Episode 7 First Time on the Front Line

Britain's next generation of emergency-service recruits

chosen from a pool of thousands.

Rookies like 20-year-old Ben,

starting out in his dream career as a paramedic.

It's been really good to be able to do some good

and it makes the job worthwhile.

And Police Special Martin, about to go out on his first night shift.

I feel nervous. First time I've done it

and I just want to make sure I get it right.

Outdoor enthusiast Chris loves adventure,

but has he got what it takes to save lives as part of Mountain Rescue?

You feel really satisfied and happy that you've been able to help.

They've survived months of intensive training.

-Come on, let's move!

-Get back!

-I've made contact.

-They've been tested to their limits.

-Spray, spray!

-It's burning!

-Stop panicking, don't worry.

All to realise their dream careers.

It is such a really good feeling, a massive sense of achievement.

Join them for their First Time On The Front Line.

In today's programme, rookie paramedic Ben

races to a man wounded by a chainsaw.

You want to get there quickly,

because the patient could be losing a lot of blood.

Mountain Rescue rookie Chris

is scrambled to a fisherman with a broken leg.

Can you just put that arm around the back of Chris' shoulder?

And new recruit Martin spots a car driving suspiciously.

It becomes his first high-speed pursuit.

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

In the West Midlands, rookie paramedic Ben

has already been saving lives.

On his first shift, he attended a road traffic accident

and treated a sick baby.

So far today he's had 10 fits.

Now more challenges await.

Ben's wanted to be a paramedic

since he joined St John Ambulance at an early age.

Doing that as a voluntary role

made me then realise that maybe a job in pre-hospital medicine is for me.

After school he went to uni

and graduated with a degree in Paramedic Science.

Then he got a job with West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Congratulations, you passed everything.

-Well done, the job's yours.

-Grand. Thank you.

It's been two years in the making, a lot of hard work at university.

It is such a really good feeling, a massive sense of achievement.

Before going on duty, Ben completed a six-week training programme,

culminating in an intensive driving course.

This is your responsibility,

and if you're driving on emergency conditions,

you don't want anything to go wrong.

He was apprehensive about the prospect

of racing to casualties for real.

It's quite a daunting experience

driving a three-and-a-half-ton big van

through tight roads and busy, congested streets.

We're risking our lives

and other people's lives on the road as well.

Under the watchful eye of instructor Steve Jeffreys,

Ben faced typical road hazards,

from wet weather conditions to heavy traffic.

You could actually have stayed in second a little bit longer there.

Be careful of drifting.

The problem is, you looked right and your vehicle was drifting left.

Despite initial nerves, Ben soon started to impress.

OK, that's perfect,

that's what you want, good use of acceleration.

Very confident, very safe.

Two weeks later and Ben's driving skills

are being put to the test for real.

He's on shift with ambulance technician Noel Philpott.

We have a female at the railway station, fallen.

Fractured, dislocated shoulder.

A fall that serious

means there could also be spinal or head injuries.

Ben needs to get to the patient fast,

but it's the middle of rush hour.

SIREN WAILS

Because they have little information about the casualty,

Ben and Noel empty the ambulance of all the kit they might need.

I've got the morphine with me.

How are you doing, all right?

Oh, we'll sort that. We're experts in that.

When they get to 69-year-old Carol

the pair need to work together

to establish the extent of her injuries.

I lost my balance. I was running for a train.

-Did you lose consciousness?

-No.

-You remember everything that happened?

-Yes.

-If you keep looking forwards for me.

-Just assessing the patient's spine,

because she's had a fall, she's bumped her head.

What we don't want to do is stand her up and get her onto the bed

and we notice that she's got some pain in her spine.

Carol's a keen walker

and was heading out on a daytrip with her friend Rita

when the accident happened.

We go walking on Mondays, five of us,

and Carol... We were running for the train and Carol fell.

We need to have a good look at it

and stripping you off in the middle of the platform is not really good.

-It's not dignified, is it?

-No.

Carol's putting on a brave face,

but Ben senses her injury is extremely painful.

-How bad's your pain at the moment?

-I feel sick and cold.

-Would you like anything for the pain?

-Yes.

Doing everything by the book,

Ben needs to check Carol's blood pressure,

before he gives her strong painkillers.

-Don't let me see it, because I hate needles.

-Ah, we won't.

Well, you can look at me while Noel does it.

You can look at my ugly mush instead.

It's quite handsome, really!

-Sweetpea, you OK?

-Yeah, look at me.

Carol's fear of needles means the pressure is on

to hit the vein first time.

And that's exactly what happens.

This is now the morphine, so this will be the pain relief.

So, we'll give it nice and slowly to start with.

Carol soon feels the benefit.

Let me clear up my mess and then we'll get you on to the bed.

One, two, three. There we go.

Now Carol's pain is under control,

she can be moved to the ambulance for a full assessment.

We'll have a look at your arm now and we'll see what we can find.

The next challenge is to examine Carol's shoulder injury

-without causing further damage.

-We'll do all the movements.

There we go.

-Pain along there?

-No.

-Ow!

-There?

-Yeah. Sorry.

OK, no problem.

We'll leave you be, because we don't want to cause you any more pain.

Carol's shoulder could be badly dislocated.

En route, Ben administers further pain relief.

And he's learnt reassuring words are just as important

-to anxious patients.

-I'm feeling quite light-headed.

Hopefully, it's just dislocated.

They'll X-ray you when we get to hospital.

I'm just wondering what they're going to do to put it back in?

If they do have to put it back in place, don't worry about it,

they give you quite strong painkillers.

-Do you often do the walks?

-Every Monday.

-OK.

Last week, we walked... Where was that? I've forgotten.

It's the trouble with memory these days!

Blame the morphine! THEY LAUGH

Ben's done a great job taking Carol's mind off the pain.

Her next destination - the hospital X-ray department.

The first shout of the shift has gone well.

Ben's really good to work with, knowledgeable, really knowledgeable,

and he's got a good rapport with the patients.

We join the job to make a difference

and, you know, when we have made a difference

you'll go home feeling worthwhile and you've done some good.

100 miles away in Cheshire,

another emergency-service rookie wants to make a difference.

Police Special Martin Toner has one shift under his belt

and has already made his first arrest.

I'm arresting you on suspicion of two counts of Section 39 Assault.

His next challenge -

cracking down on illegal drugs and antisocial behaviour.

Martin's journey as a volunteer Police Special

began in Summer 2013.

Along with his colleagues,

Martin sacrificed 20 days of his time

-learning how to arrest criminals...

-Down, down, down, down!

..defend himself on duty

and follow police procedures by the book.

Everything that we have taught you is approved by the Home Office.

When he completed his training, Martin attended a ceremony

to be given his warrant card,

so he could go out on duty for real.

I'm slightly nervous.

It's a case of we're going to swear an oath

and we're being attested so we're going to be in front of a magistrate

and it's when we get our warrant cards.

So, yeah, nervous.

Martin Toner.

There to see her son become a Special

was supportive mum Eileen.

Immensely proud of Martin,

he's worked so hard to get where he's got in his life, really.

He puts all the hours in, all the effort,

and it's paid off to see him tonight, it really has.

A few weeks on, and it's Martin's first night shift.

This isn't a training exercise,

he's on duty alongside regular officers.

It's Saturday and the sergeant wants them to carry out

a late-night drug sweep in the Macclesfield area.

We'll be focusing on some of the pubs

on the outskirts of Macclesfield

and then working our way into the centre later on

as the night gets busier.

Martin's day job is teaching Information Technology

in a local comprehensive.

He's hoping his experience with teenagers

will help prepare him for the night ahead.

I'm in a classroom and sometimes you do face difficult situations.

I'm looking from you to be engaging, professional and knowledgeable.

Obviously, when alcohol and drugs come into play

people become unpredictable.

I've had some good training and, yeah, I think I'm prepared for it.

By identifying bars frequented by drug users,

the police can crack down on antisocial behaviour

and criminal activity.

OK, everybody happy?

-Yes.

-Brilliant.

Officers will search pub toilets

using swabs that change colour if they come into contact with cocaine.

I'm nervous, first time I've done it,

and I just want to make sure I get it right.

I think what the key message here is - "get in, get out".

That's what the sergeant said, so that's the plan.

Can you escort me to the female toilet please?

That was an offer the barmaid couldn't refuse.

-No-one's in. Can you just stand at the door while I go in, is that OK?

-What are you doing?

-I'm just checking for any evidence of drug use, that's all.

-All right.

-OK, thank you.

A chemical on the swab will immediately react

if there's a trace of cocaine.

This wipe obviously is pink at this stage,

which, obviously, I've just taken out of the packet.

So just essentially rubbing it over with a swipe. OK, it seems clean.

Rubbing here as well. Yeah, just a bit of grime there.

Any flat surface, really.

But then Martin's swab does turn blue,

so these loos have been used for drug-taking.

He reports his findings to the pub landlady.

The blue dots indicate evidence of some cocaine use at some point here.

She's asked to keep an eye out for further drug use

and report any suspicious activity immediately.

But Martin's pub-loo check is far from over.

Yeah, some evidence here.

In 2012, cocaine was the most commonly seized

class A drug in the UK.

I certainly wouldn't be sniffing any substances full stop -

but particularly off a toilet seat.

Not the most hygienic, is it, really?

Martin has one more pub to check

and he gets a surprise as soon as he walks through the door.

I've never seen a toilet with carpet before.

It doesn't take long for Martin

to find evidence of significant cocaine use.

You can actually see it. You can see the blue.

Actually smearing it again with this - look at that.

Yeah, it's a bit more prevalent in here, I think.

Yeah.

Definitely.

Tonight's operation has been a useful intelligence-gathering exercise -

intriguingly the toilets with the most evidence of drug use

were the ladies loos in family pubs.

Those pubs will be closely monitored in the future.

Yeah, there's definitely been some cocaine use.

Martin's mentor, Special Inspector Pete Luscombe,

is impressed with his protege's efforts.

Martin's certainly spot-on tonight. He's picking things up rather well.

He's confident, he's clear, he's concise in what he's doing,

who he's speaking to, and what he's saying.

You know, hopefully, I did OK. Obviously, I'm constantly learning

and developing, and that's the idea,

and put on the forefront, really.

Out of my comfort zone,

dealing with the situations,

taking the lead, which is something I'm getting to do more and more.

It isn't just Police Specials

who give up their free time to serve the community,

so do Mountain Rescue volunteers,

like primary school teacher Chris Steele.

The Lake District National Park

attracts over 14 million visitors every year.

But sometimes those holiday-makers get into trouble -

and that's where Cockermouth Mountain Rescue comes in.

Slow on main and safety.

The 40 members live locally

and work as dentists, engineers, carpenters,

and there's even a museum curator.

Slow, slow on main and safety.

The team takes its training very seriously -

not surprising when lives are at stake.

In this session team leader Mike Park

will stretch rookie Chris to the limit.

The challenges really are just for Chris to keep calm,

just follow the training,

it's just about spot the major problems,

get it sorted, get him on a stretcher

and get them out of here.

For this exercise, Chris has to find an unconscious casualty

and quickly assess the situation.

Hello, hello, can you hear me?

Provide first aid if necessary.

Then decide how to get the casualty to safety.

Can someone call for a helicopter, please?

We need evacuation.

Ready, brace, lift.

Chris has made an impressive start,

but the most challenging part of the training is yet to come.

Mountain Rescue often has to get seriously ill casualties

to medical help fast.

Can Chris give 100 chest compressions a minute

while on a stretcher travelling at speed?

It could mean the difference between life and death.

He achieved it with ease.

It was fun, yeah. It just proved though that we can move quite quickly

and still maintain the chest compressions.

Mike's pleased with how the new recruit's shaping up.

He just kept it all under control.

He got the team controlled, they were passing him the gear,

they were prompting him where he needed to be.

So, yeah, he was pretty calm and pretty professional, really.

A month earlier Chris and his colleagues

got the chance to put their training into action.

The team was called to rescue a fisherman who'd broken his leg.

Very quickly we were in the Land Rovers

and down to the local fishing spot on the river.

A third of Cockermouth Mountain Rescue call-outs

are for lower-limb injuries.

A local ambulance crew managed to get to the scene

but needed the Mountain Rescue team's expertise

to move the casualty - 69-year-old George Paterski.

I was so relieved seeing so many men attending to me

and straightaway one had a feeling that they knew what they were doing.

Time was of the essence, really,

because it's difficult to hang on to a river bank.

Rookie Chris wore a camera for the purpose of his training.

'When you get a minute, can you give us an update, please? Over.'

Also attending was experienced team member Martin Pickavance.

The river was in close proximity,

it was a potential hazard.

Our priority, really, was to make sure that as soon as we arrived

that everybody was safe, so the casualty and rescuers alike.

George's boots and trousers had to be cut off

so the team could splint his broken leg.

Are you feeling warm enough?

-Yes.

-Good.

Chris was right at the front

doing that job of assisting with the splinting of the leg.

Chris, can you just give George some support at the back there?

Can you just put that arm around the back of Chris's shoulder?

That's good.

We just got hands on, I think Mike got in the river

and made him feel more comfortable.

OK, George, we're just going to put a little bit of padding here

just to make it a little bit more comfortable.

'Dealing with left lower-leg injuries.'

The presence was so reassuring and so uplifting,

that even in quite a shock I felt quite secure.

Did you catch anything?

What, today? No.

I had some luck yesterday.

I dread to think what would've happened

if he'd gone back into the river.

One, two, three - well done.

Once George was wrapped in a warm casualty bag

and strapped to a stretcher, he was delivered to the ambulance.

Then within ten minutes my wife arrived

with my daughter and two grandchildren.

George's loved ones were grateful that the Mountain Rescue team

had carried him to safety.

Ready, brace, lift.

I think they were just relieved more than anything,

so that's what you get quite regularly,

and that's what's quite nice to see.

You feel really satisfied and kind of happy that you've been able to help.

West Midlands Ambulance Service

covers an area of 5,000 square miles -

it's the third busiest in the country,

with over a million incidents a year.

And rookie paramedic Ben and his partner Mark

are responding to another 999.

We're going to a 37-year-old man

who has cut his hand with or on a chain saw.

There could be quite some significant damage, you want to get there quickly

because the patient could be losing a lot of blood.

The call has come from a hardware store.

All right, mate.

What we looking at?

A rapid-response paramedic is already at the scene,

but even though Ben's a new recruit, he's expected to take charge.

Hiya, mate, what's your name?

-Habib.

-Habib, all right.

Ben needs to be briefed by his colleague.

Low blood pressure, or "hypotension",

can restrict the amount of blood

flowing to a casualty's brain and vital organs.

It could be caused by shock or serious blood loss.

Do you feel light-headed at all?

-A bit faint.

-A bit faint.

Ben wants to find out how the accident happened

before he examines the wound.

Did you cut it in here, did you?

-No, I was in my garden.

-OK.

I was chopping some trees.

Habib tried to make his own way to A&E,

but the 999 operator told his dad to stop the car immediately

and wait for paramedics to arrive.

They just happened to pull over at the local hardware store.

Ben's learning never to take any incident at face value.

Can you wiggle them?

Any numbness or anything?

Ben needs to get Habib up and into the back of the ambulance

so he can remove the bandage and assess the severity of the wound.

But Habib's hypotension could cause him to collapse

as soon as he stands up.

Ben must be extremely careful when moving him.

Can we get you to slowly sit up

and if you start to feel dizzy or like you're about to pass out,

let me know, and we'll have a bit of a change of plan.

Oh, OK. How are you feeling?

All right so far.

All right so far, yeah?

OK, we'll get you to stand up then, mate.

We've got the bed right here.

Have a bit of a walk.

Sit down there, mate, pop your legs up.

Will I take my shoes off?

No, keep them on. We don't do the washing.

Habib seems to be stable.

As soon as he's safely onto the ambulance

Ben will remove the bandage

and, with the injury inflicted by a chain saw,

he's expecting the worst.

We'll have to have a look at it, mate, if that's all right,

to see how bad it is, then we'll decide where's the best place to send you to.

The extent of the injury will dictate the next course of action.

Close your eyes if you want to, mate.

It's a six-centimetre-deep gash.

Habib's lucky not to have lost his thumb,

but there's still a significant risk of nerve or tendon damage.

We'll get some wet dressings and just pack it.

Does it feel numb or anything like that?

-No.

-Can you feel me touching?

Yeah.

Ben has a tough decision to make.

He could either take Habib to the nearest A&E

or give him pain relief

and travel further to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital,

one of the region's three major trauma centres.

Normally we go to the closest hospital,

which in this case would be Heartlands,

but if he requires specialist treatment

we might as well go straight to the QE.

With the decision made

to take the longer journey to the specialist unit,

Ben now has to reduce Habib's pain

whilst keeping a close eye on his blood pressure.

I've just gave Habib a small amount of morphine to start with,

because his blood pressure was quite low at first.

I don't want to give him too much, because morphine can drop your blood pressure significantly.

Hopefully by the time we get to A&E, Habib will be pain-free.

How are you feeling at the moment?

Bet you didn't expect this today, did you?

Ben's patient clearly feels he's in safe hands.

You know, you were on the case straightaway.

Less than 30 minutes after leaving the hardware store,

they arrive at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Habib will now receive specialist care from the trauma team.

Hopefully the prospects are looking quite good.

Obviously you've got plastic surgeons, orthopaedic doctors,

that can have a look at it and sort the injury out.

He's relatively lucky to only have sort of a minor injury.

It could have been a lot worse.

It was a job well done.

In Macclesfield, Rookie cop Martin and his mentor Pete

are responding to complaints about a group of drunk men

threatening people in their homes.

RADIO CHATTER

While Martin takes their details,

Pete tells them to dispose of their alcohol.

It becomes apparent this isn't the first time

these lads have been on the wrong side of the law.

Any of you chaps known to the police at all?

I've had a few run-ins in the past.

Have you? When was that?

What was that for?

Right, OK.

Martin follows his training and calls in the lad's name.

The Police National Computer reveals the truth.

He had an unfortunate run-in about three years ago.

Martin feels he has sufficient grounds to search him for drugs.

But to avoid escalating the situation,

he adopts a friendly approach.

Might be a few sweat patches there, so, at your own risk.

That's why I'm putting the gloves on!

You've got nothing sharp on you, have you? OK.

There are over 20,000 Specials volunteering in the UK.

They play a central role in community policing,

dealing with issues like antisocial behaviour -

as these youths now know.

Today the lad is clean and free to go.

-Thank you very much.

-All right.

-Have a good night, people.

No worries.

With the lads moved on, and their alcohol removed,

the neighbourhood should be able to rest easier.

Martin's stop-and-search was impeccable,

but he's aware he still has much to learn.

That's the bit that makes me most nervous, is the radio.

To be fair I think that comes with time.

-Yeah.

-You just get used to it.

I've said some daft things in the past.

-You forget sometimes.

-Yeah.

-It happens to everyone.

New recruits are encouraged to remain vigilant at all times

and Martin has spotted a car mounting the curb.

He suspects drink-driving. Pete calls it in.

We've got a vehicle all over the road, town-centre Macclesfield.

Could the other patrol stop it please,

it's heading up towards Mill Street.

Martin's radio skills are about to be put to the test.

He needs to direct another patrol car

so it can intercept the suspect up ahead.

This is Echo Delta 80570. He's just driving at the minute.

We're just at the bottom of Mill Street

and he's turning left on to Sunderland road.

Martin's guidance was spot-on.

The vehicle's been stopped in the town centre.

It's time to find out if he was right

about the driver being over the limit.

There's little doubt - the driver could hardly stand.

You can just tell he's definitely driving under the influence,

even to the point where he missed the breathalyzer completely

and hit his head off the front seat.

Drunk driving accounts for 10,000 reported road casualties

in Britain every year.

This drunk driver was an accident waiting to happen.

Martin's diligence has secured a result and might have saved lives.

We were just driving down the road, and he just seemed to speed off.

He was driving erratically,

he was mounting the curb.

On his first shift Martin arrested a man accused of assault.

Now he's taken a dangerous drunk driver off the road.

It's an impressive start as a Special Constable.

You know, a varied evening,

and I think a nice little spot to top it off.

Shift over - job done.

X-rays confirmed Carol had fractured her shoulder.

She received treatment

and hopes to be out walking with her friends again soon.

George's broken leg is healing well.

He's planning to be back fishing within the next six months.

The drink-driver Martin spotted pleaded guilty

and was disqualified for two years.

And Habib had surgery on his cut hand.

He's since made a good recovery,

but has decided to ask a tree surgeon

to finish the work in his garden.

Next time...

New paramedic Mark is faced with a multiple-sclerosis patient

whose life is on the line.

The drugs you've been given aren't working.

Underwater and under pressure.

How are you doing, mate? You all right?

Lifeboat volunteer Harry undergoes his first capsize.

Not the experience I was expecting.

You think, "My God, I'm going to get trapped."

And life as a Police Special.

Amber arrests a suspect who refuses to come quietly.

-All right?

-Do you understand?

-Do you understand?

-If you're going to take me, take this...

-If you're going to

-BLEEP.

They always get louder once the door's closed.