Episode 6 First Time on the Front Line

Britain's next generation of Emergency Service recruits,

chosen from a pool of thousands.

Rookies, like Police Special Sarah,

about to go out on her first shift...

We're going to learn.

We're just going to learn on our feet, I think.

But that's exciting. It's good.

..and 22-year-old Sam, setting out on a career as a paramedic.

After all this induction, we'll be out in the big bad world

and there'll be no safety net, which we've had for two years.

Former hairdresser Helen wants to become a firefighter.

Does she have what it takes?

Obviously, it's a bit nerve-racking, but you get over it.

I've got to, if I want to

have a nice, long, successful career with it.

They've survived months of intensive training.

-Come on! Let's move!

-Get back!

One casualty, no signs of life.

They've been tested to their limits...

-Spray! Spray!

-Burning, I think.

Stop panicking. Don't worry.

..all to realise their dream careers.

It's just everything I've wanted for the last two years.

Join them for their First Time on the Front Line.

In today's programme, a domestic dispute...

You injured, at all?

..a complaint of theft...

Inquiries suggest that the bike may be here.

..and an experience Police Special Sarah won't forget.

I have to say, that was actually worse than childbirth.

It was agony.

Feeling the heat, rookie firefighter Helen faces the toughest of tests.

Let's get that casualty out! Come on!

And one small child with one major allergic reaction.

Sore throat?

New paramedic Sam has to act fast.

Get back!

At Cheshire Police Training Centre,

applicants to become Specials - unpaid volunteer officers -

are nearing the end of their 20-day training programme.

-OK, go!

-Get back!

One of the oldest is Sarah Johnson -

46 years old and a mum of three.

I've always to do something in the police force,

probably ever since I was at school, and I never have.

I looked on the website for Cheshire Police and they were

recruiting Specials, so I thought, "This is a great opportunity

"to do what I want to do."

During the training, Sarah's learnt about restraining techniques...

Down, down, down!

..personal safety drills...

Bringing it round, pushing down and stepping back.

..even how to move like a police officer.

So, if I'm facing that way, we're going to pivot

and we're going to come into this position.

You're just changing direction. Go!

Good stuff.

I've done various jobs, but I have, kind of, been a mum, pretty much,

for, like, about ten years.

And after that, I, kind of, just needed something

a bit more challenging than pushing a pram.

Today's challenge will be serious and stressful.

When officers encounter violent suspects,

they can use pepper spray to temporarily blind and disable them.

It's painful and should only be used in extreme circumstances.

To find out how painful,

the recruits are asked to experience it themselves.

They're given the liquid solution to dab into their eyes.

Best thing to do, straightaway,

is close your eyes, which you'll naturally do anyway,

and then start to blink as quickly as possible.

This form of pepper spray, Captor, is derived from hot chilli peppers.

We will work out, quite easily by your reaction,

whether you've done it or not, so if anybody doesn't want to do it,

now's the time to say, because, otherwise, we'll be wasting

after-care that somebody else will need.

The chemical's designed to mimic the sensation of scalding heat.

Good stuff.

It works.

Ah! (BLEEP.

OK. OK. Let's just keep an eye on what we're doing.

Yes, it hurts.

It's all right. It hurts. Good stuff.

OK. You can look out the other eye, remember.

Like all the rookies, Sarah could have opted out,

but she counted herself in.

I'm proud of you. Well done.

Well done.

You put yourself on the line and that's good stuff, OK?

It's horrible.

It's all right.

I have to say, that was actually worse than childbirth.

It was agony. It was horrible.

It was so frightening, as well,

because when you actually, kind of, came round out of it,

you were quite panicky

because effectively, you've been, sort of,

blinded for about 15 minutes.

If you have to use it now, you'll have a little bit more empathy with someone.

You'll go, "Actually, I know that really hurts."

So, well done. You opened your eyes. You're good. You're good to go.

Sarah's family were impressed when she told them

she was trying out for the Specials.

I'm really proud of her, because she's wanted to do it for, like,

ages and it's good to see her doing something she wants to do.

And it's, like, quite a good role model.

She's been wanting to do this for, like, quite a while

and, well, just seeing her being

happy and smiling all the time has just been nice.

She obviously gets a buzz from it, so, who knows?

Maybe she's going to make a career of it. That would suit me.

That would suit me fine!

A month after successfully completing her training,

Sarah's starting her first shift.

New Specials are allocated constable tutors. Hers is PC Paul Tinson.

Shortly after they head out on patrol, a 999 call comes in.

I'm glad I'm not driving. It's really fast.

The children will be revelling, when I tell them about this.

That'll be, like, the big thing for them.

They'll be, like, "Did you get to drive fast?"

The officers have been called to a dispute at a house,

but the information is sketchy.

There may be a domestic ongoing.

That's the only details we have so far.

One in ten emergency calls to the police involve domestic incidents.

To avoid alarming the house occupants,

Paul turns off the siren as they approach.

Hello.

Do you want to speak to the female in here and find out what's gone on?

You OK? What happened?

Are you injured, at all?

The wife tells Sarah she had a heated row with her husband,

who's in the process of moving out.

She was worried he might turn violent.

To avoid the situation escalating, Paul tells him to leave.

We have to make sure everybody's safe, which involves third parties.

He's been drinking and he wants the keys for the van.

She won't give him the keys.

She's hidden them, so she's upset.

He's too drunk to drive.

From what she's said, he's had cider and wine

by the bottle, not the glass.

The husband agrees to leave immediately.

For officers, mediating in domestics like this is commonplace.

A lot of it is dealing with other people's conflicts that they

can't deal with themselves, really, isn't it?

It's good, though. It's good.

He hands his house keys over to his ex.

For Sarah and Paul,

it's job done, but their shift is only just beginning.

The West Midlands Ambulance Service has over 1,000 paramedics

on its books.

One of the youngest and newest is 22-year-old Sam du Plessis Grimson.

-Got a job.

-Off we go!

On his first shift,

Sam's attended a man who banged his head

and a baby who overdosed on medicine.

And the emergencies keep on coming.

On this shift, Sam's been paired with experienced colleague

Kat Moore.

Their latest 999 involves an elderly woman who's collapsed at home.

One side's gone weak, so... History of a previous heart attack, as well,

so they're querying, sort of, a stroke, something like that.

Even though he's the junior partner,

it's Sam's turn to take the clinical lead.

So, she's just suddenly not with it and she's not herself?

Thena's daughter's worried she's suffered a stroke.

About 20 minutes ago, she said to my daughter she wanted

something to eat and when she brought it in, she just said,

"Ooh!" And her eyes were, like, you know,

-rolling and she'd gone all tacky.

-OK.

One in five strokes prove fatal. Sam must work quickly.

Hello, Thena. My name's Sam from the ambulance service.

-How are you feeling, my love? Not great?

-No.

OK. Are you able to open your mouth and stick your tongue out?

Like that? OK. Fantastic.

He needs to eliminate other possible causes of Thena's symptoms.

She's diabetic and may be in hypoglycaemic shock.

He checks her blood sugar levels.

-6.8.

-6.8?

-Yeah.

-That good or bad?

That's good, yeah. That's fine, yeah.

Sam's examination convinces him Thena has suffered a stroke.

She needs urgent care.

What we want to do is pop you in our chair, OK?

But she's 84 and fragile. Moving her could cause injury.

-Sorry, Nan.

-There we go.

-Sorry, Nan.

-You all right?

The team needs to get her up the ramp and onto a stretcher

smoothly and swiftly.

Stroke causes 10% of deaths in women.

Sam will keep Thena under constant observation.

It's all about rapid driving at this point.

He alerts the hospital stroke team.

Hello. Query, a stroke.

Facial weakness and slurred speech. Yeah, left side.

Pulse is 83. BM, 6.9.

And all the time, he tries to keep his patient awake.

Thena, how are you feeling, my love?

Do you know what day it is?

-Saturday.

-Saturday?

Yeah, Saturday. Well done, yeah.

A positive sign. Thena's still alert.

Although she lives 25 miles from the stroke unit,

Sam and Kat have got Thena there in just 27 minutes.

Hello.

You do have a real pressure as a paramedic

to get that patient into hospital as soon as possible

and make sure she has still a good quality of life,

so I think we did well on that one.

I think we worked really well as a team.

We're all, sort of, gelling together. So, yeah. It was a good job.

Sam's emergency service colleagues in West Midlands Fire respond

to over 14,000 incidents a year -

calls that often involve life and death.

So, new recruits, like Helen Wyer, must prove

they have the right stuff before being sent on duty.

Come on, number two! Work it hard! Dig in!

West Midlands Fire Service Training Academy.

Yes, we're going to shout at you and the reason is to make you safe

and to stop you doing something that potentially's going to

put you in danger.

A new batch of rookie firefighters

are undergoing eight weeks' intensive training.

And remember, it's a pass or fail course.

Trauma skills...

If you feel any pain, just let me know, all right, mate?

..car crash extractions...

Lovely! Looking good.

..and water-rescue techniques...

Try and reach the pole.

..are all being perfected.

Helen is former hairdresser.

At 26, she's chosen a whole new career and lifestyle.

I just got to a stage in my life where I needed to get settled

near home, see, like, certain family members growing up

and I needed a challenge. I needed something

a lot more worthwhile doing.

Everybody happy?

THEY MUMBLE

-Don't sound very convincing. Everybody happy?

-Yes, sir!

That's better! Feet up. Follow on. Bend down. Squidge in.

Keep on going. Round again.

Mr Ray, stop when you get up there for me, please.

Today, she and her fellow trainees

are learning how to rescue fire

and smoke casualties whilst wearing breathing apparatus.

Obviously, it's a bit nerve-racking,

quite claustrophic and quite hard, but you get over it.

I've got to, if I want to have

a nice, long, successful career with it.

We'll apply pressure as if they were arriving at a fire.

Tuck all your low straps in.

They'll start to get a bit flummoxed.

They won't put their kit on properly because there's being a bit of pressure applied to them.

You see how your glove is there? Do it properly, please.

It's necessary to apply that level of pressure so that the individuals

can react safely under that sort of pressure.

So the first two, get your personal lines out.

Guidelines are the ropes firefighters

use to find their way out of buildings in zero visibility.

You grab the line with the other hand. Like that, yeah.

The golden rule - stay connected to the line at all times.

Ah-ah! No. You're coming off the line.

What was I doing wrong before?

So as you're coming along, yeah? Arm off, underneath.

Yeah?

It's also important to stay in contact with your partner

but on this exercise, Helen leaves her one behind.

Right, remember, do not leave anybody on their own, all right?

Teamwork.

Helen understands why it's important to get these things 100% right.

That's your life, basically, to get

out of that building, if you've got to,

there and then, without getting lost,

whilst there's a fire trying to eat you up, as well,

and you've got someone possibly screaming,

all at the same time.

Really challenging.

The next session revolves around how to physically carry people

from burning buildings.

Most of our casualties or victims happen at night-time.

Most of them have either got nighties on, pyjamas on

or, quite often, nothing.

If the skin on them starts to burn, it starts to melt,

they become very, very slippery,

so they're very, very difficult to pick up.

This is about technique, not necessarily strength.

So, if I pick him up like this, it stands a chance.

If he's slippery, he's just going to go like that and I'm going to

lose him, so I need to get that wrist there and that one there, OK?

I'm going to crouch down like that.

-I've now got a straight back. OK. You ready, Derek?

-OK.

OK. Derek's ready. After three. One, two, three, lift.

I've used my legs, OK? And off we go.

Different scenarios are demonstrated.

Then, it's the rookies' turn.

One, two, three, lift.

First two. Come on, don't be shy. Quickly.

OK. Start up, test out, please. Quick as you can.

-Pardon?

-Start up, test out. Quick as you can.

Start up, test out means get ready and check your kit.

Someone didn't do this quick enough,

so I have to get somebody else in, OK?

So, proper buddy checks. Start to face each other.

You've now got people in there waiting to be rescued,

so, as quick as you can, all right?

Helen's struggling to be ready fast enough.

Right. Take it off. Next one. Quickly.

Volunteer. Start up, test out.

Quick!

All she can do is watch, while the others hone their techniques.

One, two, three, lift.

Helen isn't the first recruit to make such mistakes

and she won't be the last.

It's nerves more than anything. Nerves and the apprehension.

You take advantage of that as an instructor and you build on that

and build their confidence, build the skills.

OK. And that's as fast a buddy check as you need.

When they leave here, almost what they do becomes second nature.

Being the first time, obviously, I can't beat myself up too much.

We're only going to find better ways and improve on it.

Practice over, it's time for the casualty rescue exercise to begin.

Heavy dummies are going to be hidden in a building. The rookies must find

them and retrieve them, wearing full breathing apparatus.

While Helen waits nervously, the first pair is briefed.

Last-known location of the casualties are on the ground floor,

rear, and upstairs bedroom. The fire is out.

This is a search and rescue operation only.

To pass the course, skills learned must be followed to the letter.

If this was a real fire, gaps which let heat in could prove fatal.

Now, what have we got here? Safely on there.

Come on. We've got to go.

As soon as they get inside, the firefighters are plunged

into darkness.

They need to make their way through a maze of rooms and find

their way to the top of the building,

looking for casualties en route.

Come on! Let's go!

Come on! You're holding everybody up! There's people to rescue!

Helen entered the building in the second phase. She's successfully

led her group to the top.

Because she will emerge first,

Helen needs to remember to check the window sill

is secure before stepping out.

Come on! Let's sort it out! Let's dig in, work hard.

That's it. Good. Checking your footing.

Well done, number one.

Helen's made a good start, but the exercise is far from over.

What we're doing is just changing your cylinder.

We're going to put a fresh cylinder on for you.

Now Helen's air cylinder's been replaced, it's onto phase two.

Carry on. Guideline B, please.

She and her partner must go down into a mock sewer,

find two heavy casualties...

Right, then. Let's move! Let's go!

..and then defy their exhaustion to drag them to safety.

Let's get that casualty out! Come on!

Helen's only five foot two,

but as far as modern firefighters are concerned, size doesn't matter.

The Fire Service, historically, is about being big, bulky,

strapping lads. That kind of stereotyped image

is gone. The Fire Service now is more about

mental awareness and mental determination.

And Helen certainly isn't lacking in that.

She's dragged a heavy dummy 25 metres.

Come on. That's it. Work hard, push on!

Good, number two. That's it. Get the information.

Get the information.

Shift!

Come on! Let's pick it up! Let's move it along!

Let's get them casualties out.

30 minutes after starting the exercise,

Helen reaches the finish line.

Get him out. Get him clear.

But there's one last test of her strength of character.

The tutors pretend there are more dummies inside

that need dragging out.

Is the exhausted recruit up for going back in?

We need to go again. Still somebody in there.

-Go again. Guideline A, go again.

-Right.

Without hesitation, Helen agrees.

Come on! Come on! Make sure it's guideline A.

Go!

Just through the doorway, we'll get them together, huddle them together

and we can say, "Right, relax, just relax. Take a nice, big,

"deep breath. When you're ready, we'll unclip and we'll go back

"outside and you can take the equipment off."

Over the course of the last seven hours, Helen has shown her

mettle and convinced herself that

when real casualties need rescuing, she'll be up to it.

A lot more confident.

I'm quite excited to do it again. but perhaps with fire,

whereas, before, I was completely dreading the whole situation!

I tend to beat myself up a lot

when I can't do something as well as others.

Yeah. Finishing the day on a high, doing something like that,

it's a good feeling.

Back in Chester, rookie Police Special Sarah and her mentor,

Paul, are investigating reports of a stolen tandem bicycle.

It's been advertised on the internet

and the officers have the address of the man who's trying

to sell it.

HE KNOCKS

We're investigating a theft of a bike at the moment, OK?

And through inquiries, suggest that the bike may be here, OK?

Is it all right if we come in for a second?

The man denies knowing the bike was stolen when he acquired it.

He says it's at his workshop, so the officers head there to check

if that's the truth.

He, for a living, buys old or broken bikes and he does them up

and then sells them on again through auction sites.

He's always going to run a risk of having stolen bikes

through his hands.

The man's story checks out.

As soon as they arrive,

Sarah finds what she and her colleagues have been looking for.

We opened the front door of his workshop

and the first thing we come to is a bicycle covered in a blanket,

like a, sort of, horse in a brown blanket,

so it's obviously the tandem.

More than 100,000 bikes go missing in Britain every year.

The owners of this one are in for a pleasant surprise.

if Sarah and Paul can get it in the van.

It might fit in.

Will it fit in there?

No. Might have to lift it. Yup.

Mission accomplished.

Sarah is buzzing after managing to recover stolen property

on her first day.

I get to put my initials on it and it'll be...

I think it'll be SJJ1, won't it?

Cos that'll be the first evidence that I'll have found.

But, hopefully, not the last. It's back to the nick,

bike booked in, statement written,

shift over, and Sarah has little doubt about the highlight

of the day.

It's got to be the blue lights, hasn't it?

Driving fast and the blue lights flashing, you know, watching

people's faces as you go past. It is quite exciting.

West Midlands Ambulance Service receives 3,000

999 calls every day,

more than enough to keep rookie paramedic Sam fully occupied.

On this hectic shift,

he and mentor Kat are responding to yet another emergency.

A six-year-old male

at the walk-in centre in Sunnyhill, with an allergic reaction

to cashew nuts.

Nut allergies are increasingly common,

affecting 500,000 people in Britain.

The most severe reactions lead to anaphylactic shock

and that can be fatal.

You can have airways compromised. Your airway will swell up

and, potentially, become impeded, which then puts you

at risk of respiratory arrest.

Look at that! Police escort.

-Shutting off the roundabout for us.

-He is.

-Legend! Woo!

Sam goes on ahead while his partner collects the kit.

Their latest patient,

six-year-old Louis, is clearly in a bad way.

-He's had five cashew nuts at his friend's house.

-All right?

Louis' facial swelling indicates a severe reaction.

Breathing problems could soon follow.

They need to rush him

to the nearest paediatric unit at Heartlands Hospital.

-We've been there a few times before, haven't we, babe?

-Have you?

You ever had cashew nuts before?

No. Wheezy chest when he was a baby.

The child's history of breathing problems is a concern.

Little trip up to hospital.

For a rookie paramedic, this is a major challenge.

Louis could deteriorate rapidly.

Can I just pop these straps on you,

just to make sure you're all secure, OK?

My course mate is a good driver.

Just to be on the safe side, all right?

This is going to go a little tight on your arm, OK?

Just measures how strong you are.

All right. Try not to break it, OK? There you go.

During the journey, the little boy's mum grows increasingly anxious.

I'm not comfortable with his thighs like that. He's being really brave.

Just doesn't look like Louis at the moment.

Sam monitors his young patient's breathing.

OK, Louis. I'm just going to have another listen to you, mate.

You all right?

Suddenly, a worrying development.

Louis' breathing is becoming compromised.

The allergic reaction is getting worse.

What we're going to do, just cos his breathing is starting to get

a little wheezy, that just indicates that he's possibly got

some inflation to his lungs,

the allergic reaction has just spread to his chest.

Sam has a big decision to make.

He could inject Louis with adrenaline,

but that would be an extreme course of action.

Instead, Sam opts for a nebuliser, to open Louis' airways

and, hopefully, deal with the immediate threat to life.

But now there's another problem.

Louis' throat might be closing up,

a common cause of death in anaphylactic reactions.

Sore throat? Yeah?

Here, buddy.

Have a big cough. Put this back on you, mate.

Kat's already driving at speed, but she checks with Sam to see

if she should go even faster.

Give me a shout if anything changes and you need me to...

He's just on a neb now.

For the first time today, Sam's feeling the pressure.

How you feeling now, Louis?

Good?

Good-o.

Sam assesses Louis' breathing. It looks like his condition

has stabilised.

The wheeze is still there, but it's no worse.

And his heart rate is stable, too.

My machine here says you're very, very strong.

You nearly broke it. You're stronger than me!

Sam notifies the hospital an urgent case is arriving.

Hi, I've got an alert for you.

There you go, Lou. You've got your blue lights.

-Can you hear them?

-Those are for you.

They reach the hospital, where, despite being stabilised,

Louis will need immediate specialist care.

Sam and Kat are working together like a well-oiled machine.

As planned, the hospital staff are waiting for Louis

and Sam prepares his young patient for what's going to happen next.

Now, Louis, lots of people are going to be talking to you, OK?

But just try not to get scared and try and tell them

everything you can, all right, mate?

They're going to be asking lots of silly questions,

OK? Lots of weird questions, but it's very important you try

and answer them as best you can, all right, mate? OK, good man.

Louis' lungs are showing signs of improvement.

Sam's decision to use the nebuliser,

rather than injecting adrenaline has proved correct.

You do have to make some snap decisions

when you have a decision in your mind and you're

there going, "Yes or no? Yes or no?" And you've just got to do it.

And that's what I, sort of ,really did today, so I'm glad I did that.

I'm glad I was able to make that decision and just do it.

Kat is impressed with Sam's quick thinking.

Yeah, that all went really well. The nebuliser's stabilised him

till we got him to hospital, so good job.

-Their shift ends on a high.

-Yeah!

Sam's patient, Thena, was diagnosed as having a stroke,

but she recovered in hospital and returned home 48 hours later.

The owners of the tandem were delighted to get it back.

No charges were brought in relation to the case.

And Louis' breathing soon returned to normal.

He was discharged from hospital

and three days later, the swelling went down.

Rookie paramedic Ben races to a man wounded by a chain saw.

We want to get there quickly,

cos the patient could be losing a lot of blood.

Mountain rescue rookie Chris is scrambled to a man

with a broken leg.

Just put that arm round the back of Chris' shoulder.

And Police Special Martin spots a car driving suspiciously.

It becomes his first high-speed pursuit.

He missed the breathalyser and hit his head off the front seat.