Episode 8 Countryside 999


Episode 8

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From the Highlands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall,

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the Great British countryside is spectacular.

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But we work and play in it at our peril.

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And when things go wrong,

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the emergency services race to the rescue...

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This chap is having a heart attack and we need to get him in quickly.

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We've got a cow on the road. Countryside policing at its finest!

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..going hundreds of miles against the clock,

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battling the elements and braving the waves.

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From fields and forests to cliffs and country roads,

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we'll be right at the heart of the action

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with police fighting crime...

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I'm not arguing it, I'm reporting you for it.

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Paramedics saving lives...

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BABY CRIES

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And lifeguards patrolling the seas.

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We're there as the emergency services pull together

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to pick up, patch up and protect the public.

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This is Countryside 999.

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Coming up, Countryside cops wage war on dodgy drivers in Wales.

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The Cornwall Air Ambulance race to reach a man

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suffering a massive heart attack.

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And paramedics pick up a pensioner

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who's had a nasty fall north of the border.

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The great outdoors.

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We Brits make nearly three billion trips

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to the countryside every year.

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A relaxing run in the country may be a favourite national pastime,

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but scenic doesn't always mean safe.

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Forget the sedate Sunday driver,

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meet middle-aged man and his motorbike.

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Powys in Wales has 3,400 miles of road

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and bikers come from across Britain to enjoy its stunning routes.

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They make up just 1% of the local traffic,

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but account for 37% of the people killed or seriously injured.

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Today, PC Gareth Earp and Andy Rogers of Powys police

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are patrolling in an unmarked car

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in and around the village of Bwlch, a hot spot for antisocial driving.

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So, we're out here in Bwlch

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just checking the speed limits, enforce the speed limits

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and deal with any offences we can find in the motorcyclists.

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Every Sunday we run Operation Darwin,

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which is an operation to set up to educate and enforce the laws

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with regards to motorcyclists and cars, but mainly motorcyclists.

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Ex-armed-response cop Gareth has been working in traffic

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for two years after swapping his assault rifle for a speed gun.

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GUN BEEPS

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Oh, no.

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Generally, most serious injury

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or fatal accidents we have involving motorcycles

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are on a Saturday or mainly a Sunday, Sunday afternoon.

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And just by us being here,

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the bikes will wave to the other bikes telling them to slow down,

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if that works, that's brilliant, cos they'll ride slower.

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It's not long before Gareth spots his first

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speeding biker and gives chase.

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He may overtake on a double white line or do a dangerous overtake,

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he's actually riding quite tidily in all fairness to him.

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Although he's driving at 80 mile an hour in places.

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He's turning off here.

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He's not the ones we want, really. He's riding tidy.

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Although he's touched 80, the biker gets away with it, this time.

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But 20 minutes later, he's back, and riding his luck.

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ALARM BEEPS

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There you are, 43.

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MOTORCYCLE WHIZZES

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The motorbike we followed earlier that pulled off in front of us,

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that was doing about 80 miles an hour, he's just come through now at 43 miles an hour.

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There's enough there to pull him over and have a chat to him.

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Looks like this Steve McQueen won't be making his great escape.

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We're sat there doing speed checks in Bwlch

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and you've just come through there at 43 miles an hour.

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Through Bwlch. That little village, there, 30-miles-an-hour zone,

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you were doing 43 miles an hour.

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I've never met you before, never seen the bike,

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but over the last 20 minutes,

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I've seen you doing 80 miles an hour on the main road, and then, 43.

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I can't ignore the both of them.

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The reason we're there, lot of complaints from the locals

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about antisocial riding of motorbikes and things,

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you know, speed of vehicles going through, loud exhaust.

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..No, fair one. If you comply with the fixed-penalty ticket,

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no further action will be taken. If you don't comply with the ticket,

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you'll have a summons through the post to go to court.

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The biker's slapped with a £100 fine

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and Gareth and Andy scout for a new hiding place.

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But it's not just the two-wheeled weekend warriors

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pushing their luck today.

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ALARM BEEPS

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At 81, he can have a ticket for that.

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-Hello, sir, are you all right?

-Yeah, fine, thanks.

-Do you know why I stopped you?

-No.

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We were parked at the bottom of the hill down by the toilets,

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you had a motorbike behind you,

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you pulled out and overtook a couple of cars going up a hill,

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one car it was, and you went up to 82 miles an hour when you overtook.

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That bike was behind you initially.

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Have you got any points on your licence at all?

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82 is not...

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82 miles an hour is 22 miles an hour

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more than you should be doing, yeah.

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82 is fine for Brands Hatch,

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not the Brecon National Park.

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Unfortunately my hands are tied, 82 miles an hour,

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you're almost out of the realms of having a ticket, OK,

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it's quite fast for these roads on a Sunday,

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there's motorbikes on the road, other road users.

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82 miles, and you have a crash doing that,

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someone's going to get hurt. It's my job to go out there

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and enforce the speed limits on the road.

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Half of all road deaths in the UK

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occur on single-carriageway rural roads like this.

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There's a strict speed limit of 60,

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and a limit to Gareth's sympathy, too.

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I have got leniency, but at 82 miles an hour,

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there's not, my hands are tied, aren't they, yeah?

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Have you got any ID on you a all?

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The two options you've got, you can have a fixed-penalty ticket

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which is three points and a £100 fine,

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or you can opt to go to court within six months.

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Just watch your speed, there's a lot of us about today,

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and there's a lot ahead of you as well. So, just watch your speed.

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Later, it gets awkward when a nurse spends a penny

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and gets more than she bargains for.

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Hello, you all right?

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No, I've got to use the loo!

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For those of us lucky enough to live in the countryside,

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rural living is officially good for our health,

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but there is a trade-off.

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Miles from nowhere can mean miles from help.

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One rural emergency service going that extra country mile

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to get us medical care quickly, is Cornwall's Air Ambulance.

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From its new base in Newquay,

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the Helimed flies up to four missions daily.

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One in three of those will be patients with serious medical conditions.

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And today a 999 call has just come in.

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A man is suffering a massive heart attack and needs airlifted urgently.

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On shift, aircrew paramedics are Ben Mayhew up front

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with the pilot and Mark Fuszard.

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We've been asked to go and attend an incident

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of a 65-year-old male who is having a heart attack

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in ASDA in St Austell.

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The crew have got on scene

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and have done a preliminary ECG and he's pale and sweaty.

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So, we need to get him into hospital pretty quickly.

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The team are heading 15 miles east to St Austell.

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The 65-year-old man collapsed whilst out shopping.

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His wife found him slumped against the wheel of their car.

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It simply doesn't get more urgent.

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We have a saying which is, "Time is muscle,"

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and the longer that muscle of the heart isn't getting oxygen,

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then that part of the heart will die.

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We need to get oxygen to that part of the heart

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so it will function again correctly.

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Someone in the UK has a heart attack every two minutes.

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One in three of those will die before reaching hospital.

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What this man needs most is time.

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And the Helimed can give him that.

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By road he's probably about 35 minutes,

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but what we have got to take into consideration as well

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is it's half-past five, and it's going to be fairly busy roads

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in and around the Truro and the St Austell area,

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so 35 minutes at best

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whereas we're going to be less than ten minutes

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flying him from the scene to the hospital

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so, he's going to be in the cath lab being operated on

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before the land ambulance would probably even get there.

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Just 15 minutes after receiving the 999 call,

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the crew spot the supermarket.

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There's ASDA.

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The road's been closed...

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we're right over the back of it, see that big white building?

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See the posts?

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They can't land in a busy supermarket car park,

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so, the crew have planned to use the grounds of a nearby rugby club.

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But first, they've got to find it.

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Two seconds, guys, I'm not sure this is the right rugby club.

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-Right, OK.

-It's right behind ASDA, so...

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Let me just get my bearings.

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Within minutes, they find the rugby club.

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Over on your one o'clock there's an ambulance there already.

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And it looks like the paramedics are already there with the patient.

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The crew now need to get him to hospital quickly

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or he could go into full cardiac arrest.

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Every minute's delay is heart muscle lost.

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Back in Wales, PCs Gareth and Andy have been

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on the prowl for country speeders.

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Earlier, they booked a biker for doing 43 in a 30 zone

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and a motorist doing 82 in a 60 zone.

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But saving lives isn't just about killing speed.

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The pair spot a driver using a mobile phone.

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Obviously, driving on the phone, you're not paying full attention

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to the vehicles ahead and the changing road environment.

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Hello, you all right?

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-No, I've got to use the loo.

-Do you know why I stopped you or followed you?

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I was on the phone cos my work called me.

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-Can I use the toilet quickly?

-Yeah, go on.

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She might be off the phone,

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but there's still one urgent call to answer.

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Come back here when you've been.

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Giving Gareth and Andy the chance to stretch their legs.

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Local carer Lisa had just taken a work call

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when Gareth and Andy spotted her.

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Do you know why I stopped you?

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-Cos I answered a work call.

-You drove past us.

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You had the phone up to your right ear, followed you in here,

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you were still on it when you pulled up here, OK. Fair cop?

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-Oh, absolutely.

-Right, have you got any points on your licence?

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No! I don't want any either.

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Unfortunately, being on the phone when you're driving

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-is three points, a £100 fine.

-OK.

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I've got no option other than to give you a ticket

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or offer you a trial in court.

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What would you rather take, a ticket at the roadside, or go to court?

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-I've committed an offence.

-A lot of people don't see it as straight as you.

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It's straightforward, I committed the offence. How do I get rid of the points?

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-Right, let me get a ticket out.

-I can't have many.

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-You can have 12.

-No, I cannot.

-How long have you had your licence?

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-In this country or in America?

-In this country, then.

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-Four months.

-Four months.

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-How long in America?

-20 years.

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20 years. You can have six in this country.

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-How can I get rid of them?

-They come off in three years.

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A lot of people have points on their licence these days,

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most people have points on their licence.

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-I don't want them on my licence.

-I know.

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-Right, have you got any ID?

-I've got my driver's licence.

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Can I have a look at that, please?

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Lisa's had her UK Licence less than two years

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so she can only carry up to six points.

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Three more after today and she could lose her licence.

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Driving using a mobile is a serious offence.

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You're less aware of your surroundings

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and four times more likely to have an accident.

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Right, couple of things, you don't have to say anything,

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but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned,

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something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.

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Not under arrest, just means I can write down any answers you give me.

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Next step for Gareth is to take her licence.

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You can either give both parts to me now and I'll get them sorted out

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with the points, or you can opt to take them to the nearest...

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-You are going to take that away from me?

-Yeah.

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-What do I use to drive?

-This ticket, this becomes your licence.

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It's up to you, you can either take them to the police station

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within seven days and they can take them off you

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or I can take them off you now and save you going to the police station.

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I don't even know where the police station is!

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If you get the other bit for me, I'll take it in.

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Just a bit of advice for you, a lot of people get hurt on these roads

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-with accidents...

-Oh, yeah.

-..killed, particularly on the A40.

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If you are on the phone, you get distracted, even...

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You don't realise how distracted you are.

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-You didn't see us parked there.

-No, I didn't!

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-Exactly, cos you were on the phone.

-Right.

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So Lisa is hit with a £100 fine and three points,

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but has she learned her lesson?

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It's taught me to turn the phone off when I'm in the car, that's all.

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Later, the cardiac team race to save Ted's life.

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A pensioner gets in a pickle over her paperwork.

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Certificate of motor insurance, there you are.

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OK, let's have a look at it.

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That's for a Ford Fiesta, you've got a Ford Escort.

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First, it's paramedics to the rescue

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as a Dumfries driver runs out of breath.

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Shaking, just my whole body is shaking.

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Just a horrible, horrible feeling.

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Dumfries and Galloway, a population of 148,000

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scattered across 2,500 square miles of farmland and forests.

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Just under half of all its towns and villages

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are classed as remote and rural,

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small communities where everybody knows everybody.

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When you're a rural paramedic, sooner or later

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you are going to find yourself patching up somebody you know.

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Today, paramedics Cormac O'Neil and Karen Richardson

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are responding to an emergency call from the local cops.

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A man has been found by the side of the road.

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He's struggling to breathe.

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The crew hit the blue lights

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and head seven miles north of Lockerbie

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to the village of Johnstonebridge.

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The man is with cops after flagging them down for help,

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but Cormac and Karen are struggling to find him or the police.

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..fitting the description. Over.

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Eventually they find him.

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For local lass Karen, it's a shock to see a familiar face.

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As paramedic team leader, Cormac's first on the scene to help.

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32-year-old local lad Euan had been driving

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when he suddenly felt ill and had to pull off the motorway.

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That's what's gone on, we just really need to

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control the breathing. It will pass. It will pass.

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You've no chest complaints like asthma or anything, have you?

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-No, I used to have asthma, but...

-Aye, you are too good a colour

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for there to be much wrong. I think you're actually breathing too well.

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Cormac quickly sees Euan's life isn't in danger,

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but it might not feel like that for poor Euan.

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He's having a panic attack and is struggling to control his breathing.

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So, under any sort of stress lately?

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No, just working long hours, that's all.

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It's the pins and needles and tightness in my chest

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-that is making me panic.

-It's exactly what it is.

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It's exactly what it is.

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-I had to stop three times on the motorway.

-That's exactly what it is,

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it's just controlling the breathing is the key to this.

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Did your hands tighten up into like a spasm sort of thing?

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No, just...shaking, just my whole body was shaking.

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Just a horrible, horrible feeling.

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That's just a sign of a panic attack, is the tingling in the fingers.

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Don't normally see it in the toes, like, but certainly in the hands.

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When we arrived, we very quickly established that he was

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suffering from a panic attack.

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Obviously, it was something which had actually built on him

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for the previous hour, hour and a half,

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he wasn't actually able to control his own breathing.

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Panic attacks are not life-threatening,

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but can be pretty traumatic,

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often coming out of the blue and difficult to control.

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Cormac's confident Euan's in no danger,

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but he's keen to give him a quick check over.

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Your blood pressure's raised a bit, but as you've gone through

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a stressful experience, you'd expect that to be slightly raised, OK?

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Oxygen saturation, because you have been hyperventilating

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is bound to be very high, 99%. Heart rate's normal.

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I just wanted to check that.

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How are you feeling right now, is the tingling still there?

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-Yeah, it is.

-Is it getting less?

-It comes and goes.

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Do you smoke, Euan?

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Yeah, but I've not had any on the way down the road.

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Euan's still not feeling 100%,

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so Cormac goes for a tried and tested remedy - the paper bag.

0:20:020:20:05

Breathe in, I want to see the bag open and close. That's it.

0:20:070:20:10

This may take a few minutes to work, OK?

0:20:110:20:14

Notice any difference at all in your fingers now?

0:20:150:20:17

-A wee bit. I'm starting to feel dizzy.

-What's that?

0:20:180:20:21

-I'm starting to feel dizzy.

-You feel dizzy now?

-A wee bit,

0:20:210:20:24

just still feel like I've got a tight chest.

0:20:240:20:27

That will resolve, it will resolve.

0:20:270:20:29

Euan's breathless feeling is caused by breathing too fast

0:20:300:20:33

and putting too much oxygen in his bloodstream.

0:20:330:20:36

Breathing in and out of a paper bag

0:20:360:20:38

means he's breathing in carbon dioxide,

0:20:380:20:41

which should balance out the oxygen levels and make him feel better.

0:20:410:20:45

It's a bit of a downward spiral, panic sets in, you hyperventilate,

0:20:450:20:49

tightness in the chest, feel like you are going to pass out,

0:20:490:20:52

some folk actually do.

0:20:520:20:53

It's a pretty effective, albeit crude, way of sorting it.

0:20:530:20:57

It does work.

0:20:570:20:58

Take as long as you need to resolve.

0:20:590:21:01

And the bag is doing the trick.

0:21:030:21:05

-I've still got a wee tingling there, but it's nothing...

-Is it tingling?

0:21:060:21:11

Just a wee tingle there,

0:21:110:21:12

but I don't know if it's cos I've been sitting on my hands.

0:21:120:21:15

With his breathing under control, Euan's starting to feel much better.

0:21:150:21:19

This is just to state that you're not coming into hospital with us

0:21:190:21:21

and you are happy with advice we've given you, OK?

0:21:210:21:25

In this case, despite all the wonderful kit

0:21:250:21:27

we have in the back of the ambulance,

0:21:270:21:29

a paper bag did the trick. We just got him to re-breathe into that,

0:21:290:21:32

keeping a pretty close eye on him and it did resolve

0:21:320:21:36

after 20, 25 minutes, whatever,

0:21:360:21:38

and he didn't need to travel to hospital.

0:21:380:21:41

Don't want to keep this as a souvenir, no?

0:21:410:21:44

No. I might buy myself a set!

0:21:440:21:46

Basically, all this is saying, Euan,

0:21:480:21:50

if it happens again or if you feel it coming on,

0:21:500:21:53

if you can just try and calm down,

0:21:530:21:55

try and regulate your breathing.

0:21:550:21:57

If available, get a paper bag,

0:21:570:21:58

just do exactly as you were doing there and just breathe it away.

0:21:580:22:02

OK?

0:22:020:22:03

Thanks to Karen and Cormac's bag of tricks,

0:22:030:22:07

Euan's now well enough to head home.

0:22:070:22:09

I was just coming back from Glasgow, just finished work,

0:22:100:22:13

and when I was coming down the motorway

0:22:130:22:14

I started to feel a bit sick and light-headed

0:22:140:22:16

and I started to get pins and needles.

0:22:160:22:18

So I pulled over four times and then I pulled off the motorway

0:22:180:22:22

and I was just heading to Lockerbie

0:22:220:22:23

and then I started to get the feeling again

0:22:230:22:25

and I thought I was going to pass out or faint

0:22:250:22:27

so I pulled over and phoned an ambulance.

0:22:270:22:29

I was just panicking a bit and I just felt light-headed

0:22:290:22:34

and the ambulance crew sorted me out

0:22:340:22:36

and helped me start my breathing again.

0:22:360:22:38

So I think I was just heavy breathing and I feel a lot better,

0:22:380:22:41

just a wee bit peace of mind

0:22:410:22:44

after the ambulance people have told me that I'm OK.

0:22:440:22:46

Back in Cornwall, the Air Ambulance team

0:22:540:22:56

are racing to a man who has collapsed in a supermarket car park.

0:22:560:23:00

There's ASDA.

0:23:000:23:01

65-year-old Ted was found by his wife,

0:23:050:23:07

slumped at the wheel of their car.

0:23:070:23:09

He's suffering a massive heart attack.

0:23:090:23:12

His life hangs in the balance.

0:23:120:23:14

Road paramedics are doing everything they can for him in the ambulance.

0:23:160:23:20

Every single minute is agony for Ted.

0:23:220:23:24

Ted, I'm just going to pop some of this spray

0:23:270:23:29

under your tongue, my love, all right? That's it.

0:23:290:23:33

The nitro-glycerine spray should help his chest pain.

0:23:330:23:36

-Ted?

-Hello, Ted, my name is Ben.

0:23:370:23:40

You may have just heard the helicopter arrive,

0:23:400:23:42

we just came in and landed right next to where you are,

0:23:420:23:45

and we're going to pop you off down to Treliske.

0:23:450:23:47

Ted, has that made any difference to the pain?

0:23:500:23:52

All right, so we're ready to go.

0:23:560:23:58

The team work quickly to prepare Ted for transfer

0:23:580:24:01

to the Coronary Care Unit or CCU at Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske.

0:24:010:24:06

This chap is having a heart attack

0:24:060:24:08

and we need to get him in fairly quickly,

0:24:080:24:10

so hopefully Treliske are actually awaiting our arrival,

0:24:100:24:14

so we should be there within about eight or nine minutes.

0:24:140:24:16

But it's important that we get him in very quickly.

0:24:160:24:19

Is everybody happy to do a lift across

0:24:230:24:25

onto the stretcher by just using the sheets?

0:24:250:24:27

It's a multi-team effort

0:24:290:24:31

from the aircrew and two road ambulance crews.

0:24:310:24:34

Now Mark can focus on easing Ted's pain.

0:24:420:24:45

Ted? You haven't?

0:25:070:25:10

Can you just nod or shake your head?

0:25:100:25:13

Have you had any paracetamol today? No?

0:25:130:25:15

OK, we're going to give you some paracetamol

0:25:150:25:18

through the little tube in your arm, in the cannula.

0:25:180:25:21

Have you any problems with paracetamol,

0:25:210:25:23

do you normally take it?

0:25:230:25:25

Ted? Just shake or nod or your head. You normally take it.

0:25:260:25:29

We're only about six or seven minutes to the hospital

0:25:290:25:32

and we are going to get you sorted out

0:25:320:25:34

and we'll give you something for this pain.

0:25:340:25:36

It's likely Ted's heart attack is caused by a blocked artery.

0:25:390:25:44

This blockage is causing this pain, the blockage in his heart,

0:25:440:25:47

in his coronary artery.

0:25:470:25:48

They'll be able to open the coronary artery up in Treliske, in CCU,

0:25:500:25:55

and that is predominantly what we want to get done

0:25:550:25:58

and fairly quickly.

0:25:580:26:00

In just nine minutes, the Helimed arrives at Treliske.

0:26:040:26:07

Ted, how are we doing? We're at hospital now.

0:26:100:26:15

And it's quickly into the Coronary Care Unit.

0:26:180:26:21

Mark and Ben transfer Ted to the CCU team.

0:26:360:26:39

How's the pain now, has it come down at all?

0:26:410:26:43

A little bit.

0:26:430:26:45

What we want to do is unblock that coronary artery

0:26:480:26:51

and get the muscle reperfused again

0:26:510:26:53

and get the oxygen back to that muscle.

0:26:530:26:55

What the guys in CCU are going to do

0:26:550:26:57

is put a little tube in, put a stent in,

0:26:570:26:59

so we can bypass that little blockage

0:26:590:27:02

and hopefully get his heart working again.

0:27:020:27:05

Time is of the essence, it needs to be done as soon as we can,

0:27:050:27:07

hence why we have flown him in.

0:27:070:27:10

Just 50 minutes after the Helimed team reach Ted,

0:27:100:27:13

he's on the operating table.

0:27:130:27:15

Everything rests on finding and clearing that blocked artery quickly.

0:27:150:27:19

Not only could it save Ted's life right now,

0:27:190:27:22

it'll give him a fighting chance

0:27:220:27:24

of making a good recovery in the long-term.

0:27:240:27:26

Back in Wales, PCs Gareth and Andy

0:27:360:27:39

have been busy booking reckless road users

0:27:390:27:42

in the village of Bwlch.

0:27:420:27:43

Now they're in Brecon, looking for dodgy motors.

0:27:450:27:49

They're using ANPR,

0:27:490:27:51

or Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

0:27:510:27:53

RADIO: 'MOT in order, insurance showing as not held.'

0:27:540:27:58

And it's just snagged someone.

0:27:580:27:59

Hello, all right? Could you just pull up here for us a minute?

0:28:010:28:04

I want to have a chat to you.

0:28:040:28:05

-We're the police, we are, we're in an unmarked car.

-Sorry!

0:28:050:28:08

73-year-old Anne finds a safe place to pull over.

0:28:090:28:12

The reason we've stopped you today,

0:28:150:28:17

your car has shown up as having no insurance on it, OK?

0:28:170:28:20

My vehicle has read the number plate

0:28:200:28:23

and it says there's no insurance on it.

0:28:230:28:24

We've done a check on the database

0:28:240:28:26

and that also says there's no insurance on the vehicle.

0:28:260:28:28

Do you think you've got insurance?

0:28:310:28:32

Where do you live?

0:28:340:28:35

Opposite the rugby club, just down the road here.

0:28:350:28:37

All right, I'll follow you down there.

0:28:370:28:40

You've got the certificate back there, have you?

0:28:400:28:42

Gareth decides to head back to Anne's house

0:28:450:28:47

to find her insurance documents.

0:28:470:28:48

-You jump on that if you want.

-You sure?

0:28:510:28:53

Yeah, yeah, don't worry about us.

0:28:530:28:56

I get very puffed out...

0:28:560:28:57

Yeah, you go up on that, we'll follow you up now.

0:28:570:28:59

Send it back down and we'll use it.

0:29:000:29:02

Whatever you do, don't smoke, cos in your old age it catches up with you.

0:29:020:29:07

Don't get old.

0:29:080:29:10

THEY LAUGH

0:29:100:29:11

So, you haven't had any letters or anything like that

0:29:150:29:18

from your insurance company recently?

0:29:180:29:19

No. I've had the confirmation letter through but...

0:29:190:29:24

It's here somewhere.

0:29:240:29:26

Certificate of Motor Insurance, there you are.

0:29:290:29:32

-OK, can I have a look at it?

-To the 25th of May, 2014.

-Yeah.

0:29:320:29:36

Everything seems to be in order

0:29:360:29:38

but ever-thorough Gareth double checks her number plate.

0:29:380:29:41

9-6-4. This here now is R964, and it's for a Ford Fiesta.

0:29:410:29:47

Oops! Anne's got her reg number and model type wrong.

0:29:470:29:50

-Ford Escort.

-I've got a Ford Fiesta.

0:29:500:29:52

-No, that's an Escort.

-Is it?

-That's an Escort. Right.

0:29:520:29:57

Basically, you're insured to drive a Ford Fiesta, which is R964.

0:29:570:30:02

-This is probably what the problem is.

-So, what happens now?

-Right.

0:30:030:30:07

I need to ring your company, and see, how they're going to play it. Right.

0:30:070:30:11

Fingers crossed they're open on a Sunday.

0:30:110:30:13

Right, they're open at 10.00, 20 minutes' time.

0:30:170:30:21

Do you want to stop for a cup of coffee?

0:30:230:30:24

So, it's a free coffee morning for the local bobbies,

0:30:240:30:27

but it could turn out to be an expensive cuppa for poor Anne.

0:30:270:30:31

She is not insured to drive that car.

0:30:320:30:34

However, if the error is on the part of the insurance company,

0:30:340:30:37

they may honour it and say, "No, we'll say she's insured and amend the paperwork."

0:30:370:30:41

If they say it's her fault, they will probably turn round and say

0:30:410:30:44

she's not insured. In which case, we'll have to seize the vehicle.

0:30:440:30:47

Which could mean 150 quid on top of a £300 fine

0:30:470:30:51

and six points on her licence.

0:30:510:30:54

The last thing Gareth wants is to take Anne's car.

0:30:540:30:57

If they do say you are not insured, you are at home,

0:30:580:31:02

what I will say, I'll use my discretion.

0:31:020:31:04

If you can get insurance today in front of us with a company

0:31:040:31:07

or even with them, just ring them, and change the details over.

0:31:070:31:11

I stopped a vehicle this morning showing as having no insurance on it.

0:31:110:31:14

She's insured to drive a Ford Fiesta with a very similar

0:31:140:31:17

index to the car that she has actually got, which is a Ford Escort.

0:31:170:31:20

Would you cover her or not?

0:31:200:31:22

Gareth is put on hold, and the waiting continues.

0:31:220:31:26

If Anne can't get insurance, losing the car will be a big blow.

0:31:260:31:30

Well, I can't walk very far, I get very breathless.

0:31:310:31:35

I mean, I've got a walker at the foot of the stairs I could use,

0:31:350:31:38

but not on a regular basis.

0:31:380:31:40

So, basically, I wouldn't be confined to the house

0:31:400:31:43

but it would make things very difficult.

0:31:430:31:46

And things get a little bit awkward for local boy Gareth.

0:31:480:31:51

Are you related to Graham?

0:31:510:31:53

-Yeah.

-Son?

-Yeah.

-God, I've known him for years.

0:31:530:31:57

Wyatt, he used to be called, Wyatt Earp.

0:31:570:32:00

Hello? That's OK.

0:32:000:32:02

Can you swap the details over with immediate effect? Right.

0:32:020:32:06

She'll have a chat with you now.

0:32:060:32:08

Can you do it for me now on this phone?

0:32:080:32:11

Anne can swap her policy which means the car won't be seized,

0:32:110:32:15

but there's no let off on the insurance offence.

0:32:150:32:18

Unfortunately for you, when we saw you driving, you weren't insured.

0:32:190:32:22

No insurance is an absolute offence, basically.

0:32:220:32:25

The punishment for that offence is a fixed-penalty ticket now,

0:32:250:32:28

which is six points on your driving licence and a £300 fine.

0:32:280:32:33

Dear God, I can't afford that.

0:32:330:32:35

I really don't enjoy doing this, cos you are not the sort of person

0:32:360:32:39

I want to be stopping and issuing a £300 fine to.

0:32:390:32:41

-I'll have a word with your dad.

-He'll stop my pocket money.

0:32:410:32:45

Here's three copies of the ticket.

0:32:460:32:48

Are you happy with what you have to do?

0:32:480:32:50

-Yep, yep.

-It's a horrible job, I'm afraid.

0:32:500:32:52

It is. I'm glad I'm not too far away so I can sort it out.

0:32:520:32:54

In your situation, I'd rather get the car back here.

0:32:540:32:57

You're back safe and sound, not stranded at the side of the road.

0:32:570:33:00

-And I can use the car.

-Thank you very much, Mrs Williams,

0:33:000:33:02

sorry to meet you under these circumstances.

0:33:020:33:04

-Oh, no, thank you very much.

-Try and enjoy the rest of the day.

0:33:040:33:07

I felt for her, I did feel for her,

0:33:070:33:09

cos she had no intent to not have insurance.

0:33:090:33:12

She was upset, especially at the fine.

0:33:120:33:16

Obviously, she doesn't work any more,

0:33:160:33:18

and it's probably hard to find £300.

0:33:180:33:19

It was just a genuine mistake.

0:33:190:33:21

I would say to anybody, whenever you get your insurance documents back,

0:33:210:33:26

check, make sure that your registration number is yours.

0:33:260:33:29

From four-wheeled woes in Wales, to car troubles north of the border.

0:33:350:33:39

Earlier, Dumfries paramedics Cormac and Karen came to the rescue

0:33:420:33:47

of a driver after he suffered a panic attack.

0:33:470:33:50

Now, it's the turn of paramedics Michael and Paul.

0:33:520:33:55

SIREN WAILS

0:33:550:33:56

They are responding to another incident involving a car,

0:33:560:33:59

but this one hasn't even left the driveway.

0:33:590:34:02

Working a rural patch means the pair

0:34:040:34:05

are used to epic cross-country road trips.

0:34:050:34:08

This time it's an urgent shout, much closer to home,

0:34:080:34:12

just a mile down the road from the ambulance station in Dumfries.

0:34:120:34:15

80-year-old Maurice fell

0:34:170:34:19

after getting out of his car and has banged his head.

0:34:190:34:22

Luckily, passersby were on hand to help and call 999.

0:34:230:34:27

Are you sore anywhere else apart from you head, Maurice?

0:34:290:34:33

Take care.

0:34:430:34:45

Is your back sore?

0:34:490:34:52

-Just your head?

-Yeah.

-Did you trip?

0:34:520:34:54

-You didn't faint, no?

-No.

0:34:580:35:00

Maurice's wife Joyce was getting the washing in from the back garden

0:35:090:35:13

when she heard her hubby shouting.

0:35:130:35:15

He was told to sit still, but he was coming out of the car

0:35:160:35:20

while I went for the washing, and he just went over.

0:35:200:35:24

How, I don't know, but he's no' good on his feet.

0:35:240:35:27

-Any pain on here?

-No, no.

0:35:290:35:31

Michael checks for other injuries.

0:35:310:35:34

-Which leg's sore?

-Have you got a sore leg, Maurice?

0:35:340:35:39

Your ribs? Sore anywhere?

0:35:410:35:43

No.

0:35:430:35:44

Sore anywhere?

0:35:470:35:50

Just up here, on your ribs? Can we see if we can sit you up?

0:35:510:35:54

Straighten your leg a bit.

0:35:580:36:00

His legs don't work much anyway.

0:36:000:36:03

OK, Maurice, bend yourself up.

0:36:040:36:06

How's that?

0:36:070:36:08

Dizzy?

0:36:100:36:11

You stay on the floor.

0:36:180:36:19

Michael's pretty sure there's no broken bones

0:36:240:36:27

so helps him up onto the trolley.

0:36:270:36:29

See if you can put your foot in the slipper.

0:36:290:36:32

It's clear Maurice is still a bit dazed.

0:36:380:36:42

There's a small laceration on the top of your head.

0:36:420:36:45

It will need stitched and we'll have to glue the laceration on your nose.

0:36:450:36:49

Right.

0:36:490:36:51

The next step is to work out why he fell.

0:37:000:37:03

If he has an underlying illness, it could have caused him to black out.

0:37:030:37:07

I'll take your blood pressure. Are you taking any medications?

0:37:070:37:11

-Joyce.

-What they for?

0:37:140:37:19

I'm just going to shine a wee light in your eyes, OK.

0:37:230:37:26

Finally, ever-attentive wife Joyce arrives with her husband's meds.

0:37:290:37:34

-Do you want these?

-Pills and potions?

0:37:360:37:39

I think he's just got two left to take some time tonight,

0:37:390:37:42

-that's there. That's the next day.

-Don't worry, we'll work it out.

0:37:420:37:47

-But anyway, it's a blue warfarin at 6.00.

-Okey-doke.

0:37:470:37:50

Right, I'm coming up in the car, I'll be up in about ten minutes.

0:37:500:37:56

-Eh?

-I'll come up in the car.

0:37:560:37:59

Oh, good. You're thinking all right then.

0:38:010:38:04

As far as Joyce is concerned, Maurice is back on form.

0:38:060:38:09

She leaves him in Michael's capable hands.

0:38:090:38:12

And can you remember everything that happened?

0:38:120:38:14

I was in the car, I was just getting out.

0:38:140:38:17

< Michael?

0:38:170:38:19

Yep, cheers.

0:38:190:38:20

Just lost your footing?

0:38:200:38:22

It looks like there's nothing sinister behind Maurice's fall,

0:38:250:38:28

just an unlucky trip for an 80-year-old who's a bit wobbly

0:38:280:38:31

on his legs.

0:38:310:38:33

-Do you know what day it is today?

-The date?

0:38:330:38:37

-No, day, what day of the week is it.

-Aw, it's Sunday.

-That's fine.

0:38:370:38:41

It's a speedy five-minute transfer to Dumfries Hospital for Maurice.

0:38:420:38:48

Where X-rays should confirm it's a relatively minor injury.

0:38:480:38:52

From a minor injury to major medical emergency.

0:39:070:39:09

Back in Cornwall, air paramedics Mark and Ben have airlifted

0:39:110:39:16

Ted to the hospital at Treliske.

0:39:160:39:18

Ted is suffering a massive heart attack and needs an urgent operation

0:39:200:39:24

to unblock an artery.

0:39:240:39:25

Dr Stephen Evans will be leading Ted's surgery.

0:39:250:39:29

This man is having an acute heart attack.

0:39:290:39:32

And we used to treat that by giving very powerful drugs

0:39:330:39:36

to dissolve clots but nowadays we bring them straight to the

0:39:360:39:40

operating room and do a thing called a coronary angiogram -

0:39:400:39:43

we look at the arteries supplying the heart

0:39:430:39:46

and try and find which one is blocked.

0:39:460:39:48

If you don't unblock it within a certain time,

0:39:480:39:50

that part of the heart muscle will die.

0:39:500:39:53

Ted will be awake and conscious throughout the entire procedure.

0:39:570:40:01

First, Stephen injects a dye into his Ted's veins

0:40:010:40:04

to see the flow of blood around his heart.

0:40:040:40:06

Keeping a close eye on Ted's progress is Dr Helen Roberts.

0:40:130:40:18

So, it should continue all the way down here,

0:40:180:40:21

but basically it's blocked here with a clot.

0:40:210:40:25

Stephen's found the blockage and passes a tube up from an artery

0:40:250:40:29

in Ted's leg to suck the clot out.

0:40:290:40:31

Basically, they've sucked the clot out using a special catheter

0:40:310:40:35

and that's opened up the vessel again,

0:40:350:40:38

so there's now flow going to the end of the vessel.

0:40:380:40:40

But poor Ted's artery isn't in good shape.

0:40:400:40:43

You can see the narrowing in the middle.

0:40:430:40:46

The clot's formed and blocked it.

0:40:460:40:48

That is critically narrow, so we need to put a stent in there.

0:40:500:40:53

Stephen puts a stent in the narrow bit of Ted's artery.

0:40:530:40:58

The stent acts like a spring that holds the artery open.

0:40:580:41:01

Where that narrowing was there before, it's now flowing through.

0:41:060:41:10

With the artery widened, Ted's now getting vital blood

0:41:100:41:14

and oxygen to his heart muscle.

0:41:140:41:17

Incredibly, he should feel the benefits immediately.

0:41:170:41:21

How are you doing, Ted? How does your chest feel?

0:41:210:41:24

Better or worse? Better? Good.

0:41:240:41:27

Ted will now need close monitoring.

0:41:300:41:32

There is still a risk that clots could form around his new stent.

0:41:320:41:36

That's the clot we have removed from his right coronary artery

0:41:360:41:40

and we've put a stent in its place.

0:41:400:41:43

It's notable when you walk round to the ward afterwards the time

0:41:430:41:47

that you have taken to do the report, you walk round and they look

0:41:470:41:50

completely different.

0:41:500:41:51

So, when it goes like this, it's very satisfying.

0:41:510:41:54

It looks like the operation has been a success.

0:41:540:41:57

Earlier today, Ted collapsed in a car park.

0:42:020:42:05

It took less than two hours from the first 999 call

0:42:050:42:08

to get him onto the operating table.

0:42:080:42:11

And it's been a multi-team effort.

0:42:110:42:14

From the Cardiac Care Unit to the paramedics on the ground,

0:42:140:42:17

to the Air Ambulance team who played a big part in buying

0:42:170:42:20

Ted the time desperately needed to save his life.

0:42:200:42:23

It's been all-go for the emergency services in rural Britain.

0:42:340:42:39

After his panic attack,

0:42:390:42:41

Euan made a full recovery and drove himself home,

0:42:410:42:45

thanks to the paramedic's simple solution.

0:42:450:42:47

Pensioner Anne's managed to avoid further brushes with the law

0:42:470:42:52

and is now enjoying driving around Brecon in her fully-legal motor.

0:42:520:42:56

And heart attack victim Ted is recovering well

0:42:580:43:01

after three days in hospital.

0:43:010:43:03

Next year he plans to sail around Britain raising money for charities,

0:43:030:43:07

including Cornwall's Air Ambulance.

0:43:070:43:10

And you thought it was quiet in the countryside.

0:43:120:43:14

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