0:00:02 > 0:00:04They're the Brits who race to the rescue down under.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Multiple patients critical.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Everyday heroes saving lives.
0:00:09 > 0:00:1112 miles to run.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Battling fires...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It's too late!
0:00:14 > 0:00:16It can be extremely dangerous.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17..and fighting crime...
0:00:17 > 0:00:18Put your arm down.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Police! Open the door!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22..from the big city to the outback...
0:00:22 > 0:00:25Our policing district is bigger than the whole of the UK.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26..from the bush...
0:00:26 > 0:00:31He's been crushed between one of those dingo diggers and a Ute.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32..to Bondi Beach.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35The search continues for a British tourist who hasn't been seen
0:00:35 > 0:00:37since he went for a swim.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40You're never know what you're in for or what's going to happen.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Three, three, two, mate, on the head in.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Very high impact. He's really quite critically injured.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Brits on blue lights under blue skies.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Today down under, flying doctor Tom is scrambled
0:00:58 > 0:01:00to a freak accident in the bush...
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I've been called to just two guys
0:01:02 > 0:01:05who collided head-on on motorbikes on a property.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10..outback policeman Kurt tackles trouble at the big game...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12If I see you pick it up again I'll charge you for going armed, OK?
0:01:12 > 0:01:14No picking up weapons.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18..and nurse Juanita flies a patient who could
0:01:18 > 0:01:20go into cardiac arrest any second.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23We're taking him as a matter of urgency.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I'll be monitoring him very closely
0:01:26 > 0:01:28in regards to his blood pressure and his pulse rate.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41100 miles north of Sydney in the port city of Newcastle,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44the local rescue helicopter is being called out on an emergency.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47OK, no problem.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50British Dr Tom Wallis is a key member of the team.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54Yeah.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Tom trained in Manchester but now he's an Aussie icon -
0:02:01 > 0:02:04a flying doctor.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05I've been called to just two guys
0:02:05 > 0:02:08who've collided head-on on motorbikes on a property.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11One's got a head injury and then one's got a fractured leg,
0:02:11 > 0:02:13so that's what we know at the moment.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Take off, please.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35RADIO CHATTER
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The accident has happened near the remote town of Taree -
0:02:38 > 0:02:39an hour's flight away.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES
0:02:47 > 0:02:52On a remote track in the woods, two bikers are lying badly hurt.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Crewman Mike is calling up a friend of the victims.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57PHONE RINGS
0:02:57 > 0:02:58'Hello.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Hello, how are you? This is Mike on board the rescue helicopter.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04OK, now, what's the major problem with them?
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Is there any leg fractures?
0:03:06 > 0:03:08'We think so.'
0:03:08 > 0:03:10OK, so they've both got broken legs?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12'Well...'
0:03:13 > 0:03:16OK, no worries, we'll be there in about 20 minutes, OK?
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- Stand by. There's a... - Yeah, I've got it.- Cool.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23RADIO CHATTER
0:03:28 > 0:03:31A paramedic on the ground is guiding them in.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34They're touching down in a clearing.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Seen the accident?
0:03:37 > 0:03:38No.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41So, we're a good 20 minutes' flight away from any hospital.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44So fairly remote, which is pretty typical
0:03:44 > 0:03:47for where we are in Australia.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50It's believed the bikers have multiple injuries.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The fellow without the helmet's hit the other fellow's helmet
0:03:53 > 0:03:57as they've collided, so he's a bit sore in the head and neck, back.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The other fellow's got deep lacerations to his right knee.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- All right, mate?- I've just managed this guy down here,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05his name's Taylor. He's 24 years of age.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- Coming up the hill about 40 or 50 Ks an hour.- Yeah.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12Collided with this man, got a deep wound to the right knee.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15He's able to flex it, move it, push, everything.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Got good movement in it. He's got a tender right side wrist as well.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Does have a headache.- OK. - But it's now diminishing.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22Yeah. All right.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25And this is Lee. He's 30, he was doing about 50 Ks an hour
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- coming down the hill.- Yeah. - Denies any central neck pain
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- but he does have some right-sided lateral neck pain.- Yeah.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Head and neck pain can be a sign of a spinal injury.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I heard him yell out from the house.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40We've driven down here.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I've seen what... Lee was already on the ground.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46The other fellow was standing up.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50We told him to sit down because he was not wary of where he was
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and got him on the ground and went and called the ambulance.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Any pain down the back of your neck there?
