Episode 5 Countryside 999

Rural Britain has some of the most

challenging environments in the world. In Scotland,

the mountains, lochs and coastline encourage

tourists and locals to get out into the wilds.

But with that comes danger.

SIREN WAILS

The emergency services north of the border

have to deal with extreme challenges every day.

They keep coming. We need to get through.

SIREN WAILS

From severe weather and treacherous terrain...

-Is the pain getting worse, do you think?

-Yes.

..to covering huge distances on country roads

with time against them.

I don't know if it's a collapse on the high street in Lockerbie.

They work around the clock,

battling against some of the most difficult situations.

We'll be right at the heart of the action.

Side by side with air rescue saving lives,

on the road with paramedics caring for the injured

and following the police fighting crime

as the emergency services work together to pick up, patch up

and protect the public in rural communities.

This is Countryside 999.

Coming up, the Royal Navy race to save a critically injured walker.

Wintry roads cause chaos for police in Dumfries.

Nobody in their right mind should've attempted to drive through this.

-SIREN WAILS

-And paramedics face the challenge

of reaching the elderly in scattered communities.

-Is she usually a lot more responsive?

-Definitely.

She's actually got a lot worse since I got her up.

Britain's countryside is a magnet for people seeking

the pleasures of outdoor life.

But adventure can sometimes lead to accidents.

In the Lake District, between 2006 and 2011,

there was a dramatic 50% increase in hill rescues.

2010 was the busiest year, with 600 incidents.

Taking the strain are emergency services like

the Royal Navy search and rescue team at HMS Gannett near Prestwick.

They cover a huge area to the top of Scotland

across to Northern Ireland and down to the Lake District.

TELEPHONE RINGS

It's 12:40pm, when observer, or navigator,

-Phil Gamble takes an emergency call.

-Yeah, I'll take that, yeah.

Helvellyn.

OK, we've got a, er...a man with head injury on Swirral Edge.

Conscious, but breathing, but he's worsening.

-Where is it?

-Lake District, Helvellyn.

A 60-year-old hill walker has fallen off a cliff

at the Lake District's highest fell - Helvellyn.

His injuries are severe, so the crew must scramble fast.

RADIO BROADCAST BEGINS

Good afternoon, readable? Over.

The team are heading 90 miles south to the eastern fell range.

The walker has fallen from a ridge

that's particularly treacherous in bad weather.

The accident has happened in an extremely remote area,

completely inaccessible by road.

With such severe injuries,

the man's best hope is to be rescued by helicopter.

Emotionally, um, going down there, you're on a high,

because you know this guy needs immediate assistance.

'Transit down, the weather was fine,

'but we had reports of low cloud in the Lakes and snowstorms as well.'

A local mountain rescue team is with the casualty.

With the poor visibility,

they will be crucial in aiding the navy rescue.

As the Sea King makes the final approach to the ridge,

it hits a wall of low cloud.

If there's any hope of carrying out a rescue, they need a weather window

and they need it fast.

Bad weather affects all our emergency services,

but rain, snow and sleet can cause havoc on country roads.

This winter, Britain experienced the second wettest year on record,

leaving hundreds of homes and cars seriously damaged

and even some fatalities.

In Dumfries, the River Nith often overflows in heavy rainfall

and, when it does,

the emergency services are the first port of call for flood victims.

SIREN WAILS

Police constable of 15 years Matt Tate

and PC Ross Dickson are responding to a 999 call.

Last November, a man died trapped in his car during a flood,

so the officers race to make sure no-one's at risk.

Did you see somebody get out of the car?

Fortunately, the car is empty, but now they need to find the owner.

Nobody in their right mind should've attempted to drive through this.

Must be a foot and a bit deep, you know.

You can see, it's all flowing down into the college as well.

But that doesn't mean some people still won't try.

Before anyone else has the same idea,

Matt and Ross tape off the area and head to a nearby college,

where they believe the owner, Jacqui, is taking refuge.

-Jacqueline?

-Yes.

THEY CHATTER, VOICES ECHO

Your car, what's happening?

I was going to go on the road from, um, Bankend,

and the road has been very, very wet,

I didn't see a flooded sign there, though the road in places

was flooded, and I was only doing about 20, 15 miles an hour

and just went in and it just got deeper and deeper

and, by the time I realised I was in trouble,

it was too late to go back, and so I was stuck, basically.

Hiya, who's speaking?

The problem is, once a car gets flooded, the engine can seize up.

Matt calls a specialist recovery truck.

Roger, that's received, just in the log.

I spoke to the recovery agent and they should be about 15-20 minutes,

so hopefully we'll have it recovered in half an hour.

Once the recovery vehicles arrive,

the car is salvaged and Jacqui's taken home.

It's pretty bad. An awful lot of water came off the hill,

so, yeah, anticipate that,

but it won't be the last call we'll get today regarding

that sort of situation, but hey-ho, we just deal with it as it comes in.

Time for a cup of tea.

In the Lake District, a man was out hill walking with his daughter

when he fell 100 feet down a cliff. He's very seriously injured.

The Royal Navy search and rescue team have been called out

as he urgently needs to get to hospital.

But bad weather is causing a dangerous delay.

'When we got there, it was actually a shock how low the cloud base was

'and we were in a snowstorm as well.'

And so, it's difficult, um, you see, your adrenaline's high and you just

want to get straight to casualty as soon as possible,

but you put yourself and the aircraft in danger if you go into cloud.

The helicopter gets as near to the casualty as possible,

but he's on a steep cliff covered in cloud.

It's just too dangerous for them to fly any closer.

They have no option

but to land on boggy ground further down the valley.

Observer Phil Gamble keeps in constant contact

with the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team.

They're with the casualty

and will need to lower him by rope down below the cloud line.

They must keep the helicopter running

to prevent it sinking into the boggy ground.

But with every minute ticking by it's burning up precious fuel.

The seriousness of the injured walker's condition

means he has to get to hospital urgently.

All the crew can do right now is wait.

With the mountain rescue team finally in sight,

the Sea King helicopter moves position

to get closer to the seriously injured hill walker.

Now, every second counts.

Pilot Lloydy hovers the helicopter by the side of the mountain

as winchman Lee prepares for a rapid uplift.

Easy, easy, steady. Happy position.

OK, just put the man out.

The terrain is too steep and treacherous for a landing,

so they have to lower the winch.

OK, lower the winch.

Slow things down there, Lee.

Ten feet from the ground.

And on the ground now, working with the winch.

First, the mountain rescue team's medic, Dr John Ellerton,

is winched up to receive the critically injured walker Peter.

And one man aboard.

Right now, Peter's life is hanging in the balance.

Peter was walking with his daughter Rosie

when he fell 100 feet down the rocky mountainside.

This photo was taken just minutes before he fell.

His foot just went from under him.

He fell out onto his side and, um, I thought,

"Oh, he'll get back up in a minute," but he kept going and kind of rolled

and, as he rolled, he obviously built up some momentum.

I knew straight away that it was serious. I just knew in my stomach.

I just knew.

Stretcher's attached. Raise the winch, raising the winch.

Left only three yards, slowly.

Roger. So raising the winch, raising the winch.

Two hours after the navy received the emergency call,

Peter is finally on board the helicopter.

And lower the winch. Lower the winch, lower the winch. Stop the winch.

Peter's been lifted from the hill.

But the battle is far from over.

Rosie has to travel to the hospital by road,

leaving medic John battling to save her dad's life.

The wide expanses and long winding roads of Britain's countryside

can provide challenges for the emergency services,

particularly when it comes to reaching the older generation.

In Dumfries and Galloway, over 30% of the population are aged over 60.

Many live in remote areas.

For paramedics here, the time taken to reach these patients

can mean the difference between life and death.

Dumfries trainee ambulance technician Hayley Skinner

has always wanted to be at the front line of saving lives.

It was always one of these dream jobs that I seen,

that I never actually thought I could do.

And then eventually I said to myself, you know,

"If you want something hard enough, you'll get it."

So I did it, and here I am.

And loving it.

A 999 call has just come in.

Hayley is responding, along with her colleague, Elaine May.

Got a call to a 90-year-old female with a query stroke.

Casualty is apparently conscious and breathing.

The patient, Nancy,

lives a mile and a half away from the ambulance depot in Dumfries.

Elaine puts her right foot down and gets there in four minutes flat.

90-year-old Nancy is sitting up, but unresponsive.

A stroke is a strong possibility.

Nancy, this is just going to squeeze your arm, OK?

And take your blood pressure.

OK?

-Is she usually a lot more responsive?

-Oh, definitely.

Blood pressure's OK.

Yesterday, Nancy had a fall.

When her carers came in this morning,

she wasn't her normal, talkative self.

They immediately called 999.

Do you think that she's worse today than she was yesterday?

When you took her to bed yesterday...

She's actually got a lot worse since I got her up.

Elaine checks if Nancy is able to communicate clearly.

A possible symptom of a stroke.

Hayley spots another possible symptom.

Weakness in Nancy's hands.

-Nancy? Can you squeeze my hand?

-Mm...

That's good. And what about this one?

Can you squeeze this hand?

Can you squeeze it?

Unable to grip and clearly confused,

Nancy has almost certainly had a stroke.

She needs to get to hospital.

Take you to the hospital, OK?

One, two, three... Up we go, there we are.

Mm. Just onto this chair. You're on.

That's you.

Pop your feet on there.

Nancy's home is five minutes' drive from Dumfries hospital.

But in this rural area not everyone lives so close.

There have been times we've been out to very rural places,

where people are really old and very unwell, and sometimes you think,

"Is it time to get into the town, get closer to hospital?"

But they're just so independent,

just want to be living in their own house,

and they just take that on board,

that they're just going to have to wait for an ambulance.

OK, do you want to stand up with me?

-To stand up?

-Yes, thank you.

-OK.

-That's it.

That's you, Nancy.

Just a wee spring over onto there. That's you.

The old ones are absolutely fantastic,

they never complain and take so much more pain than the younger people.

Such lovely old people.

OK, Nancy, I'm just going to give you a wee drop of oxygen.

It'll just help you breathe a wee bit better, all right?

I just need to place this over your face, all right?

-Yes.

-That OK?

-Yes.

There you are.

Placed her on a little bit of oxygen just now,

just to aid with her oxygen saturation and her breathing.

And we're just a short distance form the hospital

so we'll be up in the hospital in a couple of minutes.

OK, that's us here. We'll just get you out, all right?

OK, thank you.

Nancy's swiftly delivered into the hands of the hospital team,

who'll be able to thoroughly assess her condition.

Over 90% of Scotland's landmass is rural,

with the vast majority of the country classified as remote.

So the onset of winter can provide serious challenges

for the emergency services.

Flooding here is treacherous enough, but, as temperatures plummet,

ice has the potential to turn many of our roads

into lethal skating rinks.

It's eight o'clock in the morning, and PCs Matt Tate and Stuart Rae

are carrying out routine winter checks.

Then a call comes in about an accident just south of Dumfries.

Got a report that a driver's just driven off the road

and gone through someone's front fence into a garden.

It's not difficult to spot the problem.

A car has skidded off the road and into William's garden.

I was in bed when I heard the crash.

"What the heck was that?" You know?

I rushed to the window, and of course my first thoughts

was for whoever was in the car, you know?

She seemed all right, just a wee bit upset.

I told her not to worry,

that the main thing was she's here to tell the tale.

-Do you want to come and...?

-Yeah.

Matt questions the driver of the car, 20-year-old Amy.

Basically, it's a legal requirement,

I'm asking you to identify who was driving that car, please.

It's possible that ice wasn't the only factor involved in Amy

losing control of the car.

Before he establishes exactly what happened,

Matt needs to check if alcohol's involved.

Do you agree to provide a specimen of breath,

and if not, what is your reason for refusing?

-OK. Been breathalysed before?

-No.

-No.

So, I'll ask you to put your mouth around the end of the mouthpiece.

Take a nice deep breath, form a good seal, and then start to blow.

Little bit longer. Bit more... That's fine.

Works in a traffic light system. Zero, pass, one, fail.

-OK.

-Yep, that's fine. You've passed.

Right, Amy. I'm going to advise you,

I'm going to ask you questions

in relation to the incident this morning,

and any answers that you do give may be used in evidence.

-Do you understand that?

-Yeah.

I tried to brake, but the car just sort of spun,

and I ended up...in the fence.

Well, I think I hit a post first, actually.

-So you tried to brake, and the car just spun?

-Yeah.

It was like I had no brakes at all.

-And you hit a post and then went into the front garden.

-Yeah.

Blatantly obvious that it's been caused by the hill

and the icy road conditions this morning. OK?

Amy's not alone.

In 2011 nearly 4,000 people were injured, and 32 people were killed

in accidents caused by snow or ice on the road surface.

Just, obviously, you need to be a bit more aware in the mornings -

I know there's nothing much you can do, but...

-No, no, the roads are treacherous.

-I think, cos there's a bus route...

Yes.

-You got any questions for me?

-No.

-No. That's grand.

While a recovery vehicle arrives to pick up what's left of Amy's car,

she waits to be picked up by her mum.

It's been a nasty experience, but she's had a lucky escape.

It's going to be put down to the weather conditions.

There'll be no criminal charges against the girl

for careless or dangerous driving this morning.

So, really, that's about it -

the main thing is that she's walked away unhurt, and it's just a bit

of minor damage and the insurance companies will pick up that.

So we'll disappear now and wait for the next one,

cos I anticipate there's going to be more coming this morning.

I've double-checked with the control room, the roads department,

the council's aware and it's on their list of roads to grit. OK?

I just hope I don't need to phone you again.

HE CHUCKLES So do I.

But no, that's us.

In the Lake District, a hill walker, Peter, fell 100 feet off a mountain,

leaving him critically injured.

The Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter

was dispatched to airlift him.

But bad weather hampered them, and they lost valuable time.

Peter's daughter Rosie was with him when the accident happened.

The worst bit was waiting for the helicopter.

It felt like it went on forever, cos I was like, "He's still up there,

"my dad's still cold,

"he needs to be in a hospital, that's the best place for him."

So as soon as I saw the helicopter I was so relieved.

On board the helicopter, the medics battle to keep Peter alive

whilst flying directly to Newcastle hospital.

Peter may also have spine and neck injuries.

His condition is critical.

They must get him to the nearest major hospital in Newcastle.

Speed is of the essence.

Continue down slowly... And quite good...

And left, to port ten degrees.

And easy, steady.

Now, now, now...

32 minutes after being taken off the mountain,

Peter's delivered into the hands of the waiting team

at Newcastle hospital.

I went to see him, and it was just like a scene from TV, it was crazy.

There was, like, blood on the floor, he had his head in the blocks.

There was machines going everywhere.

He broke his spine and his neck,

so overall there was three spinal injuries.

He'd hit his head, he'd cracked a few ribs,

and he'd broken his arms.

The medical team at Newcastle carried out a 14-hour operation

on Peter's spine.

His family feared the worst.

But he pulled through.

And now, three months later, he's on the road to recovery.

So, I still need to wear this corset thing to protect my back.

But hopefully next week the specialist will be able to say

whether I have to continue to wear the neck brace and this brace.

So hopefully next week the answer will be I don't have to.

So that'll give me a little more freedom of movement.

He can walk again, he's got no serious permanent head injuries.

It's absolutely amazing.

He had a few broken bones and that was it, from a 100-foot fall.

You know, considering the kind of state I was in

following the accident, I guess I'm lucky to be alive.

As for more adventures in the mountains...

I think my dad'll still go walking, but not mountains.

Just little hills, probably.

It's been all go for the emergency services in Scotland's rural areas.

90-year-old Nancy did have a stroke, but is now recovering back at home.

Peter's doing well.

He's had his neck and back brace removed, and can walk with a stick.

He hopes to get home soon.

And you thought it was quiet in the countryside.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd