Mud Rescue Hero Squad

Coming up...

on Hero Squad...

Six wannnabe 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 young cadets

must transform themselves into a Coastguard rescue team,

for an extraordinary Hero Squad challenge.

A man is trapped up to his waist in mud, and he needs

the Hero Squad to get him out before he collapses with cold.

It's physically the toughest rescue they've ever had to face...

Stop!

..and something no 12-year-olds have ever done before.

Could this be the one that gets the cadets well and truly stuck?

The cadets are in the seaside town of Exmouth in East Devon.

With its two miles of sandy beaches, it's a hot spot for holidaymakers.

But further round the coast, the sand turns to mud.

Deep and treacherous mud...

where the River Exe meets the sea.

If someone gets trapped,

it's these people who get them out.

..Coastguard 106, possible male in the water...

Her Majesty's Coastguard. One of the UK's four emergency services.

It co-ordinates rescues around the sea and coastline of the UK -

an area covering more than a million miles.

And its volunteer rescue teams are always on standby to deal

with the toughest emergencies.

And the cadets are about to come face to face with

one of the toughest coastguards of them all.

He's spent 21 years with Her Majesty Coastguard

and is in charge of five emergency rescue teams.

I'm not a man who tolerates poor standards.

He's also served in the Royal Marines.

NOT a man to be messed with.

-CADETS: Hello.

-OK, my name's Pete Pritchard.

I'm from her Majesty's Coastguard. Today, I'm going to be your mentor.

'Pete intends to take a firm grip of the cadets.'

'A VERY firm grip!' What's the matter, guys?!

Oh, a click in my knuckles!

I can't feel like, all this bit of my hand. It's numb.

He just kind of eats your hand.

They were left in no doubt that I wasn't a man to be messed with.

Time to get stuck in to training.

As their mentor, Pete will choose one cadet to lead

the others into a Hero Squad rescue tomorrow.

-Go on then, off you go.

-They each have to try to impress him.

SHOUTING

He's sending them onto the mud without ANY safety equipment,

so they know how it feels to get trapped in this treacherous mud.

SHOUTING

What they're doing is extremely dangerous.

Estuary mud moves and changes with the tide,

so you never know how deep it is.

Pete's only allowing it

because his specialist rescue team are on standby to get them out.

I think he's regretting this.

I think I need more pairs of socks!

RANDOM SHOUTS

Chaos. Chaos on the mud flats!

The mud actually goes up to your knees.

It actually is disgusting and it smells horrible.

Oh! Look horrid, feel horrid...

everything's horrid about it.

Time to call for backup.

The rescue team's going out.

Pete's got a tough job on his hands.

Somehow he's got to choose a Squad Leader out of this

mud-splattered lot!

They're caked in the stuff!

The mud has gone all over my boxers.

I'm not kidding.

The cadets might find it funny,

but getting stuck in the mud is a serious matter.

And Pete's taking it VERY seriously indeed.

There's a time to have some fun...

but time to apply yourself, and it's got to be treated seriously.

Are we clear on that?

The cadets won't set foot on the mud again until

they know what they're doing.

So after a clean up, it's off to boot camp.

To transform themselves into a mud rescue team, the cadets will

train with Pete's army of volunteer coastguard officers.

They must be ready at a moment's notice to rig ropes and mud sleds,

so they can get out to a casualty, and get them back.

A speedy response makes all the difference.

Right. Can you see how sticky that mud is?

Can you imagine if you'd been out there for an hour

and that squeezing against your leg.

It cuts off the circulation to the lower legs.

The other real issue with mud casualties is hypothermia.

So, we take a blanket.

So we can wrap them in a blanket, get them

laid down and get them to medical help as soon as possible.

In less than 24 hours' time

the cadets will face EXACTLY this scenario.

A Hero Squad casualty who's been trapped for so long,

he's at risk from hypothermia.

That's when the body's core temperature

drops below the safe level of 35 degrees Celsius.

Help!

A mud rescue team has to get to the casualty as soon as possible,

dragging sleds full of rescue equipment.

OK, so we're going to set up a double tow...

This is the job of the mud technicians, or mud techs.

Connect it to the bridle...

Physically, it's the most demanding

role in the Coastguard Rescue Service.

Just now try towing that together.

OK, and stop there!

We look like dogs on a lead!

There's no way anyone would have the strength to drag the casualty

and the equipment back to shore.

So the cadets need a winch to help them.

But first they'll have to attach the sleds together

so they can be towed back.

Tying a simple knot should do it.

I'm going to show you how to tie an Alpine Butterfly Knot.

A what?!

I'll take one turn, two turns,

pull it through come round the back.

There. Alpine Butterfly Knot.

Now what could be simpler?!

Ready, Cadets?

OK. Now take one turn...

two turns...

round...

in from the front... Hang on...round there.

The Alpine Butterfly Knot is a tricky knot to master.

But it will be crucial in tomorrow's challenge,

when the cadets will be covered in mud, and under pressure.

Put your thumb in.

Kiera and Alex seem to have got the hang of it.

Let's have a quick look. Absolutely perfect.

Let's hope they can do it under pressure in tomorrow's rescue...

because without it,

the Hero Squad casualty can't be towed back to safety.

See you later. Bye!

Dry run over, it's back onto the mud.

But this time the cadets will be kitted with protective dry suits,

buoyancy aids and walking poles.

They'll also be wearing special shoes called mudders.

They're basically based on birds' feet.

As the foot goes into the mud, they open up

and spread the weight evenly

and hopefully will stop our cadets sinking through the mud again.

-This is gross!

-And mentor Pete's got one more challenge up his sleeve.

A fitness test.

My shoe's coming off!

It's the cadets' last chance to impress him

as he chooses a squad leader for tomorrow's big challenge.

First, it's tiny Katy versus Kiera, who's 1.7 metres tall.

How can people do this?

13-year-old Kiera is used to winning.

I swim, I cycle,

and I run and I also do triathlons which is the three put together...

It's quite hard, and it's non-stop.

Giving up is NOT an option.

Impossible!

But for once in a race, it looks like Kiera's on the back foot...

Kiera's straight in the mud!

Pete's looking at who's most comfortable on the mud.

Well done, Katy.

It looks like Katy's a natural!

The cadets must drag a sled

about the same weight as a heavy suitcase for 200 metres.

Not easy wearing all that gear.

The best technique is to keep moving and take small steps.

Kiera's long strides might be good on the race track,

but they're not helping her on the mud.

Katy's so light, she's moving quickly.

Come on, Katy, keep going, good effort. Good, and stop.

Katy's won, but Kiera's still struggling.

Come on, Kiera, keep going,

-small steps.

-Despite her frustration she finally gets there.

My welly's come off!

She carried on. That was hard for her, then. She had a few problems

with those wellies falling off. Not a bad effort at all.

Well done, good effort.

I'm quite disappointed with what I done.

That's actually nothing like what I do in triathlons.

Cos you're either swimming, running or riding a bike.

Out there you're sinking in mud. And you can't move anywhere.

Next, it's Luci against Andy.

Andy, are you ready?

-No.

-Tough! Because the race is about to start.

Go!

-Aagghh, my ankle!

-Andy's down. And he thinks he's injured.

Luckily a coastguard's on hand to help.

Come on, Luci.

While Andy's on the mud, Luci completely laps him.

Keep going, keep going, keep going.

And well done, Luci.

Good to see Andy's ankle making a full recovery!

I did tell Rav don't start cos I wasn't ready!

Finally, it's Alex versus Lewis.

Go!

Alex is flying there.

-Good effort.

-Alex is in the lead, leaving Lewis trailing behind him.

But Pete's not only looking for speed.

He's also looking for stamina.

As one of the smallest cadets, Lewis is feeling the pressure.

He's usually more at home on a dry ski slope than a wet mudflat.

If I don't do something first time I might get a bit frustrated

because I know I could do better.

I think I run out of stamina quite quickly,

so I think it's something I need to work on.

If ever there was a test of stamina, this is it.

He's starting to get tired now. The pace has slowed down.

While Alex struggles with exhaustion, Lewis carries on.

Good effort, you two.

Lewis is catching up here. It'll be tight.

Lewis is gaining on Alex... really pushing himself.

Keep on going! Keep on going!

-Come on, push hard.

-Come on, Alex.

Don't give up!

With Kiera and the other cadets cheering him on, Lewis does it!

-How was that?

-Hard.

Lewis's focus and determination has impressed Pete.

-That was a really good effort, lads.

-Really well done.

Well done, lads. Get your kit off and join the others.

That looked hard.

That was very very tiring.

I don't think I've got what it takes to be a mud person.

But you're in Hero Squad now, Alex...

and real-life rescuers DON'T give up!

It's the end of training.

The cadets have got their hands dirty,

taking on one of the toughest roles in Her Majesty's Coastguard.

Tomorrow the cadets will have to deal with a Hero Squad emergency.

They'll need a strong leader who can stay calm when things go wrong.

Stop!

-Pete's got a tough decision on his hands.

-Katy stood out.

I thought Lewis stood out.

Kiera is clearly very capable.

But there can be only one Squad Leader.

Cadets, time's come to award this to one of you to wear tomorrow.

We've been watching for leadership qualities

because tomorrow - Pete's not made it easy.

It's a pretty tough challenge.

And the person we want to see in charge of this tomorrow

and the rest of these five cadets is going to be...

you, Lewis.

Don't look so surprised, you've done very well. Well done.

I was so surprised to get this, I wasn't expecting to get this.

Did you see my face?! Oh, man, this is so cool...

Considering this is what we do for our living

and for you to be able to pick up some of the skills which

we do every day I thought was very impressive.

Lewis has a lot to think about.

Tomorrow's Hero Squad challenge will be one of their toughest yet.

Three-two-one, go!

The next morning, the cadets are up early.

They have no idea what they could be facing or how dangerous it might be.

I got it, I got it!

We're going to put ourselves in harm's way by going out

to rescue somebody.

So if you haven't got people who are concentrating

and ensuring that they do their bit to the best of their ability

it puts other members of the team at risk.

-Morning. Morning. How are we all today?

-Good.

-Good.

-How are you feeling about today, Lewis?

-All right.

-Yeah?

I've got a little present for you to hand out to your team.

In here are six pagers. One each to give all your team-mates.

The cadets are carrying pagers like real volunteer coastguard officers.

And just like them,

they must be ready to respond at a moment's notice.

I got it.

When they go off you are to report to the coastguard immediately.

Less than a mile away, our Hero Squad casualty is about to make

a common mistake people make when they don't understand the tides.

He's taking a shortcut across the estuary.

But he has no idea how deep the mud is.

Or how dangerous it can be.

The more he tries to get out, the more he sinks.

Luckily, he's spotted by a local man, who knows to dial 999.

Task for Coastguard 106, possible male in water...

Can the Hero Squad reach him in time,

and will they remember what they learned in training? First stop,

coastguard base, to get kitted up.

We need to pull our finger out and get organised.

Time is of the essence.

HE SHOUTS

Throughout today's challenge, Pete will be choosing hero of the day -

the cadet who performs best under pressure.

Everyone is under scrutiny!

The Hero Squad are on scene.

As with all mud rescues, they've got backup,

from the Fire and Rescue service.

But it's Lewis who's in charge.

We have a mud rescue and we have to find a person called

Paul Howell and he'll tell us the rest of the information.

OK, so where is he?

I think we have to shout for him. Wait!

-Are you Paul?

-Paul made the 999 call.

He's what the emergency services refer to as the first informant.

He's probably been in there

for the best part of three quarters of an hour now.

HELP!

That's key information.

The Hero Squad casualty's been out there for 45 minutes.

HELP!

The longer he's stuck, the colder his body's getting.

I think we really need to get going

because it's been quite a long time.

Kiera, Alex, Luci and Katy are the mud techs.

Their job will be to get out to the casualty,

get him onto the sled then give the signal to winch him in.

I'm ready.

They're impatient to get going.

But Lewis needs to sort out the equipment first.

Erm... We'll put all...

I'm not sure... what does this yellow thing do?

Squad Leader Lewis is wasting valuable time.

AND he's forgotten something...

Are you sure they've got a blanket or something?

He'll be really cold.

Do they have a blanket?

He said not to do any first aid unless they have

bleeding on the mud so I don't think we'll need to take any first aid.

WRONG, Lewis. This is what Pete actually said...

We take a blanket.

So we can wrap them in a blanket, get them

laid down and get them to medical help as soon as possible.

Lewis isn't off to a good start.

The Hero Squad casualty is at risk of hypothermia,

and needs a blanket to warm him up.

Good job Andy's on the ball.

Yeah, but I think he'll need a blanket.

He'll be in the stretcher. I think he'll be really cold.

OK, we'll take a blanket then.

Good call, Andy.

Now the mud techs can FINALLY got going.

Let's go, guys.

They're attempting a coastguard rescue no 12-year-old has

-ever done before.

-Come on, you two.

The mud will push them to their physical limit.

Back on shore, Andy's in charge of winch safety.

If the mud techs send a signal they're in trouble

he must press the emergency stop button.

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

All right, mate? We're going to get you out.

Kiera and Alex get to the casualty first.

At 100 kilograms, he's almost twice the weight of one of our cadets.

It's going to be a tough rescue.

-Are you on?

-Yeah.

The mud's been putting pressure on his legs.

So it's good Kiera's remembered to lay him down,

to get his blood flowing properly again.

The thick mud is making movement almost impossible.

And before long, there's more than one casualty to deal with...

-Aaaah!

-OK?

-Pull me.

They've just got the casualty onto the thing and Luci's gone down.

I know they've got to rescue Luci now.

Kiera's straight over to help.

Bring your leg forward.

Good teamwork.

Coastguard rescue officers always look out for each other.

The blanket Lewis almost forgot is proving vital.

But it's not going to be enough to keep the casualty warm for long.

We need to attach this to us again so we can bring it forward.

The cadets need to move quickly to organise getting him

towed back to shore.

They've definitely got to get to him really fast,

but I'm not sure where they're at.

Lewis and the guys on shore are getting concerned.

The longer the casualty's out there, the greater the fear for his safety.

SHOUTING

They got to the casualty some time ago so what's the hold-up?

The treacherous conditions are making it very difficult to

get the sleds in place.

OK, he's attached.

But they've done it. The first stage is complete.

But there's one more difficult task facing them.

Somebody needs to tie an Alpine Butterfly Knot, please.

I'll tie it. Where?

Remember the rescue knot they learned in training yesterday?

Well, they're going to need it now.

Kiera has to tie the Alpine Butterfly Knot quickly.

-Have you tied it?

-We need some more slack.

Everyone's relying on her.

But the mud all over the rope is making it slippery,

and almost impossible to handle.

-Kiera!

-I'm doing it, I'm doing it!

She's done it.

That's them definitely attaching it now.

Now they can get the winch going.

Go!

We're nearly there! Push! Pull it!

The cadets are absolutely exhausted,

but they're almost there, with Kiera leading the final push.

Come on guys, you're doing excellent. Last push!

Come on, guys! Keep going!

And it's teamwork that gets them over the final hurdle.

Three-two-one, go!

Three-two-one, go!

Three-two-one, go!

The best bit about the mud rescue,

was actually going out there and saving someone.

-OK?

-OK.

It was really good,

as a team we all got him back and he's away to hospital.

OK, ready?

I've learned that being a coastguard is quite tough.

The cadets have worked together to pull off an extraordinary rescue.

The Hero Squad casualty is safely on his way to hospital.

Well done, guys, that was hard.

When you go out there and feel how hard it is, you feel a lot

-of respect for the real coastguard.

-Yeah.

The Hero Squad have been on an amazing journey.

And transformed themselves from cadets into coastguard officers.

Now all that's left is to choose a hero of the day.

I think Lewis showed a lot of physical strength,

and determination.

Alex was showing a lot of determination.

-You could see that from the shore.

-And helping the casualties.

-Yeah.

Kiera was starting to really show leadership.

Bring that forward.

All strong contenders.

But one cadet's impressed Pete's more than the others.

So, you may wonder why the Fire Brigade are here.

They've offered to assist with high-powered hoses.

The hero of the day will be doing the hosing...

of you lot!

You are caked in mud, and sorry, cadets, you stink.

I can tell you that the hero of the day who gets to hose you all down,

is Kiera. Well done.

OK, round of applause for Kiera.

Well done, Kiera.

Whoa!

Kiera came completely unstuck in training,

but she turned it around to lead the others in an exhausting rescue.

And it was Kiera who kept her cool,

tying that all important rescue knot.

Have you tied it?

It was pretty good out there and the way we had to organise ourselves

without anybody around us, I found pretty fun.

Well done, Kiera! A deserving hero.

Coming up on Hero Squad...

The cadets face a daring challenge teaming up with the RAF.

Will they be able to rescue a casualty from a remote mountain?

Find out next time.

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