0:00:04 > 0:00:06The mountains and coastline of Wales,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09both beautiful and treacherous.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The iconic yellow Sea King helicopters rescue hundreds of people every year.
0:00:19 > 0:00:24In Wales, the RAF Search and Rescue Force is the busiest in Britain.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35In this series, we follow real rescue stories
0:00:35 > 0:00:39from mountainside to hospital bedside.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46Our cameras have unprecedented access to the life-saving work of the Sea King crews.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Even with a Royal pilot in its ranks,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56it's business as usual for RAF Search and Rescue.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05This time on Helicopter Rescue...
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Summer in Snowdonia means one thing...
0:01:09 > 0:01:10tourists in trouble.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13The Sea King is called to a badly injured walker
0:01:13 > 0:01:15perched on a cliff edge.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19She's on a footpath on the cliff edge.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's hard to access, an ambulance can't get there.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25That's where we come into our own, really, that's what we're here for.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It's the call-out that all search and rescue crews dread.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34A woman is missing and there are serious concerns for her safety.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37We are exposed.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41We're exposed to a lot of things that aren't very pleasant.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44And back from the brink of death,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48a survivor is reunited with the Sea King crew that saved her life.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54It takes a special person to do the work that they do.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The summer months are always the busiest time of year
0:02:12 > 0:02:14for the RAF Search and Rescue Force.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16PHONE RINGS
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Especially for 22 Squadron C-Flight based at RAF Valley.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26We get a lot of holidaymakers here to Anglesey
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and the surrounding area of North Wales. So in the summer we're particularly busy.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35People don't generally do these sports all year round,
0:02:35 > 0:02:40so kayakers, general canoeists, divers, things of that nature,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42wind surfers, kite surfers,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44they're the types of injuries that we get.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46PHONE RINGS
0:02:48 > 0:02:50A call comes into the operations room.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52C-Flight Squadron Leader Brassington...
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Winchman Dickie Myers and the rest of the crew are scrambled
0:02:56 > 0:03:00to one of Snowdonia's deadliest and most notorious danger spots.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Kinloss Rescue. Kinloss Rescue.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Rescue 122, Rescue 122. Radio check.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25They head to the old Dorothea slate quarry in the Nantlle Valley.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28The quarry lake is a popular training location
0:03:28 > 0:03:32for amateur divers, but today one diver needs urgent help.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- On scene in a couple of minutes, gents. Is everyone happy?- Yeah.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45A 56-year-old diver is in trouble.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48After surfacing from his dive, nitrogen bubbles have begun
0:03:48 > 0:03:50to form in his bloodstream.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Emergency services at the scene confirm the crew's worst fears,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56it's a life-threatening case of the bends.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- Bendy diver, Dorothea.- Yeah.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06He's dived to a depth of 160 metres.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08He's been up for an hour.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09- He's been sick.- Yeah.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16If somebody has the bends
0:04:16 > 0:04:19then they need to go to a decompression chamber, ultimately.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Speed is of the essence, really, to get them into that chamber.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It's not the first time Rescue 122 has been called to Dorothea quarry.
0:04:30 > 0:04:3420 divers have lost their lives here in the last 20 years.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38They need to get their casualty to specialist medical care, fast.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41You are clear below.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Winchman Dickie Myers heads for the casualty.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Diver Keith Moores is feeling nauseous, dizzy and disorientated,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00classic symptoms of the bends.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Paramedics have been giving him oxygen
0:05:05 > 0:05:08to reduce the level of nitrogen in his bloodstream.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11This will slow down the potentially deadly bubbles from forming.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17You just don't want it getting any worse, really.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20You don't want the nitrogen bubbles, that are in the bloodstream,
0:05:20 > 0:05:21to get any bigger and develop.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24It can lead to unconsciousness.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I'll put him on my O2 bottle and I'll take him to the aircraft.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31I'm going to do that now.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33But the oxygen won't cure this casualty.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36He needs to be taken to a specialist pressure chamber
0:05:36 > 0:05:39at Murrayfield Hospital on the Wirral.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41There's no time to put him in a stretcher,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43they need to get him into the aircraft.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The journey to Murrayfield Hospital takes half an hour in the helicopter.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00By road, it would take three times as long.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04But the captain needs to fly at a low altitude
0:06:04 > 0:06:07to stop more nitrogen bubbles forming in the diver's bloodstream.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15At Dorothea quarry, they've already ascended at a point
0:06:15 > 0:06:17which is quite high above sea level.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Our priority, as pilots, is to get them to the medical establishment as quickly as possible,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25but limit the height at which we fly them, to limit the effects of the bends.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31The Sea King cruises at 200 feet above sea level.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37After they arrive in Merseyside, Dickie hands over his casualty
0:06:37 > 0:06:40to the decompression chamber's staff.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46- Hello, Keith, I'm Doctor Tim. - Hello.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Luckily he's here.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52The actual transport from the site to here quickly is critical.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54If he was left, the bubbles
0:06:54 > 0:06:58would be forming in the brain and elsewhere in the body.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Keith Moores now starts an intensive eight-hour treatment for the bends.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10He'll then have to spend two hours a day over the next four days
0:07:10 > 0:07:13locked in the decompression chamber to treat his symptoms.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17For Keith, what started out as an afternoon's dive
0:07:17 > 0:07:19has turned into a nightmare.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Basically, he's been handed over to the doctor now.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26They'll look at him, put him in the decompression chamber,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and our lift's just arrived. That's us on our way to our next job now.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The RAF Search and Rescue crews are always on standby
0:07:37 > 0:07:38for the next call-out.
0:07:41 > 0:07:4424 hours a day, seven days a week.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Each crew member is on a tour of duty,
0:07:50 > 0:07:55which can take them to any of the RAF bases around Britain and around the world.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Radar Operator Graeme "Livvy" Livingston
0:08:03 > 0:08:05is back from his latest detachment.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Today he's back home in Anglesey after being posted to the Falkland Islands.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Hello!- Hey! How are you?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15For his wife, Debbie, it's been a long six weeks.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- Hello.- I love you.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20It's fantastic, obviously, to be back.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- It's heavy. - I don't want a heavy one.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29All I've seen of these guys, over the last six, seven weeks
0:08:29 > 0:08:32is just a little computer screen
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and it's nice to talk to them and everything out there,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37but, yeah, just seeing them in the flesh again.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40I know it's only been six or seven weeks, but it's long enough.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- Shall we go up to Cardiff? - Yes, please. - And see the Dr Who Experience?- Yes!
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It gets less difficult each time,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52that you get more used to being able to see that the kids are happy
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and they've got their things in place, they've got their routines.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58You know that everything's happening back in the UK,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00the way it should do.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01Is that a deal?
0:09:05 > 0:09:07The annual Families' Day at Valley is a chance
0:09:07 > 0:09:11for the RAF's Search and Rescue Force to thank the families of the crews.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It's an opportunity for the people who are doing this job
0:09:20 > 0:09:23to give something back to their families
0:09:23 > 0:09:27because there is no question that we ask a lot of our families
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and, I think, it's the least we can do
0:09:30 > 0:09:35to occasionally give something back to them to say, "Thank you."
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Why don't we come down and all enjoy a day together,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42in recognition of the unquestionable sacrifices that they make.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50You only get the chance to meet everybody once a year.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53You know, mums and dads, you get to meet the grandparents, as well.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55It's one big family, it's good.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01And there's a new face and a new radar operator on base.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Sergeant Martin Seaward or "Seaweed" is on his latest detachment at RAF Valley.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09It's really great, sort of, coming up to Valley
0:10:09 > 0:10:13because, having done just over three years at Chivenor,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15it's quite nice getting to know everywhere.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18I still struggle with the place names quite a bit,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21but I'm sure I'll get used to them in due course.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24He's already made his mark on the rest of the crew.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Seaweed likes to talk, so we have to put up with a lot of Seaweed chat!
0:10:27 > 0:10:31'I do get the mick taken out of me quite a bit, but I do bring it on myself a lot,'
0:10:31 > 0:10:35because I'm usually one of the chief culprits of taking the mick out of everyone else.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39So I only ask for it, really. So...
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- There's a new film out, what's it, Movie 43? - Yeah, yeah, have you seen it?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Are you the leprechaun in it?
0:10:44 > 0:10:45THEY LAUGH
0:10:45 > 0:10:48If you're saying... Is that Gerard Butler?
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Yeah, it's Gerard Butler, yeah.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51You can call me Gerard Butler if you want.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55There's a real good crew co-operation
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and good banter levels.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Equally that sort of dies off when you get to the job
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and everyone concentrates on their particular role.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Summer on Anglesey means the island's coastline
0:11:09 > 0:11:13and beaches are packed with thousands of tourists.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16As a result it's not long before a call comes in to RAF Valley.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21PHONE RINGS
0:11:21 > 0:11:23OK, thank you. Bye.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27A 50-year-old female with a broken leg, Fresh Water Bay.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Today, Flt Lt William Wales takes on the role of co-pilot.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35On this rescue, he'll work closely with Radar Operator Seaweed.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Together they gather all the information they can before getting airborne.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41We'll get you out there anyway.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45The important thing is to get the map out, have a really good look at the map.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Have a look where we're going to go, what the area's like.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52It's critical you get it right and it's critical that you get it accurate as well
0:11:52 > 0:11:55because you need to get there as quickly as you can and safely.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57OK, thank you.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01There's a broken leg on the other side of the island
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Only eight minutes after they received the cry for help,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Rescue 122 are in the air.
0:12:10 > 0:12:149 o'clock, you're well clear.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17We've got clearance to cross now.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22- And take it nice and easy.- Roger.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They head to a cove on the north-eastern corner of Anglesey
0:12:25 > 0:12:26at Fresh Water Bay.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34As co-pilot, William's job is to navigate the Sea King to the location.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Look, at 1:30, you've got the tower with what looks like a mast on it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Aim for that, please.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45As a co-pilot you're doing the planning,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47you're a back-up set of eyes to monitor the captain.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51If he's doing something, or is in a very hazardous situation, the co-pilot keeps an eye on him,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55makes sure he's not going to get him, or us, in a particular trap
0:12:55 > 0:12:58that we can't get out of, that's a quite dangerous one.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00You're the secretary for the captain.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06The Sea King arrives at Fresh Water Bay.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Now they look out for clues at the scene to find the casualty's exact location.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- She's on the right-hand edge of that cliff.- OK.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Right on the corner where the mainland meets the peninsula.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Is that an ambulance down there at 1 o'clock?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24There should be. The early grid you were given was of the ambulance.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26OK, I have a visual of the ambulance.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30She's anywhere on that thin peninsula.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32She's somewhere on that cliff face there.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Shout when you've a sighting.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35We've got a sighting.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39They spot the casualty on the edge of a cliff.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43We've got a visual now, 1 o'clock, that area there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Just put us in a free area, off to the side.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49We might get a little bit of down draught.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Actually the biggest person in the job, who doesn't get enough credit in many cases,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57is the rad-op and the winch-op. They're always going on about how important they are.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59They are the link between us, in the front flying the aircraft,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and the winchman who's doing the job on the ground with the casualty.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07They have a very tricky task of always monitoring the two the whole time.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11From the side door of the helicopter,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Radar Operator Seaweed guides the Sea King to position.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20When we arrive on scene, we can't just go into throwing someone out of the door and winching.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23We've got to... There's loads and loads of things to think about.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Do a recce, Seaweed.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28The recce of the area.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Hazards being high ground on right side, the tail will be clear,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34you have a cross wind, I don't expect too much down-draughting
0:14:34 > 0:14:38but you are on the down-draughting side.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41'We'll discuss things like how close we're going to get to everything,'
0:14:41 > 0:14:44if there's any turbulent air, so where the wind is.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46The air might be down-draughting.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The air might be coming over the top of a hill and hitting us from the top,
0:14:49 > 0:14:50which might create turbulence.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55We need to discuss that, and what we're going to do if we experience it.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The appointment area will be on the aircraft's axis,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01past the survivors.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05There's a little spine of rock, in our 3 o'clock.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08We're going to put Rob there, keeping the rotor wash clear of the survivors.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- That's where we'll deploy Rob. Are we ready to winch?- Yes. - Winching out.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13Over the side.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16With the situation under control, Seaweed is ready to guide
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Rob Linfoot, the winchman, down to the casualty.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Height is good.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Right one, only.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32On the ground, working with the hook.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It ended up being quite a long winch
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and the reason for that is we've got to balance
0:15:37 > 0:15:42the safety of the aircraft with the safety of the survivor and the winchman.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- Steady... Happy, Rob?- Yeah. - Rob's happy, winching in.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51On this occasion, to keep what we call a "fly away",
0:15:51 > 0:15:54to keep the aircraft in a position where, if we do have a problem,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57we can fly away from it, we had to be a little bit higher.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Slowing, approaching the door.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I'll remove the kit first.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Darlene Burton is safe on board.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14After winching up her partner Lawrence,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18the couple from Canada are flown to the local hospital at Bangor.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22OK, jam the door.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26On the last few days of their holiday in Wales,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29doctors suspect she has a broken leg as a souvenir.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35It was such a beautiful day, I thought I'd pick up the pace.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37So I went in front of him.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I just remember just putting my foot down
0:16:39 > 0:16:41and then a slide and just a crack!
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Darlene and Lawrence need to catch a flight home to Canada in six days' time
0:16:54 > 0:16:57but a broken tibia and fibula mean that she needs surgery.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58Oh! Oh! Oh!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05It's going to need an operation.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07OMG!
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Rescue 122 head back to RAF Valley.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Certain things we do get quite serious
0:17:20 > 0:17:24and it's important to have the camaraderie and the banter
0:17:24 > 0:17:25to ease the pressure,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27especially the winchman and the winch-op,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29they see some pretty nasty things down the back.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31You're a hero, Will.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- It's a bit easier than the one we had on the last shift. - Yeah, it is a bit.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It's nine o'clock in the evening at RAF Valley.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51A call comes in...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- A female...- Yeah.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- Has been missing for one hour.- Yeah.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04She went with three empty strips of tablets, we're not sure what the medication...
0:18:04 > 0:18:06OK, super job, thanks very much.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10It looks like a female that's left a note.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Possibly taken some tablets and disappeared,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15so this is going to be a search.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Rescue 122 head straight for the waiting helicopter.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22They're airborne in 15 minutes.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Rescue 122, we'll be on scene in just over seven minutes.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Emergency services are already on the scene.
0:18:35 > 0:18:41I've got what looks like coastguard vehicles on the road,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- followed by a camper van and a couple of cars.- Yeah.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47One of those is hers, apparently.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Radar operator Dave Taylor talks to the emergency crews down below.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58The initial plan, from our perspective, is to conduct the Flir search
0:18:58 > 0:19:01within one mile of the car.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11From the sky, Rescue 122 use specialist cameras to help them find the casualty.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14The thermal imaging camera can locate a person
0:19:14 > 0:19:17by the radiated heat given off from their body.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18So even in total darkness
0:19:18 > 0:19:22the crew can see warm objects against the cooler background.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27I'm getting a good picture.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I've got people walking on the beach.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34I've got a vehicle on the beach and someone walking around the other side of a dune from that vehicle.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37That's obviously a coastguard unit.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Dealing with death is an integral part of the work
0:19:40 > 0:19:46of the Search and Rescue crews, as Master Aircrewman Rich T knows only too well.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50We are exposed, like many people in the emergency services,
0:19:50 > 0:19:51in the NHS, in hospitals,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55we're exposed to a lot of things that aren't very pleasant.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58We have to get on with this and we deal with it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Recovering dead bodies is also part of the job.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Victims in remote and difficult locations can sometimes only be reached by the Sea King.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11It's not something anyone takes any joy in doing.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Obviously, the element of satisfaction we get from our job
0:20:14 > 0:20:17is when we save life.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19However, there is also an element of satisfaction,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21if that was my loved one,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23I would far rather that person have the ability to have a funeral,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26or whatever the family wish, if you like.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31It's not until you come back that you take that on board.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Discussing it with each other, is some people's help.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Other people will wait until they get home,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39discuss it with their partners at home.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Some other people quietly reflect, really.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52My first few harrowing incidents were difficult,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54but sadly these things happen.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56You've got to get on with it
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and you just talk about it amongst yourselves
0:20:58 > 0:21:03and you end up understanding it more and accepting it, sadly.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Back on the search, after an hour and three quarters,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13there's no sign of the vulnerable missing woman.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Rescue 122 head home to RAF Valley.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I think it's time to go, guys.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Turning back is the hardest decision any captain ever makes.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24I think it's time to go, guys.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28There's a massive wooded area underneath us now, it'll take another hour to search.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30We'll go around to the left.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34We've reached fuel minimum so we'll have to head back to Valley.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36We've reached our minimum fuel now.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Roger, many thanks for your help, we'll speak later. Over.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Many thanks.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It's dreadful for the casualty, it's dreadful for crew.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Erm, OK, sometimes you walk away from it and that person will be rescued by other means.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54Other times you may have to turn around and leave that person to their fate.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It's a very difficult decision to make.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59That, I guess, is the essence of being a captain,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01is having the ability to make that decision.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Rescue 122 arrive home at RAF Valley.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12There was the car, the note,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16a comprehensive search by ourselves, the police, lifeboat, coastguard.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19As yet, no results.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Unfortunately the weather on scene means it's not worth us continuing at this time,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26just because we're not getting a good picture
0:22:26 > 0:22:29and the only area left will take us forever at night.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33We're suspending the search for this evening and try again in the morning.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Next day, it's good news.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The emergency services managed to find the missing woman,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43and took her for medical care.
0:22:50 > 0:22:56Every year more than 1,500 people are rescued by Sea King helicopters.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Handing them to the nearest emergency department
0:22:58 > 0:23:03is usually the last time the Search and Rescue crews see the casualty.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04But not today.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Aletia and her mum have come to RAF Valley to thank the crew that
0:23:12 > 0:23:13saved her life.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It's just an honour to be here, it really is.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Yeah. An absolute honour.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30Twelve months ago, 16-year-old Aletia was involved in a serious car crash in Llandrindod Wells.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37When the Sea King arrived, winchman Ed Griffiths
0:23:37 > 0:23:39knew she was in a critical condition.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Yeah, I remember turning up and it was clear from the onset
0:23:44 > 0:23:46that it was really time critical and urgent.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48She was quite seriously injured.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I was concerned for her, actually.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52When we got on the aircraft I remember telling the pilots,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56we need to go as fast as we can to the neuro unit at Cardiff.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01Aletia suffered severe head injuries in the car accident.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12For the last 12 months she's been slowly recovering,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15learning how to walk and how to speak again.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I was...
0:24:20 > 0:24:21involved in a RTA,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24which is a road traffic accident.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30The Sea King come and saved me.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34They saved her life, at the end of the day.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39A year almost to the day,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Aletia is reunited with the people that saved her.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Does that one bite?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50- Hello.- Hello.- Hiya, I'm Ed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54- Hello.- We've met before but you probably won't remember.- No.
0:24:54 > 0:24:55- This is Nick, as well.- How are you?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Hello...
0:24:57 > 0:25:01We were down the back of the helicopter that landed and took you to Cardiff.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- You look a lot better than last time I saw you.- Thanks.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06A lot, lot better. How are you doing?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Yeah, fine.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10You seem really nervous.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11I'm not, don't worry.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13THEY LAUGH
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- Can you remember anything about it? - I can remember the day.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Just because I've been told about it.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23But, that's it.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25This is the Mark 3...
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Oh, my God.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The kit you see down the back here is pretty much the same kit...
0:25:30 > 0:25:35To me, to meet Ed and the crew here, it's just overwhelming!
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Mum, stop crying.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39THEY LAUGH
0:25:39 > 0:25:41That's what mums do, they're allowed.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44To see the Sea King...
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Left!
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Cos, without this, Alicia wouldn't be here now.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58It takes a special person to do the work that they do.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00It really, really does.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02It's like a little waistcoat.
0:26:04 > 0:26:12I just said, "You're a hero." Cos he is, really.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17There's one on that side.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I don't think that I am hero.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I think I love my job
0:26:23 > 0:26:26and I do my job the same as all the other guys on the force.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- Do I look cool?- You look superb.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Two days after breaking her leg on the Anglesey coast, Darlene Burton
0:26:42 > 0:26:46left hospital and managed to catch her flight home to Canada.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And diver Keith Moors made a full recovery after being
0:26:52 > 0:26:54treated for the effects of the bends.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01The Sea King is invaluable. It really is. And the crew...
0:27:01 > 0:27:03HE SIGHS
0:27:08 > 0:27:12The adrenaline surge you get when the job phone goes is second to none.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The sense of satisfaction from a job well done
0:27:15 > 0:27:19when the team pulls together and you directly intervene
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and save someone's life, again,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24is a job satisfaction that perhaps not many people always get.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28I don't think there is any greater calling in life for someone.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32To be able to see a son or daughter's face
0:27:32 > 0:27:35when you bring their father or mother back from the edge of death
0:27:35 > 0:27:38and to hospital. It's quite powerful.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44We have a good time doing it. The flying is fun.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47The flying is exciting. You put all that together and it's a great job.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Next time on Helicopter Rescue...
0:27:59 > 0:28:03The Search and Rescue force head for the mountains.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07It's a painful end to this walker's hike.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11It was obvious that his kneecap was up into his thigh area.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Alone and in agony in this vast terrain,
0:28:16 > 0:28:21how one inventive walker caught the eye of the Sea King.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And it's a tough call for the Search and Rescue coordination centre.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Two cries for help but only one helicopter.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd