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Today on Real Rescues, fire rages in a fourth-floor flat, the occupants are asleep in their beds | 0:00:02 | 0:00:06 | |
and it's up to a man driving past to raise the alarm. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:09 | |
I knackered my thumbs and hands trying to break down the doors and windows. | 0:00:09 | 0:00:14 | |
The moment a skier surfaces after being buried alive | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
in an avalanche. Trapped under the snow for 15 minutes, | 0:00:17 | 0:00:20 | |
her friends expected to find her dead. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
And a parent's terror as their baby stops breathing. | 0:00:23 | 0:00:26 | |
How a mum and dad bring their baby back from the brink of death | 0:00:32 | 0:00:36 | |
and discover she has a rare, undetected condition. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
Hello and welcome to Real Rescues. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:57 | |
Today we are at this very impressive control room | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
of South Western Ambulance Service. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
And they are a busy bunch. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
They take up to 30,000 calls a month, | 0:01:04 | 0:01:06 | |
not just from people who live here | 0:01:06 | 0:01:09 | |
but also from the 17.5 million tourists who visit every year. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:13 | |
A fire has taken hold in a block of flats. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:19 | |
Flames are billowing from the fourth-floor balcony. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:21 | |
It's a race against time to fight it and make sure all of the residents are safe. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:26 | |
On the floor below the fire, there's another problem. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:28 | |
They can't alert the people who live there to the danger. | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
SIRENS WAIL | 0:01:31 | 0:01:33 | |
Saturday morning, and Green Watch from St Mary's Fire Station have an emergency that's just down the road. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:42 | |
45 minutes, straight on it. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:45 | |
They're there within moments, | 0:01:45 | 0:01:48 | |
but a vicious blaze has taken hold. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:51 | |
At least three flats are affected, potential casualties unknown. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:59 | |
We need to get some water on that as quick as we can. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
Swiftly, watch manager Tim Harrison must work out the best way | 0:02:03 | 0:02:07 | |
to use his resources. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
I quickly sent a message requesting another three fire engines. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:13 | |
You have to try and see through the size of the flames | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
and actually ascertain what is affected. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:19 | |
Is it purely the balconies, as we've been called to? | 0:02:19 | 0:02:22 | |
Or was the initial call made in error | 0:02:22 | 0:02:24 | |
and actually it has spread from within the flats? | 0:02:24 | 0:02:27 | |
And then, my second thought was to confirm that there's nobody in any of the flats. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:32 | |
First, the crew need to try and stop the flames raging out of control | 0:02:32 | 0:02:36 | |
and buy themselves some time. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:38 | |
Firefighter Richie Howting douses them with a powerful jet. | 0:02:38 | 0:02:42 | |
Agitated, a man comes up to Tim. | 0:02:44 | 0:02:46 | |
The information he told me | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
was that one of the flats was definitely empty, | 0:02:49 | 0:02:51 | |
the flat on the third floor, he couldn't get an answer | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
and the flat on the fourth floor, | 0:02:54 | 0:02:55 | |
there was two people unaccounted for. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
My main fear is that this is now the person who's reported the incident. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:02 | |
A much greater sense of urgency, because we know people's lives are on the line. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:06 | |
We, as firefighters, are prepared to take a lot more risk to deal with the incident. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:10 | |
They've beaten back the flames for now. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
To put this fire out completely and search for any missing person, | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
they need to get inside fast. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:18 | |
We'll need to extend this, as well. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:21 | |
Because the incident was so high, and we were unable to park close to it. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:25 | |
It was a lot more difficult, we had to extend the hose to 120 metres. | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
With the number of people we had getting the hose to the front door of the flat, | 0:03:29 | 0:03:33 | |
with enough hose to reach through it, was a lot of work. Especially when they're trying to work fast. | 0:03:33 | 0:03:38 | |
Wearing breathing apparatus, Richie and fellow firefighter Tim O'Donnell will be the first | 0:03:38 | 0:03:43 | |
to go into the main flat that's on fire on the fourth floor. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:47 | |
While the pair get ready, | 0:03:47 | 0:03:48 | |
watch manager Tim is pointed towards the flat's occupants, Andrew and Mia. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:52 | |
The guy in the top-floor flat is here. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:54 | |
They've got out safe and well, | 0:03:59 | 0:04:00 | |
but they've had a terrifying experience. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:03 | |
All I can remember was a banging. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
I jumped out of bed and opened my bedroom window and looked down | 0:04:07 | 0:04:12 | |
and all I could see was the traffic and everyone's pointing | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
at the building, "Get out of the building, get out of the building." | 0:04:15 | 0:04:18 | |
All I could see was smoke coming down the corridor. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:21 | |
I woke up Andrew quickly and said to Andrew, | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
"Get up, the place is on fire." | 0:04:23 | 0:04:25 | |
I ran out into the corridor and I saw black smoke going past the window. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:28 | |
I carried on into the living room because I heard a burning sound | 0:04:28 | 0:04:33 | |
and all I could see was a massive rolling fireball at the doors. | 0:04:33 | 0:04:38 | |
It was the whole height of the doors | 0:04:38 | 0:04:39 | |
and was looking like it wanted to come into the room. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
It was a complete moment of panic. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:44 | |
You've seen something that you've never seen before in your life and it scared you to death. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:49 | |
All you want to do is get out and get away from it. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:51 | |
He shouted to me, "Mi, get out of the place." | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
I didn't even realise that the fire was that big until I got out | 0:04:54 | 0:04:57 | |
of the building and looked at the balcony and I saw it was actually that big. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:01 | |
It's not just her property that Mia's worried about - | 0:05:01 | 0:05:04 | |
she knows her pet's inside and the flames start up again. | 0:05:04 | 0:05:09 | |
All I can remember is trying to shout out to my cat and I couldn't find her. I was terrified about her. | 0:05:09 | 0:05:14 | |
Upstairs, Rich and Tim have now gone into the burning top-floor flat. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:19 | |
As we entered the flat, | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
the smoke was down to the floor, so visibility was more or less zero. | 0:05:22 | 0:05:27 | |
Meanwhile, reinforcements have arrived | 0:05:27 | 0:05:29 | |
from neighbouring station Hightown. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
With everybody accounted for on the top floor, Tim wants them to concentrate on the flat below. | 0:05:31 | 0:05:36 | |
First, second and third floor, you'll need to break in. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
On a Saturday morning, there's a chance people were lying in | 0:05:41 | 0:05:45 | |
and had been overcome by fumes entering their flat. | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
I have teams fire-fighting on the top floor, teams for search and rescue on the third floor. | 0:06:05 | 0:06:12 | |
The fate of both human and animal could be decided in the next few minutes. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:17 | |
Later, we'll see how a quick-thinking passer-by put his own life at risk | 0:06:20 | 0:06:25 | |
to raise the alarm inside the block of flats. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
Now, it's so calm in here that it's easy to forget that | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
the call-takers in this room are dealing with 999 life-and-death emergencies all the time. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
-I want to speak to Sophia. Are you OK to talk? -Yes. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
You're new here, aren't you? You have been here a month, is it busy? | 0:06:38 | 0:06:43 | |
It's been going really well, yes. And very busy, yes. | 0:06:43 | 0:06:45 | |
How many calls do they take? | 0:06:45 | 0:06:47 | |
South-western Ambulance Service take about...1,200 calls a day. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:52 | |
-That's a lot, isn't it? -Yes. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:53 | |
And how long, normally, are you on a call for, more or less? | 0:06:53 | 0:06:57 | |
It can be anything from two to three minutes, up to 15. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
And what sort of calls, in the last couple of days, for example, what sort of calls have you been taking? | 0:07:00 | 0:07:04 | |
Chest pains, falls and faints and things like that, yes. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:07 | |
Falling, where were people falling? | 0:07:07 | 0:07:09 | |
Falling down the stairs, or falling in their own home. The elderly. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:13 | |
-And that's the kind of bread-and-butter of your daily life? -Yes. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:17 | |
Thank you, Sophia, I'll let you go. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
So not all calls are like the one we're about to hear. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:22 | |
A six-day-old baby is struggling to breathe, | 0:07:22 | 0:07:24 | |
her parents are desperate and they need immediate help, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
so they dial 999. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:29 | |
While all that was going on, Ian was speeding to the rescue. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
I know that's the first time you've heard that. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:37 | |
It's quite harrowing, really, | 0:09:37 | 0:09:39 | |
listening to it on the telephone. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:41 | |
It is, isn't it? | 0:09:41 | 0:09:42 | |
You didn't have any idea really how sick she was, did you? | 0:09:42 | 0:09:45 | |
We were told we were responding to an unresponsive baby | 0:09:45 | 0:09:48 | |
-that was breathing, but that's the only information I had. -OK. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:53 | |
Ian was just moments away, but Eliza Lily, as we heard, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
is still struggling for breath. | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
Her cries have faded and things seem to be taking a turn for the worse. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:02 | |
Very soon after that, I'm glad to say, you arrived. | 0:10:48 | 0:10:51 | |
When you saw her, | 0:10:51 | 0:10:52 | |
did you realise she was very sick, very quickly? | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
Yeah, I mean, she was lifeless on the table with Michelle over her. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:59 | |
I couldn't tell that she was breathing at the time. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:01 | |
She was blue, got me stethoscope out, | 0:11:01 | 0:11:03 | |
had a listen to her heart and lungs, could hear she was breathing | 0:11:03 | 0:11:06 | |
although it was laboured and very slow. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:08 | |
So then, just helped her with a little bit of oxygen, | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
and then doing my basic baseline tests. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:15 | |
The main thing we do, | 0:11:15 | 0:11:16 | |
or one of the things we do, is prick the baby's heel, | 0:11:16 | 0:11:19 | |
which gives us a little bit of blood. | 0:11:19 | 0:11:21 | |
-Test the blood for blood glucose. -Normally they would cry? | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
Normally, they would cry when you do it. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:26 | |
I've never had a baby, apart from Eliza Lily, that's not cried. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:29 | |
-Oh, gosh! -And that showed up a reading of low on our machine. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:34 | |
So, quite quickly, you realised that was the problem? The blood sugar level? | 0:11:34 | 0:11:37 | |
It was, yeah, causing lack of glucose and oxygen to the brain, | 0:11:37 | 0:11:41 | |
which was affecting her breathing. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:43 | |
What did you do then? | 0:11:43 | 0:11:45 | |
I then had to go to my protocols to check how much glucagon... | 0:11:45 | 0:11:48 | |
We carry an injection called glucagon, a synthetic drug... | 0:11:48 | 0:11:53 | |
A hormone that's like glucagon in the body | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
that we give intramuscularly, but I had to obviously down-scale the amount. | 0:11:56 | 0:12:01 | |
-She was so tiny. -Yeah, she was six days old. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:04 | |
I drew that up. The crew had arrived by then, to back me up. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:08 | |
-I then administered the glucagon. -Did it make a difference? | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
Within a minute, she was breathing better, | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
she was a little bit more responsive, | 0:12:14 | 0:12:16 | |
so you know, it does actually work and gets in quite quick. | 0:12:16 | 0:12:19 | |
And you heard her cry on the tape, but when you were there, she didn't cry. | 0:12:19 | 0:12:23 | |
-No, not at all. -Which is very worrying, isn't it? | 0:12:23 | 0:12:25 | |
She was very lucky you were there. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:27 | |
Thank you, Ian, for coming to tell us about that. | 0:12:27 | 0:12:29 | |
Ian's quick diagnosis may have saved Eliza Lily | 0:12:29 | 0:12:32 | |
from brain damage or even death. | 0:12:32 | 0:12:34 | |
She was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, | 0:12:34 | 0:12:36 | |
where they discovered she had a condition called | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
congenital hyperinsulinism. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:41 | |
It's a very rare condition, | 0:12:41 | 0:12:42 | |
which affects only one in 40,000 children. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
Castles were built in the first place to stop people getting in. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:51 | |
We're about to see how one historic fortress is still doing its job | 0:12:51 | 0:12:55 | |
so well, the coastguard helicopter had a difficult time reaching | 0:12:55 | 0:12:59 | |
an injured sightseer. | 0:12:59 | 0:13:01 | |
The coastguard helicopter is flying from its base | 0:13:05 | 0:13:08 | |
in Portland to an emergency at Corfe Castle near Swanage. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
Amidst the ruins of this 1,000-year-old fortress, | 0:13:11 | 0:13:14 | |
a man has fallen between the rocks and injured his foot. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:18 | |
-Are you into wind? -Into wind. | 0:13:19 | 0:13:22 | |
'You see the clean area to his back and right?' | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
It's impossible to get a vehicle up the 55-metre hill | 0:13:24 | 0:13:27 | |
with its ancient ruins, so the only way to get him out | 0:13:27 | 0:13:31 | |
is to use the helicopter. | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
But this is a National Trust site, | 0:13:33 | 0:13:35 | |
and it's very popular with tourists. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
'What we've got is a lot of people here | 0:13:37 | 0:13:40 | |
'who are going to cause us an awful lot of problem at the moment. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
'Our rotor wash, I can't get any picture of it here.' | 0:13:43 | 0:13:46 | |
The rotor blades of the helicopter will cause a massive down-draught | 0:13:46 | 0:13:49 | |
as it approaches, enough to frighten, or even injure, | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
anyone in the vicinity. | 0:13:53 | 0:13:55 | |
On board the helicopter, preparing to be winched down, is Pat Holder. | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
They see the helicopter there, and it's an attraction, | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
so they tend to flock to wherever the aircraft is. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:05 | |
The last thing we want is any further injuries due to | 0:14:05 | 0:14:08 | |
flying debris, caused by the downwash from the aircraft. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:12 | |
It's impossible to clear the castle grounds, | 0:14:12 | 0:14:14 | |
but the emergency services already on site | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
can move people away from the winching area. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
They plan to land Pat some distance away from the busiest part, | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
but the tourists are not the only problem. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:27 | |
We have the confined area of the castle. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:29 | |
We were trying to get into it. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:31 | |
It was physically impossible to land the aircraft in the confines, | 0:14:31 | 0:14:35 | |
so we knew from the word go it would be a winch extraction. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:39 | |
They need to work out exactly where to place Pat | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
safely between the ruins. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:43 | |
If we put you down in the 3 o'clock, are you happy with that position? | 0:14:43 | 0:14:48 | |
-Yeah. -Right one, and steady. Just go left slowly, five. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
We're just starting to blow all the dust up. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:54 | |
We're going to ask the ambulance man to move these people out of the way. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:58 | |
The pilot and winch operator liaise closely. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:01 | |
Are you happy to go through that gap and put Pat in that area there? | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
If we aim to put Pat in there, | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
that will stop the rotor wash hitting these people behind us. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:09 | |
OK. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:11 | |
Just a little bit, I'd say about another unit further forward. OK. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:16 | |
If we just move over this area now, it'll stop all the problems with the rotor wash onto those people. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
They'll still get some, though. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:21 | |
They'll get a bit, but nowhere near like we had. OK, right, slowly now, at 15. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:25 | |
Right six. Just going over the area now, right five. Clear the winch. | 0:15:25 | 0:15:28 | |
-Clear the winch. -Right four. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:30 | |
Right three. Well clear. Right two. | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
You can give a certain amount of direction from the end of the winch, | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
but you've not always got control of which direction you're facing. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:42 | |
Pat's ten to the deck, five, four, three, two, one. Contact! | 0:15:42 | 0:15:47 | |
Empty hook, winch in gear, forward and left to clear the area | 0:15:47 | 0:15:50 | |
whilst recovering the hook to the aircraft. | 0:15:50 | 0:15:52 | |
44-year-old Gary Swan has been in great pain from his injuries. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:57 | |
He had been enjoying a weekend in Dorset | 0:15:57 | 0:15:59 | |
following his Under-11 rugby team's success earlier that weekend. | 0:15:59 | 0:16:03 | |
Now the fun is over | 0:16:03 | 0:16:04 | |
and he just wants to be taken away from this tourist attraction. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:08 | |
You could hear the helicopter flying in, | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
and that was hovering above, | 0:16:10 | 0:16:13 | |
and everyone was told to move back down the car, | 0:16:13 | 0:16:16 | |
there was dust everywhere. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:18 | |
The land ambulance crew have already splinted Gary's foot | 0:16:18 | 0:16:21 | |
and given him pain relief. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:23 | |
So this time, there's no need for Pat's medical skills. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:26 | |
-Am I clear to start winching now? -You are, yes. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
Within a few minutes, Pat indicates that he's ready to begin | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
winching Gary up to the helicopter. | 0:16:32 | 0:16:34 | |
Looking for something beneath the tail with that structure behind. | 0:16:34 | 0:16:38 | |
Two, one... Height is good at this time. | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
From here, it's right only, through the gap, at 15. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:44 | |
It's an intricate operation. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:45 | |
They're very close to the ruined walls. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:48 | |
You're edging towards the forward end of the wall. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:51 | |
It's right only from here, then, at 10. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:53 | |
'As far as the winching of the casualty,' | 0:16:53 | 0:16:55 | |
it quite simply involves the aircraft moving over the top of us. | 0:16:55 | 0:16:57 | |
I'm stood with him, I come up with him at all times. | 0:16:57 | 0:17:01 | |
Realistically, I'll defend him against any obstructions, | 0:17:01 | 0:17:05 | |
hazards, on the way up to the aircraft. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
Hooks on. Winching in. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
-Are you recovered, Pat? -Yes. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:13 | |
OK, continue to winch in. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:17 | |
OK, you've got Pat now 20 feet below the step. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:21 | |
-OK, we've got a problem now. -Roger. 10 feet below the step. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:25 | |
We're spinning round really fast and I thought, oh! | 0:17:25 | 0:17:28 | |
At the step. | 0:17:28 | 0:17:29 | |
At the doorway. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:33 | |
OK, and bringing Pat and the casualty into the cabin. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:36 | |
And with the doors all open, you could see out. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:39 | |
And the noise, it's a totally different experience | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
from a small helicopter. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:43 | |
Get you clear, up and left, start clearing the area. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:47 | |
It's just two minutes' flying time to Poole Hospital. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:49 | |
Once there, Gary will be thoroughly checked over | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
and his foot will be x-rayed for any breaks. | 0:17:53 | 0:17:56 | |
And hospital doctors found Gary had broken his foot - | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
he was off work as a BT engineer for 12 weeks. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:05 | |
Now, the South West of England is a beautiful part of the world, | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
which attracts thousands upon thousands of tourists every year, | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
but sometimes they find themselves in trouble | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
and it can get a little complicated, as Claire is just about to tell me. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
-You're OK to talk? -Yes, that's fine. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:22 | |
-Because they don't know where they are. -That quite often happens. | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
We had a couple walking along a coastal path, | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
I had a very distressed lady call to say her partner had slipped | 0:18:27 | 0:18:30 | |
20 feet down the cliff onto the beach. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
She managed to get down to assess him - | 0:18:32 | 0:18:34 | |
he was semi-conscious, bleeding, but she didn't know where she was. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:38 | |
So we normally ask if they can see any landmarks, any buildings. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:42 | |
She could see a building back on the top of the cliff, | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
so she made her way up there. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:45 | |
She found out the name, it was a cafe. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
I took over the call with the cafe owner | 0:18:48 | 0:18:50 | |
and she sent some help down with the lady, a first-aider, | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
to assess the problem and provide any initial first aid. | 0:18:52 | 0:18:55 | |
And then you can get the team on its way. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
Yes, we had a vehicle running, a car and an ambulance, | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
and because of limited access to the beach, we had to arrange for | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
the Coastguard helicopter to attend and lift the gentleman out of danger. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:06 | |
-And everything was OK? -Yes, it was. -Brilliant. | 0:19:06 | 0:19:09 | |
Claire, thank you. I'll introduce you to someone else, | 0:19:09 | 0:19:12 | |
hopefully he's not still on the phone. Phil, over here, | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
may have some advice for anyone that is going on holiday. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
-Phil, can you swing yourself round, can I disturb you? -Sure. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:20 | |
It happens all the time, tourists go on holiday, | 0:19:20 | 0:19:22 | |
they have a great time, but they forget where they are. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:24 | |
Any tips you can give us? | 0:19:24 | 0:19:26 | |
Well, especially when camping or staying in caravan sites, | 0:19:26 | 0:19:29 | |
make sure you know the name and the town that you're staying in, | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
that's always a bonus, because quite often, people say, "I'm in the general area of..." | 0:19:32 | 0:19:36 | |
And you can often find that there are three campsites, all in a row | 0:19:36 | 0:19:40 | |
and we've got to find out where you are somehow. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:43 | |
-And your caravan number might be useful as well. -Caravan number or pitch number, if you're in a tent. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:47 | |
And practical things like carry your postcode around, make sure first aid boxes are available. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:53 | |
Yeah, there's always first aid sites on campsites nowadays, | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
some of them have automatic defibrillators available. | 0:19:56 | 0:20:00 | |
It's good to know if there are any first aid posts available. | 0:20:00 | 0:20:04 | |
-There are often first-aiders on the campsites as well. -Yeah. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:07 | |
And ramblers always carry a map, don't they? | 0:20:07 | 0:20:09 | |
Well, some don't, unfortunately, and they say, | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
"I've been here and I'm going to here and I'm in between the two. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:16 | |
-"Can you help me?" -So, work with your coordinates on your map. | 0:20:16 | 0:20:20 | |
It does help, if you know where you are, we'll know where you are. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:25 | |
-And it does help a lot. -All right, Phil, thank you very much. | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
-Get back to work. -Thank you very much! | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
Still to come on Real Rescues - | 0:20:32 | 0:20:34 | |
entombed in a wall of snow, how a woman was saved by her friends | 0:20:34 | 0:20:38 | |
after being buried alive in an avalanche. | 0:20:38 | 0:20:42 | |
And what is a rapid takedown? We'll be showing you - | 0:20:42 | 0:20:46 | |
and it involves this. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:47 | |
Earlier, we saw how a fire has taken hold in a block of flats. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:55 | |
Some of the residents were asleep when the fire started | 0:20:55 | 0:20:58 | |
and they owe their lives to the swift actions of a passer-by. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:00 | |
He was driving past when he saw the flames | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
and ran in to raise the alarm. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
OK! | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
-We've got no water in the hose! -Water in the hose reel! | 0:21:11 | 0:21:15 | |
Pump operator! | 0:21:15 | 0:21:16 | |
Three flats are alight and fire crews are having to fight the fire on several fronts. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:22 | |
Outside, they're trying to dampen down the flames that keep | 0:21:22 | 0:21:25 | |
reappearing on the balcony. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:28 | |
And run hundreds of metres of hose to two sets of firefighters | 0:21:28 | 0:21:32 | |
who are wearing breathing apparatus and tackling the blaze from inside. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:36 | |
With several properties involved, | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
watch manager Tim Harrison has had to marshal his forces carefully. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:45 | |
As long as an incident is still persons reported, there's still | 0:21:45 | 0:21:47 | |
a lot of pressure on and you're preparing for people to be brought | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
out and having to resuscitate them or treat them for their burns. | 0:21:51 | 0:21:55 | |
Thankfully, after breaking down the front door of the flat | 0:21:55 | 0:21:58 | |
on the third floor, the firefighters have been able | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
to confirm the building is now completely empty. | 0:22:01 | 0:22:04 | |
On the floor above, firefighter Richie is part of a two-man crew | 0:22:05 | 0:22:08 | |
in the flat most consumed by the fire. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:12 | |
We had a thermal imaging camera with us, | 0:22:12 | 0:22:14 | |
which helped us locate the fire in the lounge, | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
just inside of the balcony, it was the couch that was alight. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:21 | |
Down below, the occupants of the flat, Mia and her boyfriend, | 0:22:23 | 0:22:26 | |
Andrew, have had to watch as her home has been engulfed by fire. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:31 | |
Obviously, when she's looked up at the flat, she's seen all | 0:22:31 | 0:22:34 | |
her possessions that she owns in the world go up in smoke. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:37 | |
So, devastating. | 0:22:37 | 0:22:39 | |
I was actually crying, screaming still. My cat. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:44 | |
I was really terrified about my cat. | 0:22:44 | 0:22:46 | |
The mood is tense as everybody waits for news from the firefighters | 0:22:47 | 0:22:51 | |
inside the building. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
Is that them at the door? | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
Red Control to Red Team One, are you confirming fire is now out, over? | 0:22:58 | 0:23:02 | |
The fire in the top-floor flat has been successfully put out. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:09 | |
And Mia's cat, Jenna, has been found. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:12 | |
Jenna is obviously a little jumpy after her ordeal, | 0:23:20 | 0:23:24 | |
but Mia is soon reunited with her moggy. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
She was smelling of smoke and everything, | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
but I was really happy and relieved to see her. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:34 | |
She was on the bed, her face stuffed in between the pillows, | 0:23:34 | 0:23:37 | |
getting away from the smoke, | 0:23:37 | 0:23:39 | |
and that's how she managed to survive from the smoke. | 0:23:39 | 0:23:42 | |
But their flat is far from unscathed. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:46 | |
It's the most badly damaged of the three flats involved, | 0:23:46 | 0:23:50 | |
as the fire had spread from the balcony into the living room. | 0:23:50 | 0:23:54 | |
However, if it hadn't been for the actions of passing motorist Pete, | 0:23:54 | 0:23:58 | |
things could have been a lot worse. | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
He pulled over after seeing fire creep up the building. | 0:24:02 | 0:24:05 | |
He started banging on the lobby door until somebody let him in. | 0:24:05 | 0:24:09 | |
Me and this other guy | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
went up and down the stairwell banging on the doors. | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
Flat number two, there was a bit of smoke in there, not too much. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
Dragged them all out, there was about four of them in there. | 0:24:18 | 0:24:21 | |
Went up to the third floor, couldn't open the door. | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
Went to the fourth floor, that door was open, | 0:24:26 | 0:24:28 | |
there was loads of smoke in there. | 0:24:28 | 0:24:30 | |
Most probably about that height. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:35 | |
Two people legged it out. Checked with them there was no-one else | 0:24:35 | 0:24:38 | |
in there, they said there was only two of them. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:40 | |
Pete then stayed on hand | 0:24:40 | 0:24:42 | |
to update the arriving fire crews on the situation. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:45 | |
The effects of adrenaline and smoke inhalation | 0:24:45 | 0:24:48 | |
are now starting to take their toll. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
Yeah, I am, yeah. | 0:24:52 | 0:24:54 | |
In fact I'll lean against here, actually, for a second, | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
if that's all right. | 0:24:57 | 0:24:58 | |
Worn out. | 0:25:01 | 0:25:03 | |
I've knackered me... | 0:25:04 | 0:25:05 | |
Knackered my thumbs and my hands | 0:25:07 | 0:25:09 | |
trying to break down the doors and the windows. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:12 | |
An aerial ladder platform is being used to dampen down | 0:25:12 | 0:25:15 | |
the last remaining hotspots on the roof of the flat. | 0:25:15 | 0:25:19 | |
Now the job of working out what's caused this blaze | 0:25:19 | 0:25:22 | |
falls to fire investigation officer David Lock. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:26 | |
Early indications and eyewitness reports suggest | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
that even though the top-floor flat is the most badly damaged, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
the fire may have started on a balcony a couple of floors below, | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
spreading up until it could go no further on the fourth and top floor. | 0:25:36 | 0:25:41 | |
We're now on the fourth floor. One of the issues is here, | 0:25:41 | 0:25:45 | |
is that any heat rising | 0:25:45 | 0:25:47 | |
and any flames coming up can't go through this wood. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:51 | |
This is solid above. | 0:25:51 | 0:25:52 | |
So therefore it is going to now percolate across here | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
and obviously radiate heat down. | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
The fire then spread from the balcony inside Andy and Mia's flat | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
via the air vent. | 0:26:01 | 0:26:03 | |
The sofa was set against the wall, | 0:26:03 | 0:26:06 | |
and where the fan unit, extract unit is above it, | 0:26:06 | 0:26:10 | |
you can see that the flames have come in through | 0:26:10 | 0:26:13 | |
and it's actually dropped in and caused some fire damage | 0:26:13 | 0:26:16 | |
on the sofa in that area. | 0:26:16 | 0:26:17 | |
The exact cause of this severe fire will be decided | 0:26:17 | 0:26:20 | |
after Dave finishes his investigation. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
But for now, Andy and Mia are just glad | 0:26:23 | 0:26:26 | |
they're still around to find out. | 0:26:26 | 0:26:28 | |
What we are told is that | 0:26:28 | 0:26:29 | |
we were very close to just suffocating in our sleep. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:32 | |
Just the smoke would have suffocated us. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:34 | |
It's terrifying. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:38 | |
I can't get it out of my head at all. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:40 | |
I don't know. | 0:26:42 | 0:26:44 | |
If it wasn't for the people warning us from the outside... | 0:26:48 | 0:26:51 | |
There was no alarms to do that, then we'd have been dead. | 0:26:51 | 0:26:54 | |
After speaking to the fire officer, told us we were very lucky. | 0:26:56 | 0:26:59 | |
The investigations into the cause of the fire are still taking place | 0:27:04 | 0:27:07 | |
and the residents hope to be back in their flats very soon. | 0:27:07 | 0:27:10 | |
There is all sorts of expertise in this room. | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
I want to show you around a little bit. This is NHS Direct. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
There is a nurse on a call right there to a patient. | 0:27:16 | 0:27:18 | |
This is patient transport services. This is non-emergency patients | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
being taken to hospital for routine appointments, things like that, | 0:27:22 | 0:27:25 | |
that's what they're doing, don't want to disturb them. | 0:27:25 | 0:27:27 | |
Over here, this is the heart of the call centre. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:30 | |
The call-takers. Emergency calls come right here to this desk. | 0:27:30 | 0:27:34 | |
And what's really important, just behind them, | 0:27:34 | 0:27:37 | |
if we swing over here, is the dispatch desk. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:39 | |
These are the people who send out the ambulances. | 0:27:39 | 0:27:41 | |
So what happens, the call-taker takes your call, | 0:27:41 | 0:27:43 | |
they take down the address, they type it into their computer. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
At the same time, the dispatchers are listening to that call. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:50 | |
They get the postcode at the top and they send out the ambulance. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:53 | |
So that means when they're telling you "Don't worry, | 0:27:53 | 0:27:55 | |
"help is on the way," that's how it is on the way, | 0:27:55 | 0:27:58 | |
because they know and they've sent the ambulance to you. | 0:27:58 | 0:28:00 | |
Brilliant stuff. Now, a marvellous story of survival for you. | 0:28:00 | 0:28:04 | |
This is the moment a skier emerged after she was buried in snow. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:08 | |
She and her friends triggered an avalanche while skiing off-piste - | 0:28:10 | 0:28:13 | |
that's off the usual ski paths - when a wall of snow buried her. | 0:28:13 | 0:28:17 | |
It was up to her friends to find her and dig her out, | 0:28:17 | 0:28:19 | |
and that is exactly what they did. One of her friends is here, Gordon. | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
And of course the smiley face of Rhianna. I'm very pleased to see you! | 0:28:22 | 0:28:26 | |
Gordon, it looks as if you've still been skiing, with that tan there. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:29 | |
Yeah, we had some fantastic weather towards the end of the season. | 0:28:29 | 0:28:33 | |
Lucky ratbags! Now, back to you, Rhianna. | 0:28:33 | 0:28:35 | |
Obviously a whole group of you were skiing. You lost balance? | 0:28:35 | 0:28:38 | |
I collided with one of the snowboarders, | 0:28:38 | 0:28:41 | |
actually. We had a minor collision, I lost both skis, tumbled a bit, | 0:28:41 | 0:28:45 | |
and then sort of everybody | 0:28:45 | 0:28:46 | |
was on the big ledge of snow | 0:28:46 | 0:28:48 | |
that was just waiting to break away, and it did, and it carried me... | 0:28:48 | 0:28:51 | |
-What was it like? -Pretty horrendous. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
I mean, initially I didn't think it was a big deal, you know, | 0:28:54 | 0:28:58 | |
you're used to snow, you kind of get a bit trapped | 0:28:58 | 0:29:00 | |
and tumbled in it sometimes, but then I couldn't breathe at all | 0:29:00 | 0:29:03 | |
and I only was able to breathe after it came to a stop, | 0:29:03 | 0:29:05 | |
and I'd tumbled 100-odd metres down the slope. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:08 | |
-And you're just stuck? -It sets like concrete. | 0:29:08 | 0:29:10 | |
I found out recently that you're actually supposed to swim | 0:29:10 | 0:29:13 | |
whilst it's falling, and then you can possibly get to the top, | 0:29:13 | 0:29:15 | |
but as soon as it stops, you're set, you're done. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:18 | |
It sets like concrete. | 0:29:18 | 0:29:20 | |
-Right on top of you, and you're struggling to breathe. -Yes, exactly. | 0:29:20 | 0:29:23 | |
I was actually face-down and my arms were sort of frozen like this, | 0:29:23 | 0:29:26 | |
and yeah, you can kind of half breathe through it. | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
Oh, my goodness. Now all of a sudden, Gordon, you realise, | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
part of a gang, that you're missing one. | 0:29:32 | 0:29:34 | |
And you start the search party. | 0:29:34 | 0:29:36 | |
You've got your ski poles out and you're prodding away. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:38 | |
But it must have been a vast space that you were looking. | 0:29:38 | 0:29:41 | |
The search area was huge. | 0:29:41 | 0:29:42 | |
George, who'd been involved in it as well, | 0:29:42 | 0:29:44 | |
he'd actually been swept down over the top of Rhianna, | 0:29:44 | 0:29:47 | |
Jim had been caught in it, but he hadn't gone down very far, | 0:29:47 | 0:29:51 | |
so we were looking at about 100m between George and Jim | 0:29:51 | 0:29:54 | |
and Rhianna could've been anywhere in between, with 20, | 0:29:54 | 0:29:57 | |
30m across, so it was a big area to search. | 0:29:57 | 0:30:00 | |
-At which point, you're losing consciousness now. -Yes. | 0:30:00 | 0:30:03 | |
I was under the snow for about 15 minutes, | 