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.

The emergency services north of the border have to deal with

extreme challenges every day.

SIREN WAILS

Come on! We need to get through!

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.

Wintery roads cause chaos for police in Dumfries.

Nobody in their right mind

should have attempted to drive through this.

And paramedics face the challenge of reaching

the elderly in scattered communities.

It may be that the GP's upgraded the call to an emergency.

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 Gannet, near Prestwick.

They cover a huge area, to the top of Scotland,

across to Northern Ireland and down to the Lake District.

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

an emergency call.

Yeah, take that. Yeah.

Helvellyn.

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

Conscious but breathing, but is worsening.

So 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.

'Rescue 177. Good afternoon. 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, going down there, you're on a high

because you know you've got this guy who needs immediate assistance.

Transit down, the weather was fine, but we had reports of low clouds in the Lakes and snowstorms as well.

The quickest method of rescue would be to winch the casualty

up into the helicopter, but they'll need clear visibility.

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 Dixon 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 have attempted to drive through this.

Must be a foot and a bit deep.

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, Jackie, is taking refuge.

-Jackie.

-Yes.

Your car, what's happening now?

All right.

I was coming down the road from Bank End and the road is very wet.

I didn't see a "flooded" sign there,

though the road in places was flooded.

I was only doing about 20, 15 mph.

I just went in and it got deeper and deeper.

By the time I realised I was in trouble, it was too late to go back.

So I was stuck basically.

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 for the log.

I've spoken to a recovery agent and they should be about 15, 20 minutes.

Hopefully we'll have it recovered within about half an hour.

Once the recovery vehicles arrive, the car is salvaged

and Jackie is taken home.

It's pretty bad. An awful lot of water coming off the hills.

I anticipate it won't be the last call we 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 100ft 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 a shock how low the cloud base was

and we was in a snowstorm as well.

It's difficult, adrenaline is high and you just want to get them

to casualty as soon as possible, but you are putting yourself

and the aircraft in danger if you're going 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 are with the casualty higher up the mountainside,

attempting to stabilise him.

It's frustrating for the helicopter crew, but they have no choice.

The mountain rescue team need to lower the injured man hundreds

of metres down the side of the crag by rope, to beneath 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.

Later, the life of the 60-year-old hill walker

hangs in the balance, as the helicopter edges closer to him.

Dumfries Police deal with the consequences

of treacherous wintry conditions.

The driver has driven off the road

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

SIREN WAILS

But first, we join paramedics as they race to a woman

who's had a suspected stroke.

The casualty is apparently conscious and breathing.

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 on the frontline of saving lives.

It was always one of these dream jobs that I seen

that I never thought I could do.

Then eventually I said to myself,

"You want something hard enough you'll get it."

So I did it and here I am.

Loving it.

A 999 call has just come in.

Hayley is responding along with her colleague, Elaine May.

Got a call, 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 on icy roads,

battling bright sunlight, and gets there in four minutes flat.

Just a sharp scratch, that's it.

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

A stroke is a strong possibility.

Nancy? This is going to squeeze your arm and take your blood pressure, OK?

-Is she usually a lot more responsive?

-Definitely.

She never recognised me today, she is usually quite good.

Yeah, her 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 she's worse today than she was yesterday?

-Definitely.

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

Right, OK.

Nancy, I'm just going to take your temperature, all right?

I'm going to pop this wee thing in your ear, all right?

You're going to hear a wee beep, you're all right.

Elaine checks if Nancy is able to communicate clearly,

a possible symptom of a stroke.

SPEAKS INCOHERENTLY

Hayley spots another possible symptom,

weakness in Nancy's hands.

Couldn't squeeze my hand, couldn't lift her arms.

Nancy?

Can you squeeze my hand? That's good.

What about this one, can you squeeze this hand? Squeeze it.

Unable to grip and clearly confused,

Nancy has almost certainly had a stroke.

She needs to get to hospital.

We'll take you to hospital, OK?

Onto your feet. Up we go, there we are.

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.

Sometimes you think, is it time to get into the town,

get closer to a hospital?

But they are just so independent,

they just want to be living in their own house.

They just take it on board

that they are going to have to wait for an ambulance.

Do you want to stand up with me?

Yes, thank you.

-That's it.

-That's you, Nancy.

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

The old ones are absolutely fantastic. They never complain.

They can take so much more pain than the younger people.

Such lovely old people.

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

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

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

-Yes.

OK. There you are.

Just breathe normal for me.

We're just going to take you up to the hospital now.

Placed her on a little bit of oxygen,

just to aid with her oxygen saturation and her breathing.

We're just a short distance from the hospital

so we'll be there in a couple of minutes.

OK, that's us here, we'll just get you out.

OK, thank you.

We'll get you back into the warmth.

Nancy is swiftly delivered into the hands of the hospital team,

who will 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 roads into lethal skating rinks.

It's 8am 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.

Just a report that a driver has driven off the road

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

It sounds like the driver is uninjured,

but Matt and Stuart need to keep all options open.

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?

And I rushed to the window

and of course my first thoughts was for whoever was in the car.

However, the wee girl, by now, was out the car

and I popped me head out the window and asked if she was all right.

She said yes.

Quickly changed and came down and she seemed all right.

Just a wee bit upset. I told her not to worry

and the main thing was she was here to tell the tale.

Do you want to make your way towards our van?

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

OK, I will go through the formal part of the procedure.

I've got to require you under the terms of Section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988

to identify to me the name of the driver of that white Ford Ka.

It's a legal requirement.

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

-It was me.

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?

-That's OK.

Been breathalysed before? No?

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

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

A little bit longer, a bit more. That's fine.

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

Yes, that is fine. You have passed.

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

I'm going to ask you questions in relation to the incident

and the answers you do give will be noted and used in evidence.

-Do you understand that?

-Yes.

-I've got to write this down,

so I'll ask you just to explain in your own words what happened,

but please, don't go off at a gallop because I can't write that quick.

I tried to brake but the car just sort of spun

and I ended up in the fence.

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?

-Yes.

Blatantly obvious that it's been caused by the hill

and the icy road conditions this morning. OK.

Amy is 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...need to be a bit more aware in the mornings.

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

-There was no grit on the road.

-No, the roads are treacherous.

-I thought there would be, cos it's a bus route.

-Yes. Any questions for me?

-No, that's fine.

-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 road weather condition.

There'll be no criminal charges against the girl for careless or dangerous driving.

Really that's about it, the main thing is that she's walked away

with...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,

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

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

the council is aware. It's on their list of roads to grit.

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

MAN LAUGHS

Let's hope not. No, that's us.

In the Lake District, the Royal Navy search-and-rescue team

are desperately trying to reach a critically injured hill-walker.

But low cloud and wintry weather meant

they had to land in a valley, unable to do anything

except wait for the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team.

They are lowering the casualty several hundred feet,

by rope, to beneath the cloud base.

For co-pilot Croc, November signals the arrival of the most

challenging season for the search-and-rescue team.

At last, the mountain rescue team finally appear below the cloud line

with 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.

The terrain is too steep and treacherous for a landing,

so they have to lower the winch.

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

is winched up to receive the critically injured walker, Peter.

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

Two hours after the Navy received the emergency call,

Peter is finally on board the helicopter.

Roger, lower the winch. Stop the winch.

He's been lifted from the hill, but the battle is far from over.

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 onto his side and I thought "He'll get back up on a minute,"

but he kept going and he kind of rolled, and as he rolled

he built up some momentum. I knew straight away that it was serious.

I just knew in my stomach. I just knew.

Rosie has to travel to the hospital by road,

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

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.

Where he was, in the Lake District, they wanted to get him to Newcastle.

I have no idea how long that would take them by road.

But to get them from that position down to a car at least

would certainly add another couple of hours.

For us to be on scene and pick up from where the mountain rescue team left off

certainly enabled that casualty to get to the next level of care as quickly as possible.

Continue down slowly, and left.

32 minutes after being taken off the mountain, Peter is delivered

into the hands of the waiting team at Newcastle hospital.

By road, it would have taken at least two hours.

My dad got taken to Intensive Care at Newcastle.

I waited in the family room and then went to see him.

It was just like a scene from TV, it was crazy.

There was 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.

Dumfries and Galloway NHS looks after a scattered population of nearly 150,000 people

living in an area of around 2,500 square miles.

There's a large, ageing population in this area.

With more people aged over 60 living here than anywhere else in Scotland,

they often need the help of the local paramedics.

I'm just going to pop you on this wee chair.

Earlier, paramedics Hayley and Elaine took Nancy to hospital

after a suspected stroke.

Now their colleagues Derek Rankine and Jennifer Irving have just received a call.

Ten minutes, on the way in.

The patient, Flo, lives in the rural village of Ae,

ten miles out of Dumfries.

With black ice on the roads, student Darren keeps the speed down.

-But then a worrying update comes through.

-RADIO BLEEPS

Go ahead.

We've now been updated

that the GP's upgraded the call to an emergency

cos he's worried about the patient's condition.

Whether it's deteriorating, or he maybe doesn't want

to leave the patient at home too long...

Now the case is an emergency, the ambulance needs to speed up.

There's a lot of black ice on the road, so we'll have to be careful.

Even though it's an emergency, we'll still have to take our time,

cos, obviously, we're no good to the patient if we end up in a ditch.

They need to get to Flo as quickly as possible.

20 minutes after the call, they arrive at Flo's home,

where she lives with her husband, Wilf.

Come on. Sorry.

-Are you normally shaky like that, Flo?

-No, it's usually that one.

-It's usually that one that shakes.

-Yeah. That's normal for you?

-Yeah.

-Right.

Flo's struggling to breathe.

They use a defibrillator to monitor her heart

and give her oxygen to assist her breathing.

-What's your dog's name?

-Meg.

-Meg.

Dogs can sense when there's something wrong, can't they?

So was this bothering you last night as well, Flo?

-Worse this morning?

-That's right.

The oxygen is helping, but Flo needs to get to hospital.

Husband Wilf is coming with her.

We've got you, Flo, it's OK.

That's it.

Just reverse like that, Flo, till you feel the chair behind you.

-I've got you.

-That's it.

-Thank you.

-You're down.

-Right.

-And what we need you to do, Flo, just put your hands together, in the middle,

-and we'll wrap you up. Have you been in one of these chairs before?

-A few times.

All right. So you know what's going to happen?

-You'll feel a bit helpless...

-Uh-huh.

-..but just try and relax as best you can.

Right. One, two, three.

Flo is taken to the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

En route, Derek finds out important information for the waiting hospital staff.

Are you OK? Do you normally sleep propped up with pillows?

Three pillows? Yeah? So if you lie flat you can't get your breath?

Have you had breakfast this morning?

-But you've not been sick or anything like that?

-No.

-That's fine.

Wilf has come along for moral support,

but he's having a little trouble with his hearing aid.

Are you trying to get your hearing aid?

Aw, right.

Flo and Wilf have been married for over six decades.

-64 years.

-That's good, isn't it?

-65 next year.

-Very good.

Oh, Lord! DEREK LAUGHS

With oxygen, Flo's breathing has stabilised.

That's us just at the hospital, Flo. We'll take in this bed that you're on. It's on wheels.

And we'll wheel you into the A&E department.

The worry is, when you leave like that,

the more short of breath you become, obviously the weaker you're going to become as well.

The fluid can lead to infections in the chest,

whether it's just a routine chest infection

or, worst-case scenario, it can lead to pneumonia,

which can obviously be quite serious, especially in the elderly.

For Derek and the team,

being able to help people like Flo and Wilf makes the job worthwhile.

It's nice to have patients like that.

It makes a big difference

when you feel you're doing something that's helping a lovely couple like that.

It's been a busy winter for the Dumfries Police.

They've been dealing with the fallout from wet and icy weather

across the countryside, and it's not over yet.

PC Ross Dixon is back on shift with PC Andy Wheeler.

A 999 call has just come in.

We've just received a call from a motorist down near Southerness,

which is at the sort of southern end of our beat.

A car's stuck in the road. It seems that she's possibly been trying

to turn the vehicle and she's got some of the wheels stuck

in the soft verge, so we're going to get down there

and see if we can help her out, or assist in any way.

Within 20 minutes, they've found the stranded vehicle,

which is blocking a busy road.

Certainly it's well bogged down at the front. We'll go and have a look and see what we can do.

Driver Fiona's attempts to move the car

have so far been unsuccessful.

It's now wedged across the road by a bus stop.

Ross gets stuck in.

ENGINE REVS

But, even with both officers putting their backs into it,

the car won't budge.

Ross has another idea.

Hang on a minute. I'll tell you what,

I'm going to drive to that farm down there and see if we can get a tractor.

Being in the country has its benefits.

With a farm 200 yards away,

Ross is hoping there'll be someone with access to a tractor to help tow the car.

How are you getting on, mate? Are you all right? Sorry to bother you.

There's a car stuck on the grass verge up the road there,

just at the junction. You couldn't give us a hand with a tractor, could you?

Just to try and get her out, aye.

We cannae push it out and we cannae do anything.

Would that be all right?

No, we haven't.

-Something like that'd be great. Cheers, mate. Thank you.

-OK.

With the farmer to the rescue, plus some Good Samaritans,

and a length of sturdy rope...

..it's not long before Fiona's car is no longer stuck in the mud.

Yeah, this sort of thing quite often happens in a rural area.

We need to get something moved quickly if it's in a bad position.

It wasn't too bad here, but you can see how we all work together, and the farmer's quite happily come out,

and dragged the car out for everybody, and it sorts it out.

For Fiona, it's a huge relief.

These are the things we do, you know.

Very, very wet. Very muddy,

and, yeah, you don't have to save a life to save somebody's day.

So, aye, it's a good result, at the end of the day.

But sometimes it is all about saving lives.

In the Lake District, a hillwalker, Peter, fell 100ft 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 thought,

"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 battled to keep Peter alive

whilst flying directly to Newcastle hospital.

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.

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."

That'll give me a little bit more freedom of movement.

He can walk again.

He's got no serious permanent head injuries.

It's absolutely amazing. All he had was a few broken bones and that was it,

from a 100ft fall.

Considering the kind of state I was in following the accident,

I guess I'm lucky to be alive.

But as for more adventures in the mountains...

I think me and my dad will still go walking, but not mountains, just little hills, probably!

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

For Wilf and Flo, though, the news is not so positive.

The strain on Flo's heart was just too much

and sadly she passed away, just five days after being taken into hospital by the paramedics.

Flo's husband Wilf sent us this photo of the two of them in happier days.

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.

Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing by Red Bee Media Ltd