0:04:56 > 0:04:57No. Feels good, actually.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Let me know if anywhere hurts when I squeeze, OK, buddy?
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Oh, just that wrist.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Whereabouts in this wrist?
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Just...I don't know, just there somewhere.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11I think I've just sprained it, I think.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Lee and Taylor are friends.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15They weren't riding together,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19they just happened to be on the same dirt track at the same time.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21They've been long-time mates so...
0:05:21 > 0:05:23One's actually got a...
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I've got a family member kid with one of them, so...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Yeah, the other one's my good mate, so, yeah.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29It's an hour since the accident.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33The decision about which biker should go to hospital first
0:05:33 > 0:05:35is in the hands of Dr Tom.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39It's a critical judgment to make and there's no time to delay it.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56In the heart of Australia's vast red desert, it's the FA Cup final
0:05:56 > 0:05:59and the Championship play-off all rolled into one.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08It's the annual Aussie Rules Football Carnival
0:06:08 > 0:06:10in the isolated community of Blackstone
0:06:10 > 0:06:15and British policeman Kurt Weedon is in charge of crowd control
0:06:15 > 0:06:17with his Irish colleague Michael Noonan.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21Give me your knuckles. Good man. Ah, look at this.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Back in the UK, Kurt policed Millwall Football Club.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28But Aussie rules is a whole new ballgame.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Do they have two referees in the normal match?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34They have heaps of them.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35- REFEREE:- Clear!- Nice.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Is he allowed to do that? He just blocked...
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- MICHAEL:- Yeah, you can take them out.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41You're allowed to smash into each other.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Do you know how you win it, though?
0:06:42 > 0:06:45They'll play until their home team kind of win it.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- OK.- Most of the time.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Community policing is the name of the game in the outback.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Haven't seen you for ages!
0:06:53 > 0:06:58When backup is 150 miles away, you need the public on your side.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59- What?- What's your name?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Kurt.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02What are you eating? Is that chicken?
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- This is tail. - Oh. What is it, what tail?
0:07:05 > 0:07:06It's kangaroo's tail.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- Kangaroo tail.- Yeah.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Lady. Look at this one.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Devil.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16What is that thing?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- What thing? In there?- Yeah.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19The book to write.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22If anyone's naughty their name goes in the book.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Goes in the book then go to jail, if you're naughty.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31But one local youngster is already in Michael's book.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34He's wanted for questioning.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Aussie rules football creates just as much passion as soccer
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and it looks like there may be trouble.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Jesus, where's he going with that shovel?
0:07:43 > 0:07:45I think that's his son, like, the big bloke.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The man with the spade is about to get the red card from Kurt.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54How are you going, all right? Shovel.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57You won't be getting it back either. If I see you pick it up again
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I'll charge you for going armed, OK, and you'll end up going to jail.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02So no picking up weapons.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12To be honest, to be brutally honest, he was probably
0:08:12 > 0:08:14just like a peacock trying to display his feathers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16But we didn't want to take any chances so we took it off him
0:08:16 > 0:08:19and as soon as we went over there he threw it on the floor.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Like I say, he didn't threaten anyone so it's been left.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25It's just a little bit childish, really, over a bit of football.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Australia's aboriginal people still travel huge distances
0:08:29 > 0:08:32to visit extended family, often staying for months
0:08:32 > 0:08:35and, as in any family, there are disagreements.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- Do you know what they're fighting over?- Don't know.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40They're fighting over a funeral that he didn't go to.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42He's shouting and screaming at him,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44saying that he didn't go to this funeral.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- Yeah.- That's what it's about.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Some football carnivals last several days
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and as the evening draws on, play continues.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59But Kurt won't be here to see the trophies presented.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02His tour of the outback is coming to an end.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Tomorrow he returns to town.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Back in the woods of New South Wales,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Mancunian doctor Tom Wallis is under pressure.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- Any pain across your chest, buddy? - No.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Have a quick look at your stomach, mate.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30He has to choose which of two injured bikers
0:09:30 > 0:09:33is most in need of a flight to hospital.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Have you ever been in a helicopter before?- No.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Do you get travel sickness?- No.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38No?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Can you let me know if you get any pain in your neck, all right?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Already done that.- I know, but I've got to do it again, mate.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48One patient has a knee injury,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53but he'll also need X-rays of his head, neck and back.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- No pain across there? - Yeah, a little bit there, yeah.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Just on the end there.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00This terrain means Aussie medics must work more independently
0:10:00 > 0:10:05than their British counterparts, as help is a long way away.
0:10:05 > 0:10:0880 Ks, 90 Ks from hospital.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Yeah, so a fair way up in the mountains.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Can you chuck us that towel there?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I can put it under his head a little bit
0:10:16 > 0:10:18cos his head isn't neutral there.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21That's it. Rest back, mate. That's the way.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23One, two, three, lift.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Dr Tom decides Lee, the biker with the broken leg, is most in need
0:10:27 > 0:10:31of urgent treatment and a flight to the trauma unit in Newcastle.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Then we're going to take you in the helicopter,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- to John Hunter, all right?- Yep.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38We've got two here today -
0:10:38 > 0:10:40we only can transport one in the chopper safely
0:10:40 > 0:10:43so we have to make a difficult call on who's the most appropriate
0:10:43 > 0:10:46to put in the helicopter and then who can go by road.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47Ready to go?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50By road from where we are it's probably about an hour,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52an hour and a half to the local hospital.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54And those little hospitals aren't particularly well staffed
0:10:54 > 0:10:57for traumas so you've got to make sure you get the right patient.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59INDISTINCT
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Being from England you're not really used to that environment as much.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07But that's where the paramedics really come into their own
0:11:07 > 0:11:09cos they have much better local knowledge,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and then obviously the experience of the pilot
0:11:12 > 0:11:13and the crew as well.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15They obviously assist in locating the patient and then
0:11:15 > 0:11:18some of the logistics around getting them out of that area.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Just going to put some ear muffs over you, all right, mate?- Yeah.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22- That comfy enough?- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Yeah? Good lad.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Oh, he's looking pretty stable at the moment.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28His pain's pretty well controlled.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30He's relatively comfy, given what's happened to him.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Not feeling too nauseated, mate?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38OK, what we'll do, we'll come up a little bit to my right,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40then we'll bring the tail your side.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Over the track, vertically up and out towards
0:11:44 > 0:11:48the south east, following the road.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49Coming up.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52And 30% there.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Move right,
0:11:55 > 0:11:56and we're all clear left.
0:11:58 > 0:12:0098%.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It's pretty hilly terrain, quite isolated
0:12:08 > 0:12:10and lots of little farm hamlets, basically,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13so very different to what we'd experience in the UK.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15There you're often quite close to hospitals
0:12:15 > 0:12:16so transport isn't as much of an issue
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and finding them's a lot easier.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Do you want the heater on in the back, are you happy?
0:12:20 > 0:12:25- We're both shaking our heads, mate, we're comfortable.- Sure.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29Many hospital doctors in New South Wales like Tom take turns
0:12:29 > 0:12:32to leave A & E and fly on the rescue chopper.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Good afternoon, this is Westbank Helicopter Retrieval 1.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37We are inbound with a 30-year-old,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41been involved in a head-on motorbike accident today.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Tom's talking to a colleague he will be working with tomorrow.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Our ETA to you is 17:05.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55They've flown 120 miles -
0:12:55 > 0:12:58the equivalent of travelling from London to Bristol.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02RADIO CHATTER
0:13:07 > 0:13:10The biker was assessed soon after his flight.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Apart from surgery on his knee, he needs no further treatment.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17His friend has also escaped lasting injuries.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Senior Constable Kurt Weedon's manor used to be the streets of Dartford.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Now it's one of the remotest beats in the world -
0:13:40 > 0:13:45the town of Warakurna, 1,000 miles from the nearest city.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48I've got a very serious problem.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Seriously, we phoned you earlier to get it but there was no answer.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Yeah, come through.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58This is the important part of community policing.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01This is Darryl, who works for the health service
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and we came in the other day when we was dealing with a job and he'd made
0:14:04 > 0:14:07a cheesecake and it's probably the best cheesecake I've tasted.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10So now I'm doing the important stuff and getting the recipe
0:14:10 > 0:14:12so I can make one later.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15But Kurt isn't getting the recipe for nothing, there's going to
0:14:15 > 0:14:19be a power cut and the medic who runs to local clinic wants a backup plan.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23- We've got a blackout between 11 and 4...- Sunday.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- Friday.- Friday.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And I've got to look for an alternative place
0:14:28 > 0:14:30for emergency care.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32It gives you an idea of the isolation out here.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33They've got backup generators
0:14:33 > 0:14:37but they need to keep them there for their immunisation drugs.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40So what he's asking there is can they use the police station
0:14:40 > 0:14:42as a place where he can take all his equipment up
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and treat someone if there's emergency
0:14:44 > 0:14:48and keep them stable until the doctor flies in?
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Kurt rarely had time to exchange cheesecake recipes back in Kent.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Now he has plenty of time on his hands in his room
0:14:55 > 0:14:57close to the police station.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Yeah, you've got to be quite a strong character
0:14:59 > 0:15:01and you certainly have got to be independent
0:15:01 > 0:15:05cos there's long periods of time where you're literally by yourself.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Other than work, you know, you get a couple of days off
0:15:07 > 0:15:10if it's quiet and then you're sitting here, you're by yourself.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So you need to be able to entertain yourself, quite strong minded
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and certainly got to like your own company as well.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17If you don't like your own company
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and you're out here, you're in trouble.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Kurt likes to keep fit.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Policing in 50 degrees Celsius requires stamina.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33If you're applying to come here you do a psych test
0:15:33 > 0:15:35from the internal psychologist,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37mainly for the agency to reassure themselves that they're not
0:15:37 > 0:15:40putting someone up here that doesn't understand where they're going.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42A lot of people apply for these positions,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45they don't actually realise how alone you are
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and how solitary the existence is.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50The difficulty of coming to one of these remote locations
0:15:50 > 0:15:52is that there's only two officers here.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55So there's always going to be the issue of
0:15:55 > 0:15:56whether you get on with that person.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59You're with someone minimum eight hours of the day.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02But even outside of work you're the only two people really
0:16:02 > 0:16:06in the community other than maybe some health workers.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08So, kind of, you're each other's support
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and it's a difficult thing to do, is try and match two people up.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Two different personalities come together and, you know,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18things don't work which, you know, it is a problem.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19You all right?
0:16:19 > 0:16:23After five weeks, this is Kurt's last day in Warakurna.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26He's about to head back to the town of Laverton,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31250 miles up the road, and a bigger station with 12 officers.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Absolutely love it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It's completely quiet - you're literally in the middle of nowhere.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39I've been policing for 15, 16 years now
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and by far the best group of people I've ever had
0:16:42 > 0:16:45the pleasure of working with and I genuinely mean that.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I mean, they're such nice people. Welcoming.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50You probably won't hear a police officer say this that often,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52but they're so honest.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Working in the UK, someone can do something in front of you
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and you witness with your own eyes and you ask them about it
0:16:57 > 0:16:59and they'll deny it.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The things I miss from back home from the UK...
0:17:04 > 0:17:07First and foremost - it sounds sad -
0:17:07 > 0:17:10is I miss what I call Western Chinese food.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Obviously you miss your friends.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17And I've got to be honest, I do have a soft spot and I do miss London.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I used to enjoy going out in London.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24But if I weigh it up, all in all, I made the right decision.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Ambulance emergency, what suburb, please?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44OK, I'm organising the paramedics to help you now
0:17:44 > 0:17:47so stay on the line and I'll tell you exactly what to do next.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50It's the evening rush hour in New South Wales.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53All we know so far is a 24-year-old who's had
0:17:53 > 0:17:55a collision in a motor car.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57We don't know much else about him at this stage so we'll
0:17:57 > 0:18:01hopefully get some more information en route from the radio comms.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06RADIO CHATTER
0:18:13 > 0:18:17Flying doctor Sue Parkinson, originally from the Wirral,
0:18:17 > 0:18:19is heading out into the bush, west of Sydney.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Her patient has crashed on a remote country road.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28It's 100 miles away and controllers are using
0:18:28 > 0:18:31the signal from the victim's phone to try to find him.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I believe we have the rural fire service on the line here now
0:18:34 > 0:18:37giving us location details and perhaps a GPS.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41What's the information we've got?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Have we got any information on the injuries of the driver?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46No, no, just single male occupant of a car, rolled into a tree.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51This is Sue's second mission today.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54My experience here so far...
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Like, the first time I've been on scene was actually earlier today,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and then the road crew arrived
0:18:59 > 0:19:01pretty much as we walked up to the patient.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05So I've not actually been the first on the scene as yet,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07but I know other people have.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Get some packs out just in case we are first there.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- All good in the back, guys? - Yeah, cabin's all set.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14That might be it there, just coming three o'clock now.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16There's an emergency vehicle on the road
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- and to the left there's a car and a...- Yeah, I've got it.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23The team's prepared to deal with this incident alone,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26but local paramedics have beaten them to it.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Car rollover.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32There was three persons in the vehicle, quite foreign accent
0:19:32 > 0:19:35so they're very, very hard to be able to communicate.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Right, jump in, kids.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40The crash has happened on a steep hill, too steep for the chopper
0:19:40 > 0:19:44to land, so Sue and paramedic Monty are getting a lift.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48The story is that he got thrown or ejected from the vehicle
0:19:48 > 0:19:49whilst it was rolling.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The other two managed to get themselves out of the vehicle
0:19:52 > 0:19:54- when it stopped rolling.- Yeah.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57It's rolled a distance roughly about 100 metres.
0:19:57 > 0:19:58Not too sure how many times it rolled.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01As I said, we've got some language barriers.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- And it's struck a tree and that's where it's come to a stop.- Yeah.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Thank you. You all right for PPE?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Hello, Warwick, came to give you a hand.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22This fellow, rear seat passenger,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24- got a bit of a language barrier on the Korean.- Yep.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Querying LAC, very much a big query.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Query some generalised neck pain.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31His main complaint of pain is generalised pain
0:20:31 > 0:20:33to the left shoulder.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Little bit to the right shoulder and a little bit of sternal.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37Yeah.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40There were three people in the car when it left the road,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42rolled down the ravine and hit a tree.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44The airbags did their job.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Two occupants escaped with bruises,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50but the third is in severe pain.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55What I want you to do is tell me if it hurts when I press.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- OK.- Here.- Here, pain?
0:20:58 > 0:20:59- More up, up, up.- OK.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- Here?- Down.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Yeah, here.- There.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Dr Sue continues her assessment.
0:21:06 > 0:21:07Let's have a look at your chest.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11So, he's got some bruising here, looks like seatbelt marks.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- Did you have on a seatbelt?- Yeah.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Yeah?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- Any pain down your leg?- No.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20If I lift your leg up...
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- ..does it hurt, any pain?- No.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Does that hurt if I push?
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Oh, I'm OK.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Yeah, but is it sore? Any pain, yes or no?
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- No.- OK. If I straighten your leg, OK? Any pain?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Sue and paramedic Paul Monty decide the man's injuries aren't serious
0:21:40 > 0:21:44enough to require a helicopter flight to the major trauma unit.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Central sternal pain is quite mild
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and the same on the left shoulder.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I think if anything was going to show up that was going to be
0:21:51 > 0:21:52sinister it would've showed up by now.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54I'm happy that he goes to the local hospital.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57We're not going to take you in the helicopter.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01We're going to take you in an ambulance to the hospital nearby.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- OK.- It'll be 40 minutes in the ambulance, OK?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08You may have a bad injury. It's unlikely,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10but we want to make sure you don't.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Prepare to roll on the count of three. One, two, three...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'He was the rear seat passenger.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18'The car's rolled.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:23He seems to have been ejected during the roll, so before the car stopped,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26and that's a pretty significant mechanism of injury.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28What we look at with mechanism of injury
0:22:28 > 0:22:30is how much energy is involved.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34Because if there's energy involved in the car movement,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36that can be transferred to a person's body.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38And the higher the energy involved the more likely
0:22:38 > 0:22:40the injuries are to be serious.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42He's been very fortunate.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46In Australia, the victims of accidents like this often go
0:22:46 > 0:22:49undiscovered for hours or even days.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52There are a lot of areas where there are these high-speed roads,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55these highways where if you're travelling at 100 Ks per hour
0:22:55 > 0:22:58or faster, and they pass through areas
0:22:58 > 0:23:02where there's very little population and they can be pretty quiet,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04especially out of hours and at night.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06So if somebody rolls a car, for example,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09especially if they're on their own and they're seriously injured,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13they could disappear down the side of a road, down a ditch
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and they may not be discovered for a long time.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19And that can then result in things like exposure being a problem,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22or they could even die because they're trapped in their car
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and nobody's found them.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27The man's travelling by road to hospital
0:23:27 > 0:23:29in the country town of Goulburn.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33He recovers well and is soon allowed home.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52160 miles from Sydney in the town of Orange,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56one of Australia's outback ambulances is about to take on board
0:23:56 > 0:23:59a passenger with a critical medical condition.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02It's an 89-year-old man and he presented to hospital
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and he only had a heart rate of 20.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07His life will in the hands of British flight nurse
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Juanita Ameghino.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13All right, David, a bit like a sack of potatoes, over towards me.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17You lie there and do nothing, David, and we'll do it on your count, yeah?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Yeah, everybody happy?
0:24:19 > 0:24:20They gave him some isoprenaline,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22which is a drug to bring his heart rate up,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and that came up nicely and now they put transvenous pacing wires in
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and he's going to Sydney for insertion
0:24:27 > 0:24:29of a permanent pace maker.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Are you warm enough, mate? It's freezing in Orange.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Yes, it's...very cool.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42For now, 74-year-old pensioner David Sackett's erratic heartbeat
0:24:42 > 0:24:45is being maintained by tiny electric shocks.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48We're taking him as a matter of urgency
0:24:48 > 0:24:51because transvenous pacing wire are a little bit precarious
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and we don't want him dropping his heart rate down to 20 again.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58But there's a high risk he could go into cardiac arrest.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Say when, Ian, I can't see the top of it any more.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05My main concern is to make sure that those pacing wires
0:25:05 > 0:25:08remain in situ and that we maintain a heart rate.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I'll have him stretch... On that stretcher, yeah.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17I will be putting him on the cardiac monitor just to make
0:25:17 > 0:25:19sure that he maintains that heart rate.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21When he drops his heart rate he drops his blood pressure as well,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23which is why he collapsed
0:25:23 > 0:25:25when he came in with his initial presentation.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I'll be monitoring him very closely
0:25:30 > 0:25:33in regards to his blood pressure and his pulse rate.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36RADIO CHATTER
0:25:42 > 0:25:45John, it's Juanita. We should be in Sydney by 12:40.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Flying can put extra stress on heart patients but in Australia
0:25:51 > 0:25:55it's the only way to get them to specialists in the big cities.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57David also has a partially collapsed lung.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The thinner air up here could be a problem.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03I am a little bit worried about him.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05He looked terribly cyanosed when I picked him up.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08He's quite blue around the lips so I've given him some oxygen.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09He's come good on the oxygen
0:26:09 > 0:26:11and the temporary pacing wires are
0:26:11 > 0:26:12working quite well at the moment.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16His heart rate's 50 and his blood pressure is maintained well on that.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Juanita has no medical backup.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23If something goes wrong in flight, she's on her own
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and the plane is climbing.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29Where we picked him up from, Orange, is quite high in elevation -
0:26:29 > 0:26:32it's 3,000 feet, anyway.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35He should cope with the flying quite well, hopefully,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37and the pneumothorax shouldn't worsen,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41because that's always a risk with the aviation physiology.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44He's a little bit overwhelmed by it all, actually, I think.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Cos he collapsed this morning,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49he's had lots and lots and lots of things happen to him
0:26:49 > 0:26:51and now he's in a plane with me, poor man!
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Juanita's older patients down under are in many ways healthier
0:26:56 > 0:27:00than those she treated back home in the NHS in London.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04There's a lot of farm workers out in the country and I think they do
0:27:04 > 0:27:07tend to keep themselves healthier to a certain degree.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Although they never take themselves to hospital,
0:27:10 > 0:27:11these old country boys.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But there's certainly an element of work hard, play hard.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18The risk of coronary artery disease is probably
0:27:18 > 0:27:22lesser in Australia because of the healthier lifestyle choices.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I think there's less smoking on the whole,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I think drinking's probably about the same between the two countries.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35After an hour in the air,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39David has almost completed his journey to Sydney.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42His heart's still beating just 50 times a minute.
0:27:42 > 0:27:4550, 40, 30,
0:27:45 > 0:27:4820...
0:27:48 > 0:27:5010...
0:27:52 > 0:27:56He's on the list for surgery at the Royal Prince Albert Hospital
0:27:56 > 0:27:59tonight where they'll give him a permanent pacemaker.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07How are you feeling, David?
0:28:07 > 0:28:08Not too bad.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Not too bad, good.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12We're in... We've just arrived in Sydney.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14We're just going to take you into the hangar
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and I'll take you out and we'll get you into an ambulance
0:28:17 > 0:28:20and straight into the arms of Dr Wilson so he can sort you out.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24David's surgery in Sydney is successful
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and he's soon ready for a flight back home from the big city,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31this time with a pacemaker maintaining the rhythm of his heart.