0:00:04 > 0:00:06The mountains and coastline of Wales -
0:00:06 > 0:00:09both beautiful and treacherous.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15The iconic yellow Sea King helicopters rescue
0:00:15 > 0:00:19hundreds of people every year.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24In Wales, the RAF Search And Rescue Force is the busiest in Britain.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35In this series, we follow real rescue stories -
0:00:35 > 0:00:38from mountainside to hospital bedside.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Our cameras have unprecedented access to the lifesaving work
0:00:45 > 0:00:46of the Sea King crews.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Even with a royal pilot in its ranks,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55it's business as usual for RAF Search And Rescue.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05This time on helicopter rescue -
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Flight Lieutenant William Wales and his crew are scrambled.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11A 15-year-old boy has fallen 20 feet
0:01:11 > 0:01:13off a bridge in a disused quarry.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17At the end of the day you're doing an extremely important job,
0:01:17 > 0:01:22I think. It really focuses the mind when there's an actual real person who needs your help.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Sergeant Nick Jones shares
0:01:26 > 0:01:29a unique point of view in the life of a winchman,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32as he's called to a three-car collision on his first-ever shift.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36We'll take a paramedic with us.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38That just takes the pressure off us, then.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42And it's high drama in the mountains as the Sea King
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and its crew are put to the ultimate test.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48We need to get to this casualty as soon as we can
0:01:48 > 0:01:53because we are running out of fuel, and are pretty much on our limits of what we can achieve.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Snowdonia.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Its wild mountain peaks and old industrial slate quarries
0:02:11 > 0:02:15make this a vast and challenging terrain to explore.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19So when something goes wrong,
0:02:19 > 0:02:2422-Squadron C-Flight at RAF Valley are scrambled.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Hi.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29A call comes in.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Their target is to be up in the air in 15 minutes
0:02:32 > 0:02:34but they're usually away in under eight.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Master Aircrewman Richard Taylor
0:02:38 > 0:02:41knows they need to be prepared for whatever's in store.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45When the job phone rings, when we're tasked with a Search And Rescue op,
0:02:45 > 0:02:46you don't know what it's going to be
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and it could be nice and simple or it could be...
0:02:50 > 0:02:52job of the century, so to say,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and whoever's on shift - it could be the newest guy, it could be the most experienced.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57On shift with winchman Rich T
0:02:57 > 0:03:01today are co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Dan Loxton,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03radar operator Sergeant Paul Bramley
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and aircraft captain Flight Lieutenant William Wales.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Once the phone's gone off and everyone's calmed down and you've
0:03:10 > 0:03:12got the crew together, as captain you kind of stand off a little bit.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17You're trying to play out the entire rescue and the transit to the rescue
0:03:17 > 0:03:22and back again in your mind and pick up any circumstances or problems
0:03:22 > 0:03:25you can foresee and then try and fix them on the ground before you get airborne,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28cos once you get airborne, things get a lot harder to communicate.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Rotors coming on, three, two, one...
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The four-member crew are scrambled to a disused quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45There are two RAF Search And Rescue flights that patrol Wales.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49The south is covered by the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53the north by RAF Valley and Rescue 122.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Today they've been called to Blaenau Ffestiniog
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and the old slate quarry of Maenofferen.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Co-pilot Dan Loxton points out the route to the handling pilot,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Flight Lieutenant William Wales.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Right. Up here, Will. It's to the east side of Blaenau Ffestiniog, in the quarries there.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- I'll just follow the mark.- Yeah.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Some of the hardest flying is in the mountains,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18usually because the weather's poorer.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21The winds are usually a lot, lot stronger, and like turbulence is a big factor for us.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25But equally, the mountains of Snowdon, cos it's quite a small,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29sort of, mountainous area, so we can get in and out rapidly
0:04:29 > 0:04:33so we can be anywhere within a few minutes.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Co-pilot Dan Loxton updates the crew on the casualty.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38It's a 15-year-old faller,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41with bleeding from the rib area, in and out of consciousness,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- difficulty breathing.- Whereabouts? - In a quarry, at the moment.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Blaenau Ffestiniog, in the quarries there. Let's have a look.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Rescue 122 have reached the old quarry.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Should be at the right-hand side now, I'm suggesting. OK? Eyes down.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Now they need to find the casualty.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Point zero eight we're heading. Zero two four, so it's just behind this corner.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Spotting the young boy in all that slate is taking precious time and - critically - fuel.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Let's have a look on these quarries.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Could be in the shade somewhere on the right. I'll just go round, guys.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Keep your eyes out. I'll put everything on the right-hand side.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24'The weather was really good which makes searching a lot easier.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Having the sunshine out is great, but with the sunshine comes huge shadows
0:05:27 > 0:05:29as well, and so if you're inside those shadows,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31you can't be seen very easily.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It's in this vicinity here now. Over.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- So it's right here. That's the exact grid.- Can't see anybody.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41You have a grid which you fly to.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Cos the shape of the quarry changes, it could be as much as 10, 20,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47100, one kilometre out.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The longer they search - the more valuable fuel they burn.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Kinloss Rescue, Kinloss Rescue, Rescue 122. Over.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01- Guys, I'm going to follow... - 'Rescue 122? Go ahead.'- There we go. Er, yeah, this is Rescue 122.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04We're on-scene at an incident at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07William spots a member of the emergency services.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09There we go, guys. There we go. There we go.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- We're struggling to locate the casualty.- Visual. Visual. - Got him. Disregard.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- Located.- That's the right guy. Right by the bridge now.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18They've found the casualty.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Aircraft captain William Wales prepares to land.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- Are you going to land in that big quarry puddle?- Just out of the puddle, so we don't get wet.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- We are committed.- We are committed.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Winchman Rich T now needs to assess the 15-year-old casualty.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44He's in a difficult and dangerous spot.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Did he get himself up off the road?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- With the help of his friends over there.- They dragged him up here?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Yeah. You all right, son?
0:06:51 > 0:06:52He fell off an old railway bridge,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56but he landed on some quite hefty rocks, very uneven.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00He was very battered and bruised in his ribs, but very purple,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and a bit of bleeding going on.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And that can lead to quite significant underlying
0:07:05 > 0:07:08injuries that you can't see.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The seriousness of the boy's injuries means co-pilot
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Dan Loxton needs to inform the local hospital.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Rescue, Rescue 122.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Winchman, be advised the casualty is 15 years old and will require a trauma team on-scene, over.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Have you got his surname?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- He's Liam Evans. - SHE SPEAKS WELSH
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Time is ticking.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31The Sea King is low on fuel after the long search,
0:07:31 > 0:07:37and the crew now have to decide whether to stay on site or go off to refuel.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Rich, you've got about er...about 12 minutes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It's going to take at least 15.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48'In this particular instance, Rich needed quite a long time on the ground to stabilise the casualty.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:51In that situation it's always the paramedic's call - if he says,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53"No, I want to go now", then we just stay and we go with what
0:07:53 > 0:07:57we have and make do, but in that particular instance Rich was happy,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01so we zipped off to Caernarfon and got a refuel.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Rich T stays behind with Liam. It's a vulnerable moment.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The winchman will need all his 13 years of experience
0:08:08 > 0:08:12as a paramedic to make sure the boy's condition doesn't deteriorate.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16'The ambulance service had done a very good job of stabilising him.'
0:08:16 > 0:08:19My role really then was to package the lad as quickly as we could,
0:08:19 > 0:08:23really, just in case, cos younger people can take a very big
0:08:23 > 0:08:26drop-off and become very poorly very quickly,
0:08:26 > 0:08:31so there's always that concern with the younger, that you must press on.
0:08:31 > 0:08:3420 minutes later the Sea King is back on scene.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Because of the tricky location,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42the crew decide to winch the casualty aboard.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46OK, Rich. Tell the guys we'll be coming over their heads.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47The ones behind you.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51If you're happy with the height, Will, so we can make the commit.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The crew now have to rely on one another to rescue Liam.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58From the side door, radar operator Brammers acts
0:08:58 > 0:09:01like a second pair of eyes for aircraft captain William.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Winching out. Right.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Height is good. Hook to hand.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Handling the aircraft during the winch is one of the most
0:09:13 > 0:09:15challenging tasks for the captain.
0:09:18 > 0:09:19It is a challenging procedure,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22and it's inherently dangerous to put a man
0:09:22 > 0:09:25on a very thin piece of wire hanging underneath nine tons
0:09:25 > 0:09:28of helicopter that's susceptible to turbulence
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and problems itself, and may have to fly away.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33The final decision rests with you as the captain.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37It's kind of an unwritten rule that the rear crew, they have to be happy with you as well.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39'You have to analyse the information you're given
0:09:39 > 0:09:41'and make the best judgement.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:46It's not easy. It makes you feel worried, concerned,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49You obviously want to make the right call.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I have a duty of care for the crew -
0:09:51 > 0:09:53for the casualty in many cases as well,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56so you do have to think very carefully.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Overall, I've got three other guys I can always rely on for my decision-making.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm clear.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- Forward to the commit area.- Yeah.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I'll get this... OK, mate. Winch.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09- Out.- Out.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11- Stop.- Stop.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Going to decline and take the tail round to the right.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Liam is safe on board.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21In just ten minutes time, he'll be in Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd
0:10:21 > 0:10:23to receive urgent medical care.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31It really focuses the mind when you've got either a young child
0:10:31 > 0:10:35or a young woman or a young man or old man or whatever it is
0:10:35 > 0:10:38you're going to, it focuses the mind
0:10:38 > 0:10:40when there's an actual real person at the end of it
0:10:40 > 0:10:43who needs your help. You are their only hope sometimes.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46When the bell goes, you never know what you're going to get.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It can be a broken ankle in the mountains through to a major trauma.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53I feel sorry for the poorly people we're going to rescue
0:10:53 > 0:10:57but this is what we're here for. This is what we do.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Every year, more than 100 casualties arrive by RAF helicopter
0:11:02 > 0:11:05to the Emergency Department at Bangor.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Dr Linda Dykes appreciates the unique challenges
0:11:08 > 0:11:11the Search And Rescue winchmen have to face.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14We have a quite high ECG.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17I think they do an incredibly difficult job.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20To see the full range of things that I have to see
0:11:20 > 0:11:24but with a lot less training, with a lot less resources.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27It's an incredibly difficult job.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I just think it's awesome that people are willing to do it.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34On her days off, she helps train the Search And Rescue paramedics
0:11:34 > 0:11:38at RAF Valley, on the ground and in the air.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I love being involved with the training of the RAF rear crew.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Because I've been involved with sea flight at Valley now
0:11:46 > 0:11:49for about seven years and flown regularly throughout that time,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52I've got a pretty good grasp of the challenges
0:11:52 > 0:11:54of their working environment. If I'm then flying with them,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I can then help them if any issues come up, any questions come up.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01He claims to have stopped breathing when he was given morphine.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03If you just stop breathing with morphine,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06that is a recognised side effect of the drug.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09The back of the Sea King, it's very noisy. It's very smelly.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It stinks of aviation fuel. It's a very difficult working environment.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15I think the crew like to bring casualties here
0:12:15 > 0:12:18because they know we understand the environment they work in.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Sometimes, in hospitals who don't routinely take
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Search And Rescue casualties, they may get asked,
0:12:23 > 0:12:24"Why haven't you done X, Y, and Z?"
0:12:24 > 0:12:29"That's impossible in the back of a helicopter, mate. We can't do that."
0:12:31 > 0:12:34And much to the amusement of the crew, getting Dr Dykes airborne
0:12:34 > 0:12:37sometimes isn't quite as easy as it looks.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Not much of a run-up. Failed at the first hurdle.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Slow and steady.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Although it's a great privilege to go flying
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and I always look forward to spending time with the boys,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I don't actually like flying very much. I get a bit airsick.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57I don't enjoy tight flying round mountain bowls
0:12:57 > 0:13:00because I tend to lose my lunch.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03But it's a worthwhile sacrifice for Dr Dykes.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08One of the most satisfying things I have done is see a couple of winchmen
0:13:08 > 0:13:11through from being real baby winchmen
0:13:11 > 0:13:13coming off their basic first aid course,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and then coming through and qualifying as paramedics.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20You almost feel quite proud. Our winchmen that we helped train.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24It's really very humbling. It's fantastic.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30At the Royal Marines Barracks at Chivenor, Sergeant Nick Jones
0:13:30 > 0:13:33from Swansea is on his first ever shift as a winchman.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37He's one of the Search And Rescue Force's newest recruits.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42For me, it's the business end, if you like.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Where you get the hands on. I get the excitement
0:13:46 > 0:13:49of going out on the wire, but together with that
0:13:49 > 0:13:52the medical side, which is something that appeals to me.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55He's spent 12 months training to be a winchman,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and hopes to be a fully qualified paramedic in 18 months' time.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04Today on his first shift, it's not long before a call comes in.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Road traffic accident just a few miles away,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09two badly injured casualties.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Rescue, this is Rescue 169, over.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Chivenor's Rescue 169 covers South Wales
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and the coastline of North Devon and Cornwall.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Nick's first ever rescue is underway.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Obviously nervous and in trepidation of what's going to come.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35I think it's good to get it out of the way,
0:14:35 > 0:14:36get the nervousness out of the way.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Hopefully should run smoother from there.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42There's been a serious accident on a road in Devon.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45A 69-year-old man is in a critical condition.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I think they're talking about a life-threatening injury,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52so I think it'll just be the nearest hospital.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01A driver is trapped inside his red MG sports car.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Two other drivers are being treated at the scene
0:15:04 > 0:15:06in what looks like a three-car collision.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Nick's camera gives us his view of the rescue.
0:15:18 > 0:15:19It's a severe crash.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Experienced Radar Operator Beano takes new boy Nick under his wing.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30With a more experienced winchman, the winchman would know what to do.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33In that instance, I went with Nick
0:15:33 > 0:15:39and was able to talk things through with him as events progressed.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43He could direct me in some of the things I should be thinking about
0:15:43 > 0:15:47or some things I should be doing that I perhaps hadn't thought of
0:15:47 > 0:15:50at the time so he was very useful.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Take a paramedic with us, so that takes the pressure off us.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Tony Smith was only half a mile away from his home near Bideford
0:16:00 > 0:16:04when his red MG sports car was caught in the three-vehicle crash.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09By now, the fire crews have managed to cut him out
0:16:09 > 0:16:13of his red sports car. The priority is to take him
0:16:13 > 0:16:15to the nearest trauma unit on the Sea King.
0:16:16 > 0:16:21His injuries mean that a doctor and a paramedic join Nick on board.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25They highlighted that this casualty had a life-threatening condition.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Speed was of the essence, you know. We couldn't hang around.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35We've got one casualty. And he's in a bad way.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40- Two cars?- It was a Range Rover and he was in an MG.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- Oh, dear, so this one was in the MG. - Yeah.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Once we were in the aircraft, we had to monitor him throughout.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Make sure his condition wasn't deteriorating rapidly.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53He had massive chest injuries.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Maintain his oxygen and maintain his airway
0:16:56 > 0:16:59to make sure he didn't deteriorate any further than he already was.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03With the casualty now stable and no longer in danger,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06the crew hand him over to the waiting medical team.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09To be perfectly honest, it was the ideal first job for him.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13I choose my words carefully because it was obviously horrendous
0:17:13 > 0:17:16for the casualty. From Nick's point of view, he was able
0:17:16 > 0:17:23to witness a life-threatening injury and assist a doctor and a paramedic,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25which from his perspective was ideal.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Right, mate?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29And relax.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Yeah.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33There is always that apprehension when you first start the job,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36particularly on your first day or your first couple of shifts.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Get your first job out of the way. It puts you at ease,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43makes you realise that actually the training I've had is sufficient,
0:17:43 > 0:17:44I know what I'm doing.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51RAF Valley on Anglesey
0:17:51 > 0:17:55is home to the Search And Rescue Force Headquarters.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Here more than 50 staff ensure that helicopters and their crews
0:17:59 > 0:18:03can respond to a callout night or day, anywhere in the UK.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The crews are on rolling 24-hour shifts.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14They live, eat and work closely together
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and that leads to a special bond.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21You cannot do a job that is
0:18:21 > 0:18:27as intellectually and physically and emotionally demanding as this
0:18:27 > 0:18:29without bonding to people.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32There's a lot of banter which is fun
0:18:32 > 0:18:35but it's also building relationships and friendships
0:18:35 > 0:18:36which are very important.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40In this job, if you have friends and guys you get on with,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44you've got have fun and laughs. At the end of the day,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48you're operating sometimes in dodgy and dangerous conditions.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51You have to rely on each other quite a lot.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Getting to know each other, being a family, is all part of that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:55We are a family.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58For those 24 hours, the other people,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01they're you brothers and sisters, your mums and dads,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04or the unruly children, depending who you've got on shift.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09You have to be that close-knit. You have to give each other some banter.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11There has to be pressure release.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Flight Lt Dave Prochera-Best
0:19:13 > 0:19:16has 17 years' flying experience with the RAF.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19He's served both in Northern Ireland and Iraq.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23I find the whole challenge of rescue is fascinating.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27The fact that we have to work together as a four-person crew.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32There's a lot of decisions that have be made democratically, almost.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Every rescue is almost like its own little puzzle on its own to crack.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Today's puzzle will put the crew's teamwork to the test.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43We're taking five guys.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46We've got a fallen mountain biker, not too far,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49but the weather has deteriorated. The wind's starting to get up.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The cloud base is low with quite poor vis in this rain
0:19:52 > 0:19:56coming through. Shouldn't be too bad but we've got a bit of high ground
0:19:56 > 0:19:59to get over so we'll see as we get there what the situation is.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08They have enough fuel onboard to last them two and a half hours.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It should be more than enough to get them
0:20:12 > 0:20:15to the Coed y Brenin Forest Park near Dolgellau.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It's a popular destination for mountain bikers.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23But today one biker is in trouble.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Have a visual of an ambulance at 2 o'clock.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They've spotted the ambulance, and just down the track
0:20:29 > 0:20:32they see the casualty being carried in a stretcher.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Now the problem for the crew is to find somewhere safe to land
0:20:37 > 0:20:41in the dense 9,000-acre forest.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Flight Sergeant Gordon Watt is today's winchman and paramedic.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Due to the position that the ambulance and the casualty
0:20:48 > 0:20:51find themselves in, it's not really safe for us to winch
0:20:51 > 0:20:54so we've elected to land in a field which has got access
0:20:54 > 0:20:58so I'm just trying to find the ambulance.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Mountain Biker Saul Parker was thrown head first
0:21:06 > 0:21:09over the handlebars of his bike on the forest trail.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Cos you've taken a blow to your head,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17potentially you could be masking an injury in your neck or spine.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Just keep your head nice and still.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22But for Captain Dave in the waiting Sea King,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26this rescue is about to take a new dramatic turn.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Second job coming in, boys. Another mountain biker!
0:21:30 > 0:21:32They're dropping like flies!
0:21:33 > 0:21:37They've now been called to a second mountain biker casualty
0:21:37 > 0:21:3815 miles away.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Co-pilot Alex Brassington leaves the Sea King
0:21:41 > 0:21:43to inform the crew on the ground.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Want six people to lift this in, please.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52The second bloke's got injuries and also paralysed from the neck down.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55They now have to decide if they have enough fuel
0:21:55 > 0:21:59to take the first casualty to hospital before rescuing the second.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Can we go to Bangor and then go back for this guy?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Might not have enough gas.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06It will take an hour and a half
0:22:06 > 0:22:09to take the first casualty to hospital by road.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Gordon now has a tough decision to make.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16He has to get his first casualty to hospital as soon as possible
0:22:16 > 0:22:20but he also needs to get to the paralysed casualty fast.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26I didn't know to begin with, the best decision.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Hindsight is the only thing that's going to tell us.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Um...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35..you're about an hour and 20 from hospital.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Yeah, yeah.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42We'll take him.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46'Because the second casualty's condition was reported
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'as having serious spinal injuries with possible paralysis,'
0:22:50 > 0:22:52I was ultimately left with no other option
0:22:52 > 0:22:57but to try my best, which was to try to pick up both.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03They take the gamble that they can rescue both with the remaining fuel.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- Bloody hell! Nightmare.- I know.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The Sea King crew calculate they have just enough fuel
0:23:20 > 0:23:22to rescue both casualties.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26They head for Blaenau Ffestiniog, eight minutes' flying time away.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35But bad weather means the Sea King is burning even more fuel.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Cross this ridgeline on the left,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41there's a low patch of cloud right on the nose.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I think we can get round to the left of that.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46We've got everything going on at that point.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48We need to get to this casualty as soon as we can.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51We are running out of fuel, we have got the weather to dice with
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and yes, there was a couple of fairly hairy moments
0:23:54 > 0:23:57where we were going through the little gaps in the hills
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and we were pretty much at our limits of what we could achieve.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04A waiting crowd has gathered
0:24:04 > 0:24:07as the Sea King finally gets to the second casualty.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Gordon is winched down.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Over the side now, winching out.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23It's clear, and that's right by then forward.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27He's on the ground and he's clearing the hook. Empty hook winching in.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28We don't have much fuel
0:24:28 > 0:24:31so what I'll do is quickly whip you into our stretcher,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35winch you onto our aircraft with the other guy we've got in there
0:24:35 > 0:24:37from down the road, and take you into Bangor.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Five minutes later, it's time for the winch-up.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Steady. On the hook, steady.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Winching in, two on.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57At the door. Winch out.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Both injured mountain bikers make it to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13The suspected paralysed biker is immediately taken for treatment.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17OK, ready? OK, ready, brace.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20On board the Sea King, the first mountain biker,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25Saul Parker from London, has time to reflect on the day's events.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I don't remember at all. I'd finished cycling,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30just went off for one last little burn.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Probably let my guard down a little bit. Got a bit excited.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35For Captain Dave Prochera-Best,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39today's successful outcome is all about teamwork.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43I would think it's one of the harder ones.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46It's always difficult when the safety of your aircraft
0:25:46 > 0:25:50and your crew, versus a casualty that you know
0:25:50 > 0:25:54could be very seriously injured and any delay in that casualty's care
0:25:54 > 0:25:57is going to adversely affect their chances of recovery.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59It's always a difficult decision.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Mountain Biker Saul Parker was discharged from Ysbyty Gwynedd
0:26:02 > 0:26:06two days later after an operation on his fractured arm.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10After fracturing two vertebrae in his upper spine,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Mick Woods from Rotherham went on to make a full recovery.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15He can't wait to get back on his bike
0:26:15 > 0:26:19and is already planning another trip to Wales.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'll be coming to buy a fridge magnet,
0:26:23 > 0:26:24probably with a helicopter on!
0:26:27 > 0:26:29For the RAF Search And Rescue Force,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32working in a tough and difficult terrain
0:26:32 > 0:26:35is all part of the challenge of saving lives.
0:26:35 > 0:26:41The job is the variety. Actually going out and helping people,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44who otherwise would be in quite a predicament.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It's as simple as that.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50After falling 20 feet in a quarry, 15-year-old Liam
0:26:50 > 0:26:54made a full recovery from his injuries.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Don't know what we'd have done without them,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58so thankful towards them.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01That sense of satisfaction when the team pulls together,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05especially if it's a life-saver, it's an amazing feeling.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Three months after his car crash Tony Smith knows that he owes
0:27:10 > 0:27:15his life to the emergency services and Chivenor's Rescue 169.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I don't think I was expected to live initially.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I think I've been extraordinarily lucky.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26I'm proposing to go over to Chivenor and put some money behind the bar
0:27:26 > 0:27:28so they can have a drink on me.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Personally, it's working with a bunch of guys who I get on with.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34It's challenging and at the end of the day,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37you're doing an extremely important job.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40There's no greater feeling than when you actually feel
0:27:40 > 0:27:42you've done some real good and you've saved someone's life.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- What are we going to do about food? - I would rather have a curry tonight.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51- Or Chinese?- Yeah.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Next time on Helicopter Rescue.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03Summer in Snowdonia means one thing - tourists in trouble.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06She's on a footpath, on the cliff edge.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Hard to access, an ambulance can't get there.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14That's where we come into our own and that's what we're here for.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15It's a race against time -
0:28:15 > 0:28:19a dive ends in drama in a North Wales quarry.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Don't want the nitrogen bubbles that are in the bloodstream
0:28:23 > 0:28:27to get any bigger and develop. It can lead to unconsciousness.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29And back from the brink of death -
0:28:29 > 0:28:32one casualty is reunited with her rescuers.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35Hi, I'm Ed.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39It takes a special person to do the work that they do.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd