAMS

Jerry! Jerry!

Jerry!

'Sue calls in the emergency.'

I need help! I need help!

'She didn't see where Jerry fell,

'and there's no way down to the beach. Time to scramble Hero Squad.

'Squad leader Luci only has basic details to go on,

'so the cadets need to get their skates on and get to the site.'

SIRENS WAIL

'And there's an added peril they don't yet know about.

'The tide's coming in, so in just over an hour,

'unconscious Jerry will be underwater.

'Even the off road vehicles can't get all the way to the cliff edge.'

OK, guys, jump out. Let's go.

'Once out, Luci's first job

'is to get as much information as she can from witness Sue.'

I just heard him scream, and he had his binoculars out.

I was just calling, calling him.

I couldn't hear him at all, he's over there somewhere.

'Luci now has an idea where Hero Squad victim Jerry fell.

'It's a 40-metre fall, so he'll be desperate for help

'Pete's team get called out about 120 times a year,

'but today's no normal job - Luci's calling the shots.'

OK, so what needs to be done?

Well, we're going to get Alex and Katy harnessed up,

and the rest of the lines all set up now,

and then we're going to go look for him.

'Katy needs to get her harness on so she can attach herself

'to Lewis and Kiera's all-important stake holdfast.'

Yeah, that's fine. That's it. OK, stop.

'If they get it wrong, cadet Katy will be in real danger.'

We don't know where the man is, so we're going to attach Katy.

And she's going to look over the edge to see if she can spot the man.

'Andy's job is to keep hero squad witness Sue calm,

'as she could easily go into shock.'

-Everything under control.

-Thank you very much.

So far, so good from the cadets.

They seem to know exactly what they've got to do.

They've just need to get on and do it.

So when you go over the edge, you know all the information.

And you need to have a good look all around,

and you could maybe shout out his name.

-He's called Jerry.

-Yep.

But if you don't get any response,

that's fine, but you need to tell Luci

that potentially the casualty is unconscious.

'I think it's time to let Luci know about

'one final bit of bad news.'

If you look out to the sea, you can see the tide's coming in.

-He could be in serious trouble, couldn't he.

-Yeah.

Everyone understand that?

-CADETS: Yeah.

-OK.

'With not a minute to lose,

'Katy tries to locate where Jerry's fallen.

'And then, she spots him.'

-there's a man lay down on the floor.

-Call his name.

Jerry!

Is he conscious?

He doesn't look conscious, he's just lying on his front.

'Now the Hero Squad know where the casualty Jerry is,

'squad leader Luci is in a race to get this rescue moving.'

The man has fallen right down and he's on his front,

and he looks to be unconscious so we need to act quickly.

'Now it's 12-year-old Alex's turn to take centre stage.

I'm feeling excited, cos I want to go and help this casualty,

because apparently he's on the sand face first,

and he looks like he's knocked out,

so we need to get down there, quick.

'Wind and rain are normal weather for coastguard rescues,

'but it's really adding to the pressure on Alex

'as he heads over the edge.'

-Cliff top has control.

-Main line unlocked.

-Safety unlocked.

-Lower away!

Here's he goes, Alex going over the edge of the cliff!

'Can the team keep their nerve in these terrible conditions?

'Jerry is now minutes away from first aid.

'On the ropes, 13-year-olds Lewis and Kiera are working blind.

'In the deafening wind,

'Katy's hand signals are the only link to Alex below.

'Working together, the team ensure Alex makes it to the bottom safely.

'They've done their bit.

'Now Alex needs to do his and assess the Hero Squad casualty.'

What's your name, mate?

Mate? What's your name?

He's not responding I think he might be unconscious.

'Alex must get Jerry packaged so he can be winched up the cliff.

'He's been unconscious for an hour,

'so desperately needs to get to hospital.

'The team at the top are now faced

'with one of the toughest parts of the rescue.'

Cliff top ready!

'Using a winch and old-fashioned hard work

'to drag the stretcher up the cliff.'

Portland coastguard, this is Hero Squad, over.

'Luci is thinking ahead to ensure the Hero Squad casualty

'gets to hospital the fastest possible way.'

Can I have a helicopter and a lifeboat on standby? Over.

FROM WALKIE-TALKIE: 'Hero Squad, this is Portland Coastguard,

'that's all copied, will supply, over.'

Hero Squad, roger, out.

'The ropes team led by Lewis are working like a dream

'to get that Hero Squad stretcher safely to the top.'

Stop!

'Because this was such a dangerous rescue, the cadets don't know

'that we've swapped the casualty for Nigel the dummy.'

'But this is still a live rescue, so the cadets must dig deep

'and get Nigel to the helicopter landing site.

'Luci's decided Lewis is the man

'to guide in the eight million-pound coastguard helicopter.

My heart's going to be like this.

It's going to be so scary when the helicopter comes!

'No time for nerves, Lewis.

'The helicopter is now just a minute away.'

OK, Lewis, that's your chopper. Remember your signals, OK?

Good luck!

'The cadets stay outside the safety perimeter

'on standby with the stretcher.

'Lewis will soon have about four tonnes

'of metal and rotor blades in his hands.'

'Nearby your location, with you in just over one minute.'

'Then, at the worst possible moment, the nerves kick in.'

-Are you ready?

-Yes.

-Remember the signals?

Wait, which is up? This one?

-Yeah, from there palms up.

-Yeah, I think I've got it.

Here he goes. Without doing it, tell me what sign is he doing?

-This marshal.

-This marshal. Right. Good.

-Marshal him in.

Nice and slow...nice and slow.

Come on, Lewis.

Get him to hover.

And down.

'Pilot Kevin lands exactly where Lewis wanted. Brilliant work.'

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Well done!

-Well done, Lewis!

That was amazing. That was so cool.

'Now the rest of the Hero Squad can swing into action

'and get the casualty ready for the last stage of his rescue.

'No time to lose.

'These things don't like hanging around, and within seconds

'she's back in the sky, under the safe control of Lewis.'

Well done, buddy. Well done. Well done, cadets.

Well done, Lewis.

It was amazing, it was following my commands, it was so weird.

That's the closest I've ever been to a helicopter. It was so cool.

'What a finale to a really tough challenge for the Hero Squad.

'Heights, and howling winds...

'..and helicopters.'

I think the guys we work with,

the coastguard, are really, really good and brave,

because they have to do this every day.

When I was going down, sometimes my feet didn't

get on the wall properly, but I wasn't really nervous or anything.

I think Luci has done brilliantly,

because she's really controlled us a lot,

she hasn't hesitated to say anything,

and I think she's probably one of the best leaders we've had, overall.

'The cadets graduated from coastguard academy

'with flying colours, but who has ended up top of pile

'as Hero Of the Day?'

Well done today, some really good work from the whole team.

We're very impressed with what you've all done.

A superb performance. The elements were against them,

but they really got stuck in they showed lots of determination.

All in all an absolutely excellent performance.

So, cadets, the person who we decided performed the best today

and yesterday throughout your training is going to get to ride

in the coastguard's helicopter.

And by a whisker, the person who will be flying with the coastguards

is going to be you, Lewis. Well done.

APPLAUSE

'Lewis has overcome his nerves with the helicopter marshalling.

'Strong and hard working in training and on the ropes during the rescue.

'It's a great all-round performance.

'Kiera sends Lewis on his way.'

That was the coolest thing I have ever done.

Oh, man, it was awesome! It was so cool. It's left me speechless.

'Coming up on Hero Squad,

'the cadets are tasked with a risky fire rescue.

'Will they be able to save a young girl from a burning building?

'Find out next time.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd