Episode 13 First Time on the Front Line

Britain's next generation of emergency service recruits,

chosen from a pool of thousands,

rookies like Police Special Amber

now tackling criminals head on...

I think it's made me a better person already

and I've not even been in that long.

..and lifeboat volunteer Gary

who's already played his part in a dramatic sea rescue...

I've loved it ever since. There's a saying,

"Living the dream, enjoy it," and I'm glad I've done it now.

Paramedic Sam's newly-acquired skills are helping him save lives.

I think I'm very lucky to have found something

that I love to do and get paid for it.

They've survived months of intensive training...

-Come on. Let's move!

-Get back!

OK, mate. Going to lift you in the boat.

-..they've been tested to their limits...

-Spray, spray!

-It's burning.

-Stop panicking. Don't worry.

..all to realise their ultimate ambitions.

I really feel like this is the job for me.

Join them for their first time on the front line.

In today's programme...

unstoppable force...

meets immovable object...

Let us in! It's the police!

..Amber and her colleagues send in the dogs to help bust

a suspected drug dealer...

-Oh, couple of bags of white powder.

-Yeah.

..a 999...

a mum in agony...

and a bewildered baby.

Can Sam detect what's wrong?

-If you could score this pain out of ten, what would you say this is?

-It's about nine.

And potential disaster in the North Sea.

Gary joins a life-or-death mission

as a fishing boat sinks in freezing water.

New Police Special Amber-Louise Evans

has been on active duty for seven weeks.

She's cuffed suspects...

You're under arrest for the suspicion of theft.

-..interviewed witnesses...

-How many did you say there were?

..and conducted searches.

Today, the 20-year-old is preparing for her first dawn raid.

7am. Stab-proof vest on.

Baton in place.

It's going to be no ordinary shift.

Amber's taking part in a drugs bust.

First up, team briefing

You're going to do the door for us.

As soon as we go in, we lock him up on suspicion

concerning supply of drugs.

Specials are assigned constable tutors.

Amber's mentor, PC Richard Whitehead,

is taking charge of today's operation.

Ben and James, you're going to go down the back, make sure nothing's launched out, aren't you?

Cheshire Police arrested 3,000 people

for drug offences in 2013.

Amber will be responsible for any arrests today.

As we double back, Ben and James can peel off in the Corsa

-to the rear of the address.

-Specials may be unpaid volunteers,

but they have the same powers as regular officers

and face the same risks.

I'm always nervous before a shift, even if it's just normal.

I know I'm just going to be doing a patrol, I'm still nervous

cos you don't know what's going to happen, so today I'm extra nervous.

Amber wants to become a full-time officer

and is taking a university degree in police studies

to help realise her ambition.

That means hard work, early nights and a gruelling schedule.

I was up at half four this morning.

But it will be worth it cos it'll be a fun day.

On Amber's most recent drugs raid,

the operation didn't work out as planned.

You're no longer under arrest.

Despite a tip-off, no drugs could be found

and a suspicious tin hidden in the garden

turned out to be a practical joke.

That's obviously porridge and a Jaffa Cake.

But today the police are more confident.

This raid is based on solid intelligence.

The intel has come in. It seems to be very precise,

seems to be very focused on what the problems are in the area.

It's important that at least some people are taken off the streets.

Amber and Richard arrive at the target's address.

They need to move quickly to maintain the element of surprise.

Let's go.

Their search warrant means they can enter by force.

The suspect has put firm security measures in place.

His front door is impregnable.

Let's push it.

It's the frame at the bottom.

Time for a different tactic.

-RADIO:

-Go round the back.

Around the back.

Just go in.

They need to get in fast.

The suspect could be using the delay to get rid of drugs.

And it looks like he's doing exactly that.

He's flushing everything.

-The officers try to block the drain...

-Open the back door!

..then attempt to get in through a partially open window.

Let us in! It's the police!

Finally, they do gain entry.

Amber reads the suspect his rights.

You're under arrest concerning the supply of controlled drugs.

You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention

when questioned something which you later rely on in court.

Do you understand?

This arrest is necessary for prompt and effective investigation.

Amber's caution was word perfect.

Now the search can begin.

-Sit him there.

-Yeah, just sit down.

The intelligence is proving to be good.

The officers find cannabis strewn across the front room...

On the floor there.

..but the police still need evidence to back up

the more serious allegation

that the suspect's a dealer as well as a user.

We've got his phone. Awesome.

We'll go back down now and let the dog do his business.

If they find it, the suspect could face a lengthy prison sentence.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service receives

around a million calls each year...

-We've got a job.

-Off we go.

..and new recruit Sam du Plessis Grimson

is already getting his fair share.

In his first month, he's treated a child suffering

a severe allergic reaction...

..and an elderly stroke patient.

OK?

Sam's treated the entire age range.

But there's always something new around the corner.

Sam's paramedic adventure began with a six-week training course

in autumn, 2013.

Best thing to get these off is hold that...

press it and pull it off.

The rookies were taught how to treat badly injured patients...

Dressing pack goes directly over the wound.

..how to get to casualties quickly...

As we're going down here, you're checking your mirrors

while turning your head quite often which is good.

..and how to respond if attacked on duty.

Nearly 1,400 ambulance staff were assaulted in 2013.

When you've got your hands closed and you crash into me,

my arms will be pinned against my body.

If my hands are open and you crash into me, you'll bounce off my arms.

I do feel slightly prepared, but at the same time a bit sort of...

I'm not completely naive, thinking, "Yeah, I'll be the best,"

and that sort of thing. Not at all. It's just knowing that you've got

to take every job as it comes.

A month later and Sam's on his way to a real emergency.

SIREN WAILS

Today his shift partner is fellow rookie Ash Atkins.

-What have we go, bro?

-We're going to a red two,

-female, 28, with chest pain.

-28?

-Yeah.

Sam and Ash became close friends during training,

but this is the first time they've worked together.

Sam's driving is good. He's done the course.

He's always said to me that he was really good on the course,

so I'll be judging him throughout the day.

The call is classed as a red two. That means urgent.

So it could either be a possible heart attack or...

maybe a panic attack.

Speed is essential. The patient is home alone with her baby.

-How far away?

-Only seven minutes away.

-Hello, my love. Is it Laura?

-It is.

OK. What's been happening today, my love?

Laura's been in agony for two hours.

Does it travel anywhere at all?

No. It's just here.

What does it feel like? Is it a sharp pain?

No, it feels like tightening.

If you could score this pain out of ten,

ten being the worst pain you've had, what would you say this is?

-It's about nine.

-About a nine? OK.

-Have you ever suffered from this before, my love?

-No.

Laura was carrying her baby when the pain in her stomach first hit.

It just took me and I couldn't hold him and I just went really funny.

-What's his name?

-Daniel.

-Daniel.

Laura's blood pressure is soaring.

As this could indicate a heart attack, Ash prepares her for an ECG.

No talking for a second, just while we do this.

Just nice and still for us.

It's good news. The ECG reveals that Laura's heart is fine.

So it's nothing to do with your heart.

Can you point to where the pain is actually at the moment?

-Just there at the minute.

-Right there. It's not gone anywhere else?

No. It was in my stomach and it's here at the minute.

Sam suspects the pain is due to either a stomach ulcer

-or gallstones.

-It might be something going on there,

but it's quite difficult for us to tell because we haven't got

any machines or ultrasound or anything like that,

so it will be, obviously, a trip to hospital.

All agree that hospital's the best place for Mum.

As for baby, there's no-one here to look after him,

so he'll have to make the journey too.

It's never ideal to take a child into hospital

because of infection and that sort of thing, but if we have to, we can.

Sam tries to ensure Daniel's comfortable.

If he gets upset, it's likely to stress his mum even more

and that won't help her blood pressure.

Ah! Bop, bop, bop!

Laura will be monitored en route.

I'm just going to pop these on for observations

cos her blood pressure was a bit high earlier.

Just going to keep an eye on that.

Throughout the emergency,

an ability to stay cool under pressure has been crucial.

What we really wanted to do was just calm the situation down.

With that one, if we'd gone in and over-reacted,

the baby would have picked up on it. We would have had a screaming child.

The lady's in a lot of pain. It would have made it a lot worse.

You've got to make sure you take everyone into account.

Despite their best efforts, Daniel does become agitated,

but that's more due to the time of day than the journey.

He's upset because dinner service has been shut.

Laura's whisked into A&E for tests.

The paramedics' work is done

and Baby Daniel will soon be able to calm down again.

The fact he was hungry had nothing to do with it. It was your driving.

-He was fine before we set off.

-You're blaming my driving?!

-He was fine.

-You're blaming my driving for that?

-Yeah.

Sam's driving skills will soon be put to the test again.

There are several hours of their shift still to complete.

Paramedic training is rigorous, but not uniquely so.

All along the UK and Ireland's coast,

lifeboat recruits undergo equally challenging tests...

..as RNLI volunteer Gary Crowe is about to find out.

Today, Gary and his crewmates in Dunbar are setting off

for a man-overboard training exercise.

These are must-have skills.

RNLI lifeboat crews in Scotland rescued

more than 1,000 people last year.

Coxswain Gary Fairbairn briefs his team.

We're going to put you in the water as a casualty

and, guys, I want you to put the safety harnesses on him. OK?

Gary's a joiner by trade.

He applied to join the lifeboat crew a year ago

and now has a whole new set of colleagues.

I've loved it ever since.

There's a saying, "Living the dream, enjoy it,"

and I'm glad I've done it now.

The exercise involves rescuing a casualty from the sea

using a harness.

As Gary's still on probation, the pressure's on him to get it right.

The casualty needs to be saved quickly.

In a real call-out, there'd be a risk of hypothermia.

Gary must secure the straps properly.

Failure to do so could lead to the casualty being injured

when he's lifted.

The pulley system allows the crew to hoist weights of 250kg,

essential for lifting waterlogged casualties.

Gary's completed the first section of his training. Now onto part two.

In extreme conditions, a lifeboat's power steering can fail,

so the boat's rudders need to be controlled manually.

Gary's cox wants to see if he can do that

during a practice casualty rescue. It's a big ask.

What we're going to do is rig the steering, Gaz.

I want you to command the lifeboat, as we're doing it, so you're going to be giving us orders.

At the same time, we're going to have a casualty in the water and that casualty is going to be a fender.

Man overboard!

Doing this exercise with a crewmate in the sea

would be much too dangerous.

Instead, the team will pick up a lifeboat fender...

if Gary can get the boat close enough.

The rookie shouts commands to crewmates

who adjust the boat's rudders with ropes.

If he gets this wrong, the lifeboat will veer out of control.

Gary's manoeuvring the boat perfectly.

That's it, well done. Easy, eh?

Mission accomplished. The crew return to base.

Even though he's only just joined, Gary already feels part of the team.

There's never, "You're the newbie," or anything like that.

They always try to encourage you to do your best.

They're all great, every one of them spends the time to teach you.

I take my hat off to him, you know. He's still to finish his probation,

but what he's done so far, I'm very impressed with.

The newcomer has also impressed

while responding to a real life-and-death call out.

Summer, 2013, and local fisherman Peter Gray's boat

suddenly started taking in water and sinking during a fishing trip.

The last thing that I can remember is getting my life jacket

and the boat starting to roll over.

Peter just had time to radio a May Day before abandoning ship

off the Berwickshire coast.

Within minutes, the Dunbar lifeboat was scrambled,

but there was no sign of the fisherman or his boat.

You're fearing the worst when something like that happens

because you don't know what you're going to see

or what you're going to go to.

As the crew tried in vain to find him,

Peter was struggling for survival in the freezing water.

I was starting to feel the effects of hypothermia,

but at the same time, I was trying to swim ashore.

I was heading for the shore, but the tide wouldn't let me go ashore.

Suddenly, the crew spotted his submerged boat.

But as there was no sign of Peter, they feared the worst.

It was certainly a shock cos you wondered where he was.

At the time, I'd heard that there was nothing...

No further communications were made from him.

The lifeboat couldn't approach the stricken vessel.

There were dangerous reefs close to the surface.

Crew member Alistair volunteered to swim across

to search for Peter inside the boat.

Gary was charged with controlling the rope attached to his crewmate.

Alistair's life was literally in his hands.

When we're putting someone in the water,

the boat could have rolled over and sank

and took Alistair with it.

He was banging on the boat to see if there was anybody in.

When I turned around and went, "Can't find anybody,"

the whole boat, even from the distance I was,

you could see everyone's face just drop.

Then suddenly, Gary spotted an object in the distance.

It was like an orange buoy in the water.

There was something definitely different about it.

It was like there was something else attached to it.

The crew hauled Alistair back on board,

then set off towards the shape Gary had spotted.

By this point, Peter had been in the icy sea for 30 minutes.

It's amazing how cold the water is

when you're in it for that length of time.

Of course, when we got to it, we realised it wasn't a buoy.

It was a casualty in the water holding on to the debris

-that came off the deck of the boat.

-When the lifeboat got close,

Alistair swam to the exhausted fisherman.

Then another crewmate jumped in to help.

They managed to grab a hold of me and they lifted me aboard.

The big thing that gave me a fright was how white he was.

If somebody's hypothermic, you heat them up too quick,

-you can actually kill them.

-Your training does kick in.

Gary and his crewmates gradually warmed Peter up.

His temperature slowly returned to normal.

It was a good feeling, anyway, to know that...

you've saved somebody's life, basically.

Definitely glad the lifeboat was there that day.

The temperature of the water, it was a killer.

In spotting the stricken fisherman in the distance,

whilst holding the rope attached to his colleague,

Gary had proved his worth to the crew.

What he'd done was good, he kept a visual on 360 around him and not

just concentrated on that one thing, you know? Which is quite easily done.

But the rookie insists the rescue was a team effort.

He refuses to take any personal credit.

We got him home at the end of the day.

He was able to go home to his family and

I think it was a pat on the back for everybody rather than just the one person.

Cheshire Constabulary makes more than 1,600 drug

seizures each year.

Police Special Amber

and senior colleague Richard are adding to that haul today.

While a sniffer dog searches a suspected dealer's house,

they ask him what they're likely to find.

Is there anything you need to tell us

about? Anything upstairs, anywhere else in the house? Obviously there are drugs there.

-That's all your personal smoke there.

-Yeah

The suspect insists all the drugs are purely for personal use.

Police intelligence says otherwise.

Amber and Richard go to look for evidence of dealing.

Quite a nice place, isn't it?

The sniffer dog has identified something suspicious.

Amber checks it out and discovers a large quantity of cash.

And that's not all.

-Oh, a couple of bags of white powder.

-Yeah.

As well as what looks like cocaine Amber finds another

suspicious package.

That might be either speed or ecstasy.

The substance will be sent for forensic analysis.

Amber's also found drugs paraphernalia in the drawer.

Mirrors for taking it on and the razor for cutting it up.

Pipes to smoke drugs and kit used to grind them up are also present.

Cool, right get some bags.

It may have been hard work getting into the house

but it was clearly worth the effort.

When they were bashing the

door down I was just... I've not seen

anything like that before.

I was thinking "God if I was behind that door I'd be so scared."

As well as the Class A drugs and cash,

Amber's found two mobile phones.

These could hold vital information that will help police

with their investigations.

I want to secure this phone basically.

The suspect's wardrobe is full of expensive designer gear.

He doesn't appear short of money.

How many pairs of jeans has he got?

He thinks he's Liam Gallagher.

-Hugo Boss jacket.

-Got quite a nice style, hasn't he?

-I think he thinks he's some kind of...

-Amber, stop liking him.

He's definitely going through the custody suite in his pyjamas though.

Time to take him in.

See you shortly, all right?

When they reach the custody suite,

it's another first for the new Special.

Amber cautioned the suspect

so she must report the grounds of the arrest to the custody sergeant.

Me.

Being concerned with the supply of controlled drugs.

Understood after caution.

Necessity is prompt

and effective investigation.

Amber's report is impeccable.

Also found two iPhones and you found a Blackberry.

Formalities over, she locks up a suspect for the first time.

Richard is impressed by her work today.

Yeah, bang on, yeah. Perfect. Brilliant. Spot on.

At the end of the day you've got to be

like a sponge, you've got to soak up as much as you can

and try remember for the next time she comes out.

Amber's made rapid progress as a Police Special.

On her first drugs bust, she was full of nerves.

You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention

when questioned something which you later rely on in court.

Do you understand? Do you understand?

But today she's been assured and assertive.

You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence

if you do not mention

when questioned something which you later rely on in court.

Do you understand?

On the arrest in the second drugs bust

'I felt a lot more fluent and a lot more confident in the way'

I spoke to him when I arrested him.

'Compared to the first one I just remember being real shaky

'and scared out of my wits really.'

I just remember feeling like, "Oh, I did that really well,"

at the end of it. Well, at least I hope I did.

Amber became a Special to help her decide

whether to apply to join the police full-time.

Seven weeks in, she has no doubt where her ambitions lie.

After the shifts I've done so far

I know that I've enjoyed them

so much that it's going to be what I'd love to do in the future

and I'm really glad that I've enjoyed it so far

because I couldn't imagine what I'd be doing if I didn't like it.

Back in the West Midlands rookie paramedic Sam is nearing

the end of his shift with fellow new recruit, Ash.

It's the last call of the day

and it could be their most challenging of all.

We're going to a pregnancy in a swimming and fitness centre

so fingers crossed it's not about to drop.

Sam puts his foot down.

More information trickles through.

The patient is 32 years old and nine months pregnant.

The swimming pool manager meets them on arrival.

All right, gents.

The mum to be's waters have broken while she's in the bathroom.

She's due to undergo a Caesarean section in two days' time

but the baby doesn't want to wait.

I felt a bit of a gush and I thought it's not me wetting myself

but the more I walked the more it leaked.

Yeah, OK. Do you feel you're able to walk?

Yeah, I think so.

Sam and Ash want to get the patient, Nicola, to the

nearest maternity unit before she goes into labour.

-Good luck.

-Cheers.

Sam tries to put Nicola at her ease.

So do you work here?

No. I was going swimming on a swimming lesson.

Oh, all right.

I thought I'd better go today because it would be my last

one I'd be going to for a bit because I'll be having a C-section.

-Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?

-It's a boy.

-It's a boy. Have you got names yet?

-Drew.

Drew.

Now she's settled comfortably, they can get a full medical history.

Has the pregnancy been fine?

A little bit of high blood pressure now and again.

And when your waters broke, it was just water?

-No like mucus-y type?

-No. OK.

Nicola will be monitored en route for any signs of problems.

Nicola just said she suffers from

high blood pressure during her pregnancy.

It's an early indicator of not so nice things

but at the moment everything seems to be ticking

over nicely. She looks in good health and she's

not pushing so we like that.

It's off to Maternity.

Sam goes as fast as he can - tonight he'd prefer not to play midwife.

I've delivered

two babies when I was a student

but they're never a great job to go to

because a lot of things can go wrong but

it's always nice when you get there and

they're not pushing, not contracting, you think,

"Ah, brilliant we can relax"

and have a little trip to hospital which is always a bit of a relief.

They arrive at the nearest unit before the baby

makes his appearance.

Your bump's not dropped at all has it?

Does it feel like it has?

It's just a bit soft.

I know it was hard but no.

With Nicola safely delivered to the labour rooms,

Sam and Ash's shift is finally over.

At the end of their first day working together,

it's time to find out the two friends' verdicts.

Today has gone well with Ash.

We had a good few patients and we've been

able to help out a few people.

We supported each other really well, good team work

and we haven't fell out which is always a good thing.

Sam's now a month into his fledgling career.

All his training to get to this point was clearly worthwhile.

I've landed on my feet and I think I'm a very lucky 22-year-old man

to actually be in a career that I want to do for the rest of my life.

Sam's patient Laura was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer.

She was discharged from hospital after treatment which

improved her symptoms.

The suspected drugs dealer Amber arrested was charged with

possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.

He's on police bail awaiting trial.

And Nicola gave birth within minutes of Sam

and Ash getting her to the hospital.

Baby Drew was 8 lbs and 15 oz.

Next time...

A Friday-night fight.

He's resisting arrest and attempting to bite one of the police officers.

Sarah races to help colleagues deal with a drunk.

Absolutely horrendous.

A warehouse in flames.

That's still smouldering.

A rookie under pressure.

Come on, Hels, get in there.

And Maya's toughest call yet.

I feel really nervous.

A tragic case for the new paramedic.

It's really shocking. I can't believe it.