Island Rescue Hero Squad

These wannabe heroes are working together to perform daring rescues.

Over the toughest terrain...

..experiencing the highs...

..and lows.

There's a new emergency crew in town.

I'm Rav Wilding and this is Hero Squad.

Six ordinary schoolkids.

Their mission, to learn how to save lives.

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

Last time, the cadets rescued two Hero Squad Casualties

from a freezing lake.

Squad leader Kyra struggled to take charge.

You need to stay down there...

And it was Sam who swam to victory to take the Hero of the Day prize.

This time, the cadets take to the seas,

crewing up the biggest lifeboat in the RNLI's fleet.

Can they rescue a woman who's injured, freezing cold

and cut off by the tide?

The cadets are on their way to a mystery training location.

As always on Hero Squad, they have no idea what's in store,

just that it involves a breathtaking journey to the

Kintyre peninsula in southwest Scotland.

Their destination is Campbeltown,

home to the Hero Squad for the next two days.

This place is absolutely stunning, but so remote.

It's a three-hour drive that way to the nearest

Scottish city, which is Glasgow, 140 miles away.

In fact, we're nearer to Belfast,

which is a mere 60 miles that way across the Irish sea.

The cadets have a tough day of training in store,

that's if they can survive getting off the plane.

First stop, the Tourist Information Centre

to get some clues about what they'll be doing.

-Yeah!

-Scotland!

Little do they know is that somewhere, in amongst all

that highland cattle, is their mentor working in disguise.

Do you want this open or shut?

Morning. Good to see you brushing up on your local knowledge, cadets.

Who's noticed this man behind the counter?

Yeah?

Morning, cadets.

I'm David Cox, you can call me Coxy, and I'm your mentor.

THEY LAUGH

Mentor David Cox - Coxy for short -

has been with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution

for almost 30 years.

Last year, RNLI lifeboats rescued almost 8,000 people around the UK.

And in the last five years, Coxy and his crew rescued 146 casualties.

I work with 26 guys who are volunteers.

Every one of them has a day job,

like what I'm doing in here at the moment, volunteering.

When the pagers go, these guys respond

and they turn up to the lifeboat to go on a rescue.

Coxy, there's a little prop down there

that I want to show the cadets.

-Thank you.

-THEY GROAN

So, cadets, who recognises this? Where have you seen it before, Lily?

In our Hero Squad bags.

The lifejackets were a big Hero Squad clue.

So why do you think you might need one of these? Kyra?

If you're out on the water it will help you save a life, basically.

'That's right, Kyra,

'and you're going to need it sooner than you think.'

The cadets will be learning to operate the biggest lifeboat

in the RNLI Fleet - the Severn Class all-weather lifeboat.

SHE GROANS

But first they're getting kitted up in dry suits for some basic

inshore boat handling.

Mentor Coxy has just one day to turn this lot into an RNLI crew.

They each need to impress him, because one of them will be

named squad leader for a tough Hero Squad rescue tomorrow.

And that appointment will need Coxy's seal of approval.

The cadets are being driven straight out to sea, RNLI style.

They're on board Campbeltown's D-class inshore lifeboat

and they're not just going to be passengers.

OK, all the way. All the way.

Coxy's letting the cadets take the controls

under the watchful eyes of his crew.

That's Kyra driving.

Perfect.

At just five metres long,

this lifeboat's pretty nifty in shallow water rescues.

It's so cool, right.

The front of the boat, it goes up and down and bounces.

You're going to love it. It's like you're bouncing.

And it splashes your face, like woah.

Keen Sailor Sam is finding it easy.

OK, turn to port.

In towards you.

Then round to starboard, so it's away from you.

That's port to the left and starboard to the right.

Bring it right round.

Bringing it round nicely there.

If they're going to be an RNLI lifeboat crew,

the cadets must prove to their mentor they're confident at sea,

and this lot certainly seem to be.

Do you want to do it?

'But one cadet's looking worried.'

-You'll be OK.

-Are you OK?

Can I have a word with Myles just myself? Myles, come here, son.

'Maybe a pep talk from Coxy will help.'

Myles isn't very confident about going in the boat.

I think it's because he's got a slight fear of being on the water,

but hopefully he'll do it.

OK. You're going to have great fun.

Once you get your hand on that throttle and you feel that

boat doing what you want it to do, you're going to love it.

Honestly, you'll have great fun.

Tennis-mad Myles is much happier on dry land

and admits he can get nervous around water.

Swimming's not one of my strong points.

I do other sports, but I'm not the strongest swimmer.

But when he joined Hero Squad he promised he would take on anything.

Once I've set something I have to achieve it, I don't like to

just give up, and I like to try my hardest and try my best.

OK, let's go. Let's do it.

After a bit of encouragement, Myles decides to give it a go.

It's OK. You're now in control of the boat.

Myles may be taking it slower than the other cadets...

-Nice and gently.

-..but he's keeping good control.

OK, so keep going. Straighten up now. That's you.

It wasn't easy for him, but Myles has proved he can cope at sea.

That's good. Well done. Brilliant.

Crucial if you're going to be on an RNLI lifeboat crew.

Well done, Myles.

It tells a bit about the character if he's keen to have a go.

So, no, fair play to him.

Myles did really well. He was really nervous at the start,

but he's done really well to overcome a fear.

You did very well.

Tomorrow the cadets will need all their lifeboat skills...

as they rescue an injured woman trapped at high tide.

The only way to reach her is by heading out to sea.

The cadets are going to need a bigger boat.

How about this one?

Campeltown's Severn Class all-weather lifeboat.

It's more than 17 metres long,

weighs 42 tonnes, and like other RNLI all-weather lifeboats

it can self right if it capsizes.

12- and 13-year-olds have never been allowed on board

Campbeltown's all-weather lifeboat before,

and this lot are about to handle some serious equipment.

OK, prepare to launch the Y boat.

For tomorrow's rescue, the cadets must be able to carry out

a tricky manoeuvre at sea, launching and retrieving the Y boat,

a tiny inflatable stored on board.

We're getting ready to do the first launch of the Y boat.

It's potentially dangerous,

so Coxy's experienced crew will be supervising throughout.

You've got to throw the rope up here.

Everyone has their roles.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

Kyra and Maria up top, passing the ropes to Sam and Josh below.

Lily is operating the crane.

Lower! Lily, Lower!

The only way they're going to do this is if they work together.

OK, Lily, you're doing really well. Just lower it down slowly.

Much like the inshore boat, it can get right in to shallow water

where the all-weather boat would run aground -

that's anything less than two metres deep.

You guys are doing really well. Well done.

Good work. But what goes down must come up again.

OK. Let's see if we can do as well bringing it back in, OK?

An all-weather lifeboat rescue's not over

until all equipment is safely back on board.

The cadets will need to remember this tomorrow.

You're doing really well, Sam. You're doing really well, Lily.

Kyra's naturally starting to take charge.

-Kyra, pull the rope towards you. Kyra, pull the rope.

-I am, Josh!

But she's got competition from another cadet.

12-year-old Josh likes to be the centre of attention.

I think I'd describe myself as funny, outgoing but bossy.

And when he wants something, he can be very persuasive.

When I don't get my own way I get really grumpy,

and when someone looks like they want to change their mind,

I bug them...a lot.

# In fact, don't take it seriously We're only buggin'. #

-Are you ready? Yeah!

-Just throw it!

-I am!

Looks like today it's KYRA he's bugging.

Kyra, you need to pull that quickly, OK?

It's not me that needs pulling, Josh.

Now pull it towards you and get ready to throw it, OK?

-Josh!

-That's all I'm saying.

-Don't need you to say that.

-Don't listen to anybody down there.

He doesn't know what he's talking about.

He doesn't know how stressful it is to catch and throw a rope.

They've got the Y boat back in one piece,

but it was by no means a smooth operation.

Bring it down slowly, Lily. You're doing really well.

In tomorrow's rescue there can be only one leader

and the others must follow, working together as a team.

Thanks for shouting, telling me to throw a rope, Josh.

I know how to throw a rope.

And as the cadets drive this £2.5 million lifeboat back

to shore, it's clear that's not the only thing

they need to learn to take control of.

Josh is a bit bossy.

He was telling me what to do when I knew I had it under control.

I was listening to my instructor.

So, I think sometimes he needs to just like think before he says stuff.

I think we should have a big serious talk about teamwork

before our next rescue because it's a major issue in our group.

Team tantrums aside, it's been an exhausting

and exhilarating day of training.

And as Lily drenches our filming boat,

it's as good a time as any to call it a day

and start choosing a squad leader.

Coxy and I have a tough choice to make.

These plucky 12- and 13-year-olds have shown they can handle

Campbeltown's lifeboats...

from the smallest...

to the biggest.

But who's proved they can lead the others

in a tough Hero Squad rescue tomorrow?

The time's come for me to announce who's going to be Squad leader.

The first one - Kyra.

Kyra, you did very well today.

We thought she was a nice strong driver, didn't we?

Yeah, very confident. It was good.

You also seemed to take control of the 42 tonner very well.

The next cadet we think did very well today - Maria.

You were up there, throwing those ropes,

-catching those ropes, both of which you did very well.

-Thank you.

Sam, you were another cadet we thought did extremely well today.

When you were given an instruction out on the rough sea

you were taking that instruction on board.

But tomorrow there's a tough challenge

and we think, on everything we've seen today, the person that

should lead the other five cadets for tomorrow's really tough

challenge is going to be...

Kyra.

APPLAUSE

'I feel really good about being Squad Leader.'

I had no clue that I was going to get it

cos I thought Myles would have got it cos he did really well.

But I'm really excited that I got it.

After a tough day of training, the transformation from cadets to

RNLI lifeboat crew is almost complete.

You don't have to be in extreme locations to be

part of the Hero Squad.

Head to the CBBC games page now to find out more.

The next morning the cadets are on call.

Every one of Coxy's lifeboat crew are volunteers,

with jobs from builders to surveyors,

but if their pages go off, they must drop everything to get to the

lifeboat station.

Morning.

Morning. What's that?

What's this?

These are your pagers.

Anyone here in the RNLI up in Campbeltown are volunteers

and when these go off they have to respond,

no matter what their normal day jobs are.

Page me up!

LAUGHTER

They've each got emergency pagers, but if they're going to be

real RNLI volunteers they're still missing one thing - a day job.

Luckily their hotel manager is looking for staff - cleaning staff.

Eugh! It's not even flushed!

HE SINGS TO HIMSELF

Well, I've just heard there's another room that needs

-doing, number 22.

-That's my room.

Eugh!

This is my room.

It's like a stink bomb!

-It's like a what, Maria?

-It's like a stink bomb.

What's that down there, Josh? Dirty old sock on the floor.

I ain't picking up his underwear. That's something I'm not doing.

ALL LAUGH

I lost that one last night.

While the cadets get their hands dirty as hotel cleaners,

an emergency's about to unfold.

At the other end of Campbeltown Loch,

a woman's out exploring nearby Davaar Island.

At low tide she can walk right across,

but the rain is making the ground slippery.

She's in agony.

She can't walk and the tide's coming in.

The Hero Squad casualty is trapped and exposed to the elements.

She's getting dangerously cold.

Hello? Hello?

ALARM BLARES

The Hero Squad are on their way.

They must pull on their RNLI kit

and launch the lifeboat as quickly as they can.

A real RNLI crew can do it in under a minute.

Come on, you guys.

Squad leader Kyra's in charge.

Hero Squad, this is Belfast Coastguard.

Could you give us the position of the casualty?

Myles is radioing the Coastguard,

who co-ordinate coastal land and sea searches.

On Davaar Island. She has an injured ankle.

They have all the details from the 999 call.

Bridge to Wheelhouse. The information is it's a woman.

She's hurt her ankle and she's very cold.

Myles radios up the details to squad leader Kyra.

Roger. Thank you.

She'll be the one driving.

-Let go forward.

-Receiving.

The cadets don't know exactly where the casualty is,

just that she's injured on the island and desperately cold.

They're going to need that first aid kit. Good thinking, Sam.

The first aid kit is now on the middle of the boat.

-Can you see anything?

-Sheep.

-Sheep.

I don't think our casualty is a sheep.

Yesterday's differences forgotten, Kyra and Josh are working together,

with Josh using the binoculars to try and spot the casualty.

-Over there, on the island.

-On the island!

But from this distance, they can't be sure.

We have spotted someone on a small island,

but it might not be the casualty.

We'll be checking it out, over.

Roger that. Over.

Nah, it's not the casualty. It's people walking.

It's a false alarm.

This is a busy tourist area. The casualty could be anywhere.

-Stand by to launch the Y boat.

-Receiving.

The all-weather boat can't get much closer.

It'll run aground in shallow water.

Josh, Sam, are you ready?

Kyra remembers the Y Boat.

You guys, this is for real.

We need to try and do it quickly and as best as possible.

We've got someone out there to get.

There's no casualty.

The other cadets can't understand why Kyra wants to launch

the Y boat before they've managed to spot the casualty.

-There's no casualty!

-That's what the boat's for,

to go round the island to look cos we can't go any closer.

Kyra's right.

The all-weather boat can't go into water less than two metres deep.

You guys, Josh, Sam, ready to get the boat on...

Here comes the Y boat.

The cadets must concentrate. There's no time for mistakes.

It's crucial they remember their training from yesterday.

-Josh!

-Let's see if they can do it without any bickering.

Josh!

And this time they're on their own.

The RNLI will only step in if things become dangerous.

Are you ready?

-Josh, Sam, are you ready?

-Ready!

Three, two, one.

Excellent.

It's a smooth start.

Sam and Josh have got the ropes and the Y boat's in position.

Good job, Josh and Sam!

Now lower.

Just one more delicate piece of manoeuvring.

Out a bit, Lily.

-Y boat deployed!

-OK. Well done, you guys!

Well done. Good teamwork, cadets. Good teamwork.

'And they've done it.'

Because of its size, only two cadets can fit on the Y boat.

Kyra allocates her team.

Maria driving and Lily on there doing first aid and navigating as well.

Their job will be to land on the island and search for the casualty.

Good luck, you guys.

But they still don't know where the casualty is.

She's dangerously cold and in no fit state to move.

It's down to Lily and Maria to find her.

All-weather lifeboat,

all-weather lifeboat to Y boat, are you receiving me?

All the other cadets can do now is wait.

They've reached the island.

Can anyone hear me? No.

They've got to get going.

The casualty needs urgent help.

Maria's heading for higher ground, looking for any places

the casualty might be taking shelter from the cold.

Hello?

All-weather lifeboat to Y boat, are you receiving?

Back on the main lifeboat, the others have no idea what's going on.

Are you receiving?

Nothing. Sam's getting concerned.

Oh, my gosh!

Maria's found the casualty.

Over here.

-What's your name?

-It's Jo.

-OK. So, you do have an injury?

-Ankle.

OK. So, what's happened to your ankle?

Maria and Lily are so busy with the casualty

they've forgotten to update their team.

All-weather lifeboat to Y boat, are you receiving?

I don't think they are.

The casualty's been out there for almost two hours

and she's shaking with cold.

The first-aid kit Sam found is proving vital.

RADIO CHATTER

We've tried about three or four times

and they're still not relaying anything, over.

OK, let's get back in the boat.

Now they're satisfied the casualty's out of danger,

Maria and Lily really should be letting the others know.

All-weather lifeboat to Y boat, are you receiving us?

Lily, you need to reply to them

or they won't know what's happened to us.

Bringing the casualty onto the Y boat, over.

The Y boat is coming in.

Well done, Lily. Now everyone's up to speed.

The casualty's being transferred to the bigger all-weather boat,

where there's warmth and first aid facilities.

Let's get her up. Let's get her warm.

'And while the others take care of the casualty,

'Sam remembers the one thing they can't leave without - the Y Boat.'

OK. Now drop it down a little bit.

They have to retrieve it before they can finish the rescue.

That's it. Well done, Sam. Nice and steady. Well done.

Coastguard, the casualty's now on board

and we're making our way slowly.

I'm really proud of our team today

because even though there were some points where we were squabbling,

we worked through and we all worked together as a team in the end.

Wheelhouse to bridge. Wheelhouse to bridge.

Great driving, Kyra, keep it up.

Received and thank you, over.

My favourite part of the rescue was...

I'm not really sure.

I think every part was great...

cos I think we did all really well and there wasn't a special moment.

I think every moment was special.

It feels really good to have done this rescue

because no other 12- and 13-year-olds would have done that.

The cadets have proved they can pull together as a team,

transforming themselves into an RNLI Lifeboat crew.

Now all that's left is to award Hero of the Day

for the most impressive performance during the rescue.

So all cadets have done well,

but we've got to pick a Hero of the Day - it's not going to be easy.

No. That's a very difficult choice to make.

It's a tough decision.

More than one cadet has shone during this rescue,

but who's stood out more than the rest?

The first cadet - Kyra.

Well done.

Fantastic. I couldn't have done it better myself.

Good control of the boat. You went where you were asked to go.

I didn't need to tell you anything.

The next cadet we thought did very well today is Myles.

Well done, Myles.

You were on the comms and some good information was coming through.

The last cadet we think just did that little bit more was Sam.

There were certain times on that boat

when you were the only one that was still there,

doing things like getting the Y boat back up.

So, the Hero of the Day that we've decided is...

Kyra and...

Sam.

APPLAUSE

In this rescue there were two deserving heroes.

It feels really good to be Hero of the Day -

I wasn't expecting it at all.

This was the service I most wanted to work with

and I'm really glad that I got Hero of the Day in it.

Their treat is a fish and chip supper,

while the rest get cleaning, under Coxy's command.

Right, guys, that's terrible. Come on. I want this boat sparkling.

Next time, the Hero Squad journey comes to an end,

as the cadets train for their final challenge...

with not one, but three different rescue services.

It will be the ultimate test for our courageous cadets.

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