0:00:02 > 0:00:07Whether in the air, on the sea or on the roads, the emergency services are all trained for the same thing -
0:00:07 > 0:00:10to save lives. It can mean working in the most difficult conditions.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Tonight, we see how tough it can get. This is Real Rescues.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Tonight, a cargo ship is listing dangerously in the Channel.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Twenty crew need to be airlifted to safety through a forest of masts in a near gale.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44As hazards go, quite substantial.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Gary's the winchman, and he could have become impaled, become trapped in there.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50A car crashes into a tree.
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Paramedics have to work fast to save the driver, who suffered horrific leg injuries.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59I was worried that suddenly we were going to have quite a catastrophic haemorrhage
0:00:59 > 0:01:01and Ian would then go into shock from it.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05And 93-year-old Lily, the retired dinner lady, spills the beans
0:01:05 > 0:01:08about the TV star who wouldn't eat up.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12He was a little horror.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16When it came to greens, "No, thank you," he said.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24The first rescue we're featuring on tonight's programme
0:01:24 > 0:01:29is among the most daring the air-sea rescue services have carried out.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35It's the story of the cargo ship the Ice Prince, its crew of 20, and what happened off the south coast,
0:01:35 > 0:01:40when severe gale force winds and high seas shifted its cargo of timber.
0:01:41 > 0:01:47It's growing dark. The wind's getting up and the seas are looking stormy on the south coast.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Just the kind of conditions to make a coastguard's heart sink.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01The shift's only just changed at the Brixham control room, when the emergency channel comes to life.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Pan-Pan is a distress call used by ships.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28Thirty nine miles off the south Devon coast, the Greek-registered Ice Prince is listing badly.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35Its 5,000-ton timber cargo has shifted, forcing the ship dangerously off balance.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Weather conditions on that night were force six to seven winds.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46The worst case scenario is obviously that the list will increase,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50and the vessel is in danger of capsizing and turning turtle.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I would imagine that the men would have been quite scared.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55I know I would have been.
0:02:55 > 0:03:01The 20-strong crew can be seen here huddling at the highest point of the 328 ft vessel.
0:03:01 > 0:03:07The Coastguard in Brixham know a ship can recover from a 25 degree list.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10But with a heavy load of timber, that's not easy.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12So they're preparing for the worst.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15The first job is getting a precise location.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31They found the ship. But there's no time to waste, as there are reports already of injuries.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35We heard one of the crewmen had sustained what the master thought was a broken leg.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40There was no question then. That casualty needed to come off straight away.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48The air and sea rescue services respond immediately.
0:03:48 > 0:03:55Lifeboats head out from Torbay and Salcombe to the ship, now listing at 40 degrees.
0:03:55 > 0:04:02Coastguard helicopter India Juliet is scrambled from its base in Portland. Wincher Pat is on board.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09En route, obviously the weather conditions were such they were, we were listening to the radios
0:04:09 > 0:04:15and could pick up the fact that things were going downhill and the situation was worsening.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18As soon as we got visual of the left hand of the ship, its upper deck
0:04:18 > 0:04:23was actually underwater then, so she was listing all the way over.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28It would be very hazardous for anybody to move on the deck due to the angle on the deck.
0:04:28 > 0:04:34So we raised the subject of removing all non-essential personnel.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38It's a lot easier to take persons off in a controlled situation,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41as opposed to when it becomes real dire need.
0:04:41 > 0:04:47Churning seas, crosswinds and a listing ship is every sailor's worst nightmare.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Will the team manage to bring it to an end?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53We'll be back to find out.
0:05:01 > 0:05:07An emergency call has come in requesting more police back-up at a serious road accident.
0:05:07 > 0:05:14PC Nick Lacey has to leave his desk and get out on the road as quickly as possible.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Fire and ambulance crews are already working at the scene,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22but the call has been made for a police escort for the ambulance.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27That only happens when the injuries are very serious.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31As he speeds to the scene, Nick's receiving regular updates.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Time is ticking by. Nick knows the area well.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45It's not far now, but the roads are not the easiest to navigate at speed.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Just at the bottom of the hill here there are a series of S-bends.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- He negotiates the bends and he's there.- There it is.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- Three-zero, state six. - The road ahead is completely crammed with emergency vehicles.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16He's made it in time to see the seriously injured man being carried into the ambulance.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Doc... Do you need an escort?
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Yes.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Only one car is involved in the accident, a silver people carrier.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It appears to have careered off the road and into a tree.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43The damage to the front of the car is extensive.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49A woman from the nearby village was driving behind.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53She pulled over and immediately went to help the driver, Ian Encke.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Two men were on their mobile phones, calling the emergency services,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I assumed. Another lady as well.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07But as Ian was on his own in the car, I thought that I should go and see to him. He didn't look too good.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14There was quite a lot of blood on his face and hands and arms.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19I was concerned that he was going to go to sleep, because he was so grey.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23He was losing all his colour.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I was asking him where he lived and what he did for a living.,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and what he'd been doing earlier on in the day.
0:07:29 > 0:07:35I suppose I was just wanting to keep him awake and keep things
0:07:35 > 0:07:38as normal as possible in the circumstances.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Beccy kept Ian company until the emergency services arrived.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48Once there, they worked quickly and efficiently to get him into the ambulance.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The sooner Ian gets treatment, the better his outcome.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57The ambulance is ready to go, so Nick sets off again at speed through the countryside.
0:08:06 > 0:08:07Get over.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Basically trying to clear a bit, like a ship - clear your way through the water,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and leave something a little bit calm behind you.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's probably less than a mile now.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24The essence of doing an ambulance run is generally they want a smooth,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29controlled run, where they don't have to do too much heavy braking or acceleration.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It's really all about planning.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34It's not so much about being a really great driver.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52A professional job well done. The emergency services have freed Ian
0:08:52 > 0:08:56from the wreckage of his car and got him to hospital in under 10 minutes.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Now it's up to the medics to do their work.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03The police can only wait and see what kind of investigation this will turn out to be.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22In the turbulent waters of the English Channel, the crew
0:09:22 > 0:09:27of the stricken Ice Prince are desperately huddled on the ship's deck, awaiting rescue.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Coastguard helicopter India Juliet is on scene.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Winchman Gary Mitchell is about to be dropped a staggering 130ft
0:09:35 > 0:09:37down to the listing deck.
0:09:37 > 0:09:44And that'll be no easy task. Between India Juliet and the deck there's a forest of masts.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46As hazards go,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51it was quite substantial. If the winch had caught on those,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54it could have parted them. But Gary as the winchman,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58if he'd swung into them, he could have impaled himself, become trapped in there.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02If he'd still been attached to the end of the wire, he would have been pulled in both directions.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Gary successfully made it onto the slippery deck.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09With enormous skill he's navigated the masts of the pitching ship.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14The tremendous winds forced Gary to move men down to a lower deck,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16much nearer to the crashing waves.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Terrifying as this is,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22it's the best way to avoid the line becoming tangled in the masts.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25It probably would be a scary place - one minute they're looking at
0:10:25 > 0:10:27black sky, the next minute they're looking at foam and water.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32Gary, he actually physically had to brace himself in there to prevent himself falling out.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The harness is dropped down the guideline.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40And two by two, 12 of the men are laboriously lifted from the listing deck.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42They are suspended on the end of the wire for a reasonable period of time.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Obviously with the black ocean beneath them, I can imagine it would be quite terrifying for them.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51They were getting some wide eyes. But once we got them inside the aircraft,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55they were very appreciative of the fact that they were safe.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- They were quite relieved. - Then, a problem.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Hovering in these conditions for a long time is using up a lot of fuel.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06India Juliet is now running dangerously low.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10The crew need to be sure they've got enough to get back to base.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14But heading back now would mean leaving eight terrified crewmen behind.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16It's a tough call.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21It's really got to be thought about carefully, and it will always be the last option.
0:11:21 > 0:11:28On that night the safety of the majority definitely outweighed leaving the guys behind.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Plus the fact they had lifeboats alongside anyway, so there was always
0:11:32 > 0:11:37the option for them to actually carry on and perform the rescue themselves.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41So, the lifeboat does take on the rescue.
0:11:41 > 0:11:47Over an hour and three quarters they make 50 approaches to the ship, and get the eight men onto the lifeboat.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52A rescue that's to earn the coxon a silver award for gallantry.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55In the early hours of the next day, the Torbay lifeboat
0:11:55 > 0:12:00arrives back at port, its cargo of men exhausted but safe.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Talking to some of the lifeboat crew this morning,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07they say the weather conditions were the worst they've ever faced during a rescue in 35 years.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Just look at the damage done to the bow, to give you some idea of
0:12:11 > 0:12:18what was going on last night during that incredibly successful rescue of 20 sailors in gale force winds.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20It's been a traumatic night for the crew.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22They're all relieved and thankful.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They take me by helicopter. They rescue me.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30When you saw the helicopter, what were your thoughts?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Erm...
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Pleased to see them?
0:12:37 > 0:12:42It's a night that will remain etched on the minds of these men for a long time to come.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44But they're onshore and safe.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46The plight of their ship is still in the balance.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52Her load is becoming more precarious, and the list of the ship is steadily increasing.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55As we'll be seeing, she's now in the hands of the salvage teams.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59But they can't work without the emergency services.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08It's 6am, and the day has not yet broken.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Jane Peters is on duty with a colleague in the ambulance.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15They're rushing to an elderly woman's home.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19We're going to a 93-year-old female that's fallen.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22It appears that police have had to break in.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25That's all the information we've got so far.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29There's not a lot of traffic so early in the day, and they're on the scene quickly.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Hello?
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Rapid response paramedic Henry Gill is already there when they arrive.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Lily?- Yes, dear?- Hello.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- It's the ambulance.- Oh yes, dear.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42- Can you see me all right?- Yes, dear.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- You can, can you?- Yes, thank you.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Henry briefs Jane on what he's managed to find out so far.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50She's fallen back on this.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51She managed to drag herself there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55She thought she'd only been there for a few hours, but she's been there all night. She's quite cold.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Very bruised in this area.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- What, in the middle? - Yeah, right in the middle.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05Jane takes over, but she has to speak up because her patient, Lily Hunt, is hard of hearing.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Is it just your back that hurts?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Yes. I fell on my back.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Did you? Oh, dear.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13No wonder Lily's cold.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17She's been lying there the whole night and only pressed her emergency alarm this morning.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20We need to get you out of here to take you for a check-up.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- Oh, all right.- OK?- Yes.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I'm quite sure that once they've checked you over, they'll send you back home again.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Oh, that is lovely, dear.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Because you're only a young lady, aren't you?
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- Eh? - You're only a young lady, aren't you?
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Hopefully!
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Jane's sure Lily has no significant injuries.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41However, after a night on the floor she'll still feel stiff and achey.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43So getting her up won't be easy.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Right Lil, give me this arm.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50I know it's going to be a bit sore, darling.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53One, two, three...
0:14:53 > 0:14:55- Let me sit up.- There's a chair.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57There's a chair there, darling.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- Now, with Lily more comfortable, they can take her to the ambulance. - You're going up in the world.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07But she's still very cold from her night on the floor.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10So you don't normally shake like this then?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13No, I don't.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Here...
0:15:15 > 0:15:18If I thought I was going to have this, I'd have had a perm.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- Oh, we should have brushed your hair for you, shouldn't we?- Eh?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25We should have brushed your hair for you, shouldn't we?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- Oh, dear.- You look lovely though.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Lily was a Cockney lady that lived in London.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34She obviously had a lot of history
0:15:34 > 0:15:37behind her, being 93 years of age.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40She was just... I could have dealt with her all day long.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- Let's feel your hands. Are they any warmer?- Yeah.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Not shaking so much now?
0:15:46 > 0:15:49No.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51When she fell, Lily bruised her back.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54But now she's feeling a new pain in her chest.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- Oh...- Is your back sore, is it?
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- It's sore, here.- Is it?- Oh...
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Do you suffer with your chest, then?
0:16:02 > 0:16:06- No. No. - Is it a pain or is it just...?
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- It's a pain.- Is it?- Yeah.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16Jane decides to hook Lily up to the ECG monitor in case her pain's an indication of a heart problem.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Do you want to cover your arms up, darling, keep warm.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- OK. Thank you.- There.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- That's not too bad at all, Lily, actually.- Isn't it?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- No.- No. Oh, good.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- All the squiggly lines are doing what they should be doing.- Yeah.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37Now Lily's feeling better she's got a few stories she wants to share with Jane,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40including the time she worked as a school dinner lady.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45And you know who was in my class, Noel Edmonds.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48I was going to say to you when you did...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Noel Edmonds.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- He was a little horror.- Was he?
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- When it came to greens...- Yeah.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59"No thank you," he says.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I used to say to him, "Yes, please."
0:17:02 > 0:17:04In the finish he got away with it,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08he never ate his greens. Never ate his greens.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13They were lovely days, I thoroughly enjoyed it with the children.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18I was just amazed by her. For 93 years of age,
0:17:18 > 0:17:20a really lovely old lady.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24They arrive at the hospital and Lily can be given a thorough check-up.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27We'll find out later how she gets on.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Back in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, a new day has dawned on the stricken Ice Prince.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39All 20 crew have been rescued but the ship's still adrift,
0:17:39 > 0:17:4240 miles off the coast of Devon.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45She's listing at a perilous 45-degree angle.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48What happens next is up to the salvage experts.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52What do you think the chances are of a successful salvage mission?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Considering the weather, 50-50.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- So...- Good luck. - Thank you very much, OK.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Coastguard helicopter India Juliet is back in action again
0:18:01 > 0:18:06as the salvage teams head out to try to get on board the stricken ship.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11The idea is to assess the list and determine if it's safe enough to get a line on her from a tug boat.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14So you'd want to put a man down on the deck
0:18:14 > 0:18:16to receive a line from the tug, is that right?
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Yes.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23They lower a man onto the stricken ship, no easy task in the strong winds.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Now he has to clamber up the slippery, sloping deck.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34He makes it to the top but signals to the salvage experts
0:18:34 > 0:18:39on board the helicopter that it's too dangerous to risk a tow line.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44An attempt was made by a salvage tug to get a line on board so they could take the vessel in tow.
0:18:44 > 0:18:52This failed and the vessel continue to drift in a north-easterly direction.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Not only that, the inevitable has happened - all the ship's cargo of timber has been lost to sea.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Because of the direction of the wind,
0:18:58 > 0:19:03it was obvious it was going to end up on the beaches of the south coast.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05It's transformed the landscape.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11Every beach along a ten-mile stretch of coast is covered in huge wood piles.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Meanwhile, out in the English Channel, the battle's over.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17The Ice Prince has given herself up to the sea.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22The cargo ship that got into difficulties along the south-west coast on Sunday night has sunk.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27The Ice Prince went down in very rough weather around 26 miles south-east of Portland Bill.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32It may be the end for the Ice Prince but its lost cargo of timber is going to present more problems.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35This time for the fire service.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47Nick Lacey is at the scene of a terrible road accident where this car smashed into a tree.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51It was being driven by a local man, Ian Encke, who's now in hospital
0:19:51 > 0:19:53with what's feared to be life-threatening injuries.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It's the only vehicle involved.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Nobody knows why it happened.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04What you're looking for is freshly disturbed earth, things like tyre marks.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09If we look that way you can see quite a nice, tidy tyre mark going over the verge.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16- He's not gone left, he's just carried straight on. - That's right, absolutely.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Whatever the cause of the accident, all thoughts are with the driver.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Then the call comes through to Sergeant Wayne Voller.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28I've just had an update.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32The injuries that we initially thought were life-threatening are no longer life-threatening.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35They're serious, very serious. He's got a badly broken leg and ankle
0:20:35 > 0:20:37but he's not going to die.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42So there's going to be no potential investigation for the coroner, so we're just going to clear it up now.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46His life is out of danger but the driver has suffered terrible injuries.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Paramedic Frank Minchell was the first to him.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53It was very obvious at the time that he was trapped in the vehicle.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55He was having a great deal of pain from his legs.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57That can be quite a positive sign, initially, because if you're
0:20:57 > 0:21:02getting pain, you're getting feeling down there but the longer it goes on, the more toxins and clots that are
0:21:02 > 0:21:06building up in the bloodstream, the more danger to the patient.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09If the initial injuries don't kill you outright,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13it's purely preventable things that can then do it afterwards.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18So it's us as a medical service to try to lessen the extent
0:21:18 > 0:21:20of further damage going on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Ian could also recall most of the horror of the accident.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I was driving home from work, and, erm...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Perfectly normal, a little bit tired, not very.
0:21:30 > 0:21:37As I came towards home, a few bends away from the village,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I blanked out.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44I had a vague recollection I felt woozy - and a feeling of being on a rollercoaster.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49Then suddenly I came to and about six foot in front of me was a tree.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53Both legs were completely trapped.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59My left leg was trapped by the steering column which had moved across to the left.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03My right leg was trapped against the steering column by the side of the car
0:22:03 > 0:22:07and both legs were pushed up with my knees almost against my chest.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13As we him, Ian says something like, "Oh, hell, my heel's detached."
0:22:13 > 0:22:18When I felt down there you could see that his heel was hanging in two pieces right down to his foot.
0:22:18 > 0:22:24The floor of the van had cut through my heel bone and cut right the way down to the instep.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I saw that falling away. It's amazing what you do under the circumstances.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I said, "My foot's falling off." I reached down and held it on.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I was worried that suddenly we were going to have a catastrophic
0:22:34 > 0:22:38haemorrhage in there and Ian would then go into shock from it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41So I quickly grabbed a pressure dressing to pull the pieces
0:22:41 > 0:22:44back together to ensure there was no sudden blood being freed.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50The basics doctor was there to assist and then transferred to hospital as quickly as possible.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Ian fractured his left leg as well as suffering the horrific injuries to his right foot.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58In hospital, his condition worsens before it gets better.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02I had a pulmonary embolism and a clot on the lung
0:23:02 > 0:23:04within two days of arriving in hospital.
0:23:04 > 0:23:10That prevented them doing the next stage of the operation, going in to see what to do to fix the foot.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13If the blood supply didn't recover then there was a risk of losing the foot.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18So, it was great to be alive, but it was a scary prognosis.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23It takes four weeks of intensive hospital treatment to save Ian's foot.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27During that time the doctors also discover what caused the accident.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30One of the things they discovered when I was in hospital
0:23:30 > 0:23:34was I was severely anaemic and had been so for over six months.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40In hindsight, I can see some of the evidence for that and that is almost definitely the reason I passed out.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Forty miles off the Devon coast,
0:23:48 > 0:23:54the coastguard and RNLI have saved 20 sailors from the doomed Ice Prince.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Its timber load has become salvage, washed up on the beaches of West Sussex,
0:23:58 > 0:24:05but the ill-fated ship and its lost cargo has one more challenge for the emergency services.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09It's 1am on a Sunday morning in February,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13a month after the mid-Channel rescue, and West Sussex Fire Service
0:24:13 > 0:24:18are called out to an out-of-control bonfire on Worthing beach.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21On the morning of the call we weren't totally surprised, we knew roughly
0:24:21 > 0:24:25what we were going to, and as we approached the call we could see
0:24:25 > 0:24:30it was as we thought and it was going to be a huge bonfire on the beach.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38One of the giant wood piles is now alight.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The wood may be wet but not so wet it wouldn't ignite.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45There was nothing spontaneous about this fire.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Someone deliberately set fire to enable that fire to start.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Once it starts going, once the heat builds up,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53then even wet wood burns quickly
0:24:53 > 0:24:58and it self-perpetuates until we get to a stage where we have a huge fire,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00flames licking up into the sky.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Initially our first thoughts were - was anyone involved in the fire itself,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10because you get people that will be down there, sleeping or whatever.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13We checked - there was nobody there.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Our next priority was for the beach huts and so forth
0:25:15 > 0:25:20because you never know quite what's in these beach huts. There could be people's possessions, gas cylinders.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23But the wind is in their favour and is blowing the flames towards
0:25:23 > 0:25:25the sea, stopping the fire from spreading.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28If the wind had been coming from the prevailing south-westerly
0:25:28 > 0:25:32as it normally does, the rest of the piles would have been involved as well.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It's not just the wind which is helping the firefighters -
0:25:36 > 0:25:39a digger nearby had been used in clearing the beach of timber.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Having that on site was a great assistance to us
0:25:42 > 0:25:47being able to move the unburnt timber so we could finally get to the timber that was burning.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52By using the digger to remove the wood from the path of the fire,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54the firefighters are beginning to win the battle.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57This fire could not have started on its own.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00An arsonist will never consider their actions.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05They would consider the fact that somebody else, somewhere, may be suffering because of their actions.
0:26:05 > 0:26:12In total the fire needed eight pumps to bring it under control and kept firefighters busy for 12 hours.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15The emergency services worked very well.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Along with the local emergency planning authorities, the beach is
0:26:18 > 0:26:23now clear and everything's been moved and a satisfactory outcome achieved.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33So it's finally over, more than a month after it began.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39During that time, the RNLI and coastguard saved 20 crew from a listing ship in a Force 9 storm.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41The ship was lost to the sea
0:26:41 > 0:26:45and a wood slick washed up on the beaches of the south coast.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49It was left to the Sussex fire crews to play out the last act
0:26:49 > 0:26:52of the Ice Prince drama on the beaches of Worthing.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57All part of the service provided by the men and women of our rescue teams.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Let's catch up with some of the other people who featured in tonight's programme.
0:27:02 > 0:27:09Lily Hunt, the 93-year-old woman who spent the night on the floor after falling, escaped with a few bruises.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14She's now living closer to her daughter in a residential home where she's recovering well.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19She's had flowers from Noel Edmonds and a note saying he now eats his sprouts.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Ian Encke, the driver of the car which hit a tree, is back on his feet, but only just.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29He owes his life to the emergency services
0:27:29 > 0:27:36and is also very grateful to Beccy Ward for helping him directly after the accident happened.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I wasn't the only person there, it's important to say that.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41There were lots of other people in the background
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and people making sure the emergency services were on their way.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49I just dealt with it in a way that anybody would, really.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I'm sure he would do exactly the same for me in those circumstances.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I was incredibly grateful for what she did.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's only when something like this happens that you realise how good people are.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02But Beccy particularly because she was there at the beginning
0:28:02 > 0:28:07and made it a lot easier for me to handle the time it took for the emergency services.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I'm sure it would have seemed a lot longer without somebody there,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13talking to me and checking I was OK, and saying, "You look all right",
0:28:13 > 0:28:15even if I didn't.
0:28:15 > 0:28:21Every time you see a blue light or hear a siren the emergency services are on their way
0:28:21 > 0:28:23to help someone in distress.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Join me again when we go out on call for more Real Rescues.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:41 > 0:28:44E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk