Mountain 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?

In just two days, these six cadets need to transform themselves

into mountain rescuers and take on an extraordinary challenge.

They must rescue a stranded young walker who has injured her leg

and can't move.

Help!

Her last and best hope are the Hero Squad cadets

they have just 24 hours to learn the skills they need to save the day.

Get lost or injured out here

and you're in a world of trouble.

So our six intrepid cadets are going on a mission with Dartmoor's

search and rescue team.

They're going to learn how to navigate these moors

and treat a casualty.

Good luck cadets, you're going to need it.

This is Dartmoor National Park in Devon,

and it covers a massive 370 square miles.

It's a remote part of the world

and it's patrolled by a squad of mountain rescue experts.

Lower leg injuries are the most common injury out here,

and the weather can change in a flash,

turning these rolling hills into hostile territory.

When needed, these heroic mountain rescue volunteers are ready

to drop everything, put their lives on the line

and step in to rescue people in trouble.

One of those experts is our cadets' mentor, Tim Hughes.

Tim serves in the Dartmoor Mountain Rescue Team

and he's taken part in hundreds of rescues.

The cadets are expecting to meet their mentor here.

But so far, there's no sign of him.

Morning, cadets. Welcome to Dartmoor.

Today you're going to be working with the mountain rescue team.

But you need a mentor and we don't have one here.

You might think he's running late,

he is in fact on the end of this radio.

-Shall we give him a call?

-Yes.

This is Rav to mentor Tim. Mentor Tim, are you receiving, over?

Morning. My name is Tim Hughes.

If you can turn round and face the moor.

Can you see the two Hero Squad flags,

roughly about 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock?

Your job is to come and find me. Simple enough.

On this blast, you have three minutes to find your mentor. Go!

BLAST!

I can see them approaching, they're not doing very well so far.

The second horn blast will be the ending.

Tim and his team frequently

have to search for lost walkers in this area.

But this is the first time a group of unsupervised 12 and 13 year olds

have been asked to do the same.

Can you see anyone?

Quite looking forward to this.

When the weather changes and puts people in danger,

Tim's team may have to search the whole of Dartmoor.

The cadets are being asked to search just the equivalent

of five football pitches.

He's got to be hiding somewhere.

Better be careful, Luci, this can be dangerous work.

Mentor Tim is looking for someone to make squad leader

at the end of today's training

and this is his first chance to spot anyone's potential.

The cadets should be spreading out,

systematically searching the area bit by bit.

But I can't see much of a system here, though

it's more follow my leader - or for Andy and Alex, follow my Kiera!

Three minutes.

HORN BLARES

That's it. Three minutes and they didn't find him.

Found him!

-Shall we go and meet him?

-Yeah.

-Come on.

Having to find him was a real surprise.

Any of the other times we've met our mentor, we didn't have to search.

-Enjoy that?

-Yeah.

I thought we had quite a good chance cos there were six of us.

It didn't seem that big an area, but I was proved wrong.

Good morning, I'm Tim Hughes, I'm with the mountain rescue team,

and I'm going to be your mentor.

We've got lots to teach you so you will be able to find people.

Tim's first challenge is for the cadets to find

20 Hero Squad objects, and some chocolate,

he has placed on the moor.

The technique Tim is teaching the cadets is called a line search

and is used by mountain rescue teams to locate injured people or

the clues that might reveal where they are.

Remember to keep your spacing, don't bunch together.

Found a torch.

Found a horn.

-Two chocolate bars.

-Two chocolate bars!

Found a boot and a horn.

The team start well, and 12-year-old Andy,

who normally spends a lot of time inside playing computer games

can sniff a chocolate bar out from 50 paces!

What's that, Andy?

-Chocolate bar.

-Good.

Oops, take your time, Willy Wonka!

The cadets have found 15 of the most obvious objects.

And as they comb the search area for a second time,

just like a real mountain rescuer, Alex takes the line leader role.

Keep your line, nice straight line.

Keep checking and keep looking behind.

This is much, much better from the cadets on the way back.

They're quiet, they're structured, they're keeping the line

and they're listening to Alex giving the words of command. Really good.

Well done, Katy.

Slow down a bit or you'll get ahead of yourself.

Out of all the cadets, Andy's found by far the most objects

and he tops it off with one last bar of chocolate.

He's obviously enjoying himself and he's been looking forward to

the mountain rescue challenge for quite some time.

I'm looking forward to the mountain rescue so we can go on hikes

looking for people.

Let's see how his haul helped with the total...

The higher the number,

the higher the probability of detection, or POD.

You've found 18 out of 20 items.

So that's a very good 90% POD, so well done.

So, over a total distance of 600 metres and in a time of 30 minutes,

the cadets found 90% of the Hero Squad objects.

It was a particularly good start for Andy,

who found nearly half of the cadets' total of 18 objects.

This chocolatey challenge was a success for the cadets,

but tomorrow, it's a different ball game.

They've got a huge area of Dartmoor to search

and a real life Hero Squad casualty to locate and evacuate.

Tim's brought the cadets back to the mountain rescue team HQ.

There's a lot to learn, so he's splitting the group in two.

Nationally, mountain rescue teams

perform about 1,500 rescue operations a year

and every one of them will involve navigation and map reading.

So the navigation cadets, Kiera, Alex and Lewis

must learn how to read them properly.

That's where we are. First task, can anyone open the map?!

Let's check out how first aiders Andy, Katy and Luci

are getting on downstairs.

They've been learning how to treat leg injuries using something

called a vacuum splint,

how to keep a casualty warm in a special tent...

We can now stay here as long as we need to.

..and how to assemble a lightweight stretcher.

I think our first-time first-aiders could do with some practice

on a real-life casualty.

Keep going, lift your leg up.

We're trying to get the casualty off to hospital as quickly as possible.

Argh.

Now Andy's making sure I'm kept nice and warm.

-Is that about the right height?

-Slight hold-up with the wheel.

Thanks, guys.

It's the navigators leading the Hero Squad convoy

with the first-aiders bringing up the rear.

Amazingly, the mountain rescue team have let Hero Squad cadets

take charge of their specially adapted vehicles,

which are worth £50,000 each!

-So, right at this junction, yeah?

-No, left.

-Left? OK.

They've got to navigate five miles until the road runs out

and then they must travel by foot to a place called Windy Cross.

But there's trouble brewing in one vehicle.

-Where was the junction?

-There.

-I know, but look.

-Look, school.

-That's where it is.

-There's a school there.

-OK, so what's that feature we were just talking about?

-Cattle grid.

Thanks to Lewis, they're under way again...

Keep on going straight.

Always keep going straight.

..and they've made it.

Yeah.

OK, cadets, well done.

But just like in a real rescue operation, when they've

gone as far as they can by car, they've got to do the rest by foot.

They're looking for a spot called Windy Cross and eagle-eyed Alex

spots where it is.

Down there I think.

-Well done, cadets.

-It's definitely a windy cross.

I think I'm quite good with a map now.

I can tell where I am without getting lost.

The navigation team got us here really well.

There were no wrong turns.

After their walk, the cadets think they're done for the day.

But Hero Squad is full of surprises, and they're about to find out

that next, they're working with Dartmoor's team

of search and rescue dogs.

What do you think?

Oh, it's dogs! Yay!

I got such a shock when the dogs came down the hill.

I didn't realise dogs helped.

We were really surprised when the dogs came.

We thought the day was over.

We have here Ronnie, Poppy and Jillie.

Animal-loving Alex has been looking forward to working

with these search dogs.

# Who let the dogs out? Who who... #

Good girl, good boy.

This is Penny, my dog. She's seven. I've got another dog called Patch.

If we were to work with rescue dogs,

I think I'd be fine as I'm not scared of any dogs.

I'll miss my dogs cos they're awesome.

DOGS GROWL

Sorry guys, this isn't play time - these are working dogs

and you need to learn from their handler James how best to

use their talented noses.

This bit takes some dog handlers two years to get the hang of,

so you've got a lot of work to do. We need to show you how scent works.

Tim's gone and hidden himself behind a rock again

and it's the dog's job to find him.

For this demonstration,

he's using a flare to show how scent is carried in the wind.

The skill the cadets need to learn is how to

position their search dog downwind from a casualty.

Once it's found the scent, it'll keep cruising left and right

until it's got to the body.

A dog like Poppy does the work of dozens of human searchers.

In no time, she's got a whiff of mentor Tim and zeros in on him.

These super dogs have got a success rate

of over 96% in training exercises.

Wish I'd done that well in my exams!

-Who's impressed with that then? ALL:

-Me!

The cadets get their chance to get to know the dogs.

I think the dog is much better than people.

A dog would definitely help you see people.

A dog is the equivalent to 40 people.

Don't think he's listening Lewis.

I didn't realise that they could have so much obedience.

Andy's got the hang of things

and soon they're all learning how to use the wind to their

and their dogs' advantage.

It's been really fun playing with them

and learning about how they can help.

I've learnt how to put the dog's scent

into the direction of the wind.

This is the best thing so far. I've loved it.

Their training is complete.

The cadets have learnt how to search for clues...

-Chocolate bar!

-..navigated the moors and worked with rescue dogs.

They will need to master all of this

and more in tomorrow's challenging Hero Squad rescue.

But which cadet will be the squad leader?

Cadets, well done.

You've taken a lot of information in. We have two new noisy recruits.

The time has come for us to award the squad leader.

This is going to go to someone who we want to give the opportunity

to really show what he's made of and lead the rest of you tomorrow.

So Andy this is for you to wear tomorrow

and lead the rest of you. Well done.

Well done, Andy. Good for you.

Big challenge tomorrow team. Big challenge.

Andy's definitely been a leader today, showing the team

how to search efficiently and using the rescue dogs to great effect.

Quick find!

The sun rises on Hero Squad rescue day

and a young girl is out walking her dog.

The dog breaks free and in her panic the girl runs after it.

She slips and falls behind a rock 200 metres from the path

She has injured her leg and is unable to walk.

After she's been missing for some time,

the girl's mother sounds the alarm.

Sarah! Yes, I'd like to speak to the police.

-My daughter's gone missing.

-Help!

Our Hero Squad casualty is relying on the cadets to come and save her.

But first they must find her somewhere in the vast

expanse of Dartmoor.

The cadets stayed in a Hero Squad hotel overnight.

Just like the volunteers who staff mountain rescue,

when a call comes through, they must be ready to drop everything

at a moment's notice.

I've just received details of an emergency situation.

I'm going to send that to mentor Tim who's with them

and let's see how long it takes them to get here.

-BEEPING

-We need to get upstairs quick.

Back here in three minutes, that's all you've got.

They've got three minutes and counting

to get changed into their specially adapted Hero Squad clothing.

We could easily beat the boys. They're slowcoaches.

I can't get my trousers on.

We should have cleared up last night.

Their clothes are waterproof and protective.

They're going to need them out there.

One, two, three, four,

five cadets. We're just missing one cadet. Come on Lewis, faster.

Two minutes 47. Well done, Hero Squad.

SIRENS WAIL

Fully loaded with rescue equipment, the cadets

navigate their vehicles to the missing girl's last known location.

For a missing person report, the police are usually

first on scene, but when the search and rescue operation

is in a wild place like Dartmoor, they hand over to the experts.

The Hero Squad officer escorts the girl's mother to

the cadets and it's now their responsibility to get all

the information they can from her.

She shouldn't have gone over there at all, not by the rocks.

I've looked round here and I've called and called here.

And she's wearing black?

Good to see Alex taking some notes. They'll need those later.

The police have given you the responsibility of finding Sarah.

Particularly your responsibility, Andy,

because you're going to be running this job.

Now Andy has this information about the girl's

last known location,

he should be dividing the search area into grids

and sending his teams out to search for clues

like the lead left behind when the dog broke free.

Bizzie!

The cadets don't seem happy with Andy's leadership

and are just stood around arguing.

Take charge of the navigation.

Mentor Tim needs to choose a Hero Of The Day after the rescue,

and no-one is looking good here.

He's reaching boiling point.

The sooner we get going, the sooner we can find her and reunite

her with her mum.

-Yeah.

-OK, are we going to find her?

Come on, guys, let's go.

So Andy has sent one team out to search by foot,

and using a GPS tracking system, he can monitor

exactly where they are.

But from the direction his foot search team are going,

it looks like he has totally ignored the information about

the girl going up the path behind his van and the mother has noticed!

Can we ask you how many miles per hour are you going, over?

I'm a bit concerned they've gone down the road because I said

my daughter went up the path.

And it's not just the mother.

13-year-old Kiera, who was in the navigation group yesterday,

has used her map-reading skills and spotted they're in the wrong place.

I don't know why we're here because the mother showed us the path there.

What's going on Hero Squad?

Andy you need to get a grip.

It's messed up because they sent us the wrong way.

It's cold and the Hero Squad casualty is

relying on you and the team to find her.

Alex steps in and makes his team leader accept they've sent

-the foot search team the wrong way.

-We're lost!

Hero Squad 2, this is Hero Squad 1, can you get back to the...

And Andy contacts them with orders to go back to where they started.

Oh my word, we were lost!

We can't afford to lose any more time.

In what could be the nick of time, a search dog's just arrived.

Now we're getting somewhere!

Katy hands over the dog to the foot search team,

and that extra bit of help gets the whole of Hero Squad going again.

There are some great bits of monitoring and organisation.

The foot search team are finally on the right path.

They're thinking back to their training yesterday...

Remember to keep your spacing, don't bunch together.

They're spreading out

and they're performing a line search just as they were taught.

It's her lead.

And their organised approach pays off

-they find a potentially vital clue.

-Bizzie. It's hers.

Hero Squad 1, this is Hero Squad 2. We have found the dog's lead.

It's here that the dog broke its lead

and the Hero Squad casualty left the path.

She's only 200 metres away.

If the cadets read the wind and use their search dog correctly,

they should find her in no time.

Just think about which way the wind's going.

Lewis gives the command.

-Quick find!

-And off she goes.

With Jillie and her handler's help, they are now covering huge

areas of the hillside.

And then the long search for the Hero Squad casualty is over.

The dog discovers her and the recovery operation can begin.

We have found the casualty and are treating her with first aid, over.

I've been with squad leader Andy all this time,

but I want to see how the team are going to get the casualty

on the stretcher and off the mountain.

As the only trained first-aider, Luci takes control of

the situation and begins to fit the vacuum splint to the damaged ankle.

The girl's freezing cold,

so thinking quickly, Lewis breaks out the tent and begins warming

her up as the stretcher team makes progress towards them.

Hero Squad 2, this is Hero Squad 3.

Alex is strong as an ox there, carrying supplies,

pushing the stretcher and reading the map.

They have decided to stick to the path, might be a bit further

but will certainly be easier.

This is much, much better from the team.

Three, two, one, lift.

Faster then, she's freezing.

OK, sit now.

Let's get her strapped in.

Hero Squad 2, this is Hero Squad 1. Can you tell me your ETA?

The ETA is about 15 minutes, over.

Alex spots a simple mistake that could have serious repercussions.

The bolt isn't in the right place.

Even the first aid team struggled with this in training yesterday.

-Yeah, that's got it, yeah.

-What's happening?

-We're just putting the wheel on.

-Slight hold-up with the wheel.

With the bolts in the right place, they can head for home.

Hero Squad 2, this is Hero Squad 1, the ambulance has been arranged.

As squad leader Andy co-ordinates the rescue from the control vehicle.

This is standard practice for mountain rescue teams,

but it's also tough terrain for a group of 12 and 13 year olds.

They've got to get the stretcher over a rocky mountainside descent

of over 1km.

Alex got the stretcher up the mountain

and now he's taking control as they guide it back down again.

There we go, we're down.

-Well done.

-Stop here.

-Keep going.

-Well done.

Katy, last push.

The Hero Squad cadets reunite the injured girl with her mother.

Help take the weight. Lewis move the wheel.

Set her down gently.

Your mum's right here.

And as they carefully place the Hero Squad casualty in the ambulance,

it's another success for the cadets. Job well done, guys.

The people who do this for real are amazing.

They have to know everything.

They have to know how to navigate and they have to know first aid.

Mentally, it was hard for me. Physically it was hard for them.

The mountain rescue team really impressed me.

They go out whatever the weather is like

and they do some amazing things.

It's been a demanding day for the cadets,

but they've navigated like the pros...

-Always keep on going straight.

-Jillie, find!

..used a search dog to comb the mountainside to find their casualty

and they've evacuated her across Dartmoor's treacherous terrain.

Their transformation from rookies to mountain rescuers

is now complete.

Now all that's left is for Tim and I to choose a Hero Of The Day.

I think Kiera did very well, she was very good in the car.

For me, Alex.

He did very well, he was almost leading the navigation.

But one cadet's impressed more than the others.

So the person we thought did a particularly good job

and should be awarded today's Hero Of The Day is...

-Alex. Well done.

-Thank you.

Hero Of The Day Alex led the way on this rescue

with his map-reading skills...

and his strength when carrying a stretcher.

Well done, Alex.

I'm really happy that I'm Hero Of The Day

because practice makes perfect.

It proved today that dogs are awesome.

Coming up on Hero Squad - the cadets face a daring sea emergency.

Will they be able to rescue an injured windsurfer?

Find out next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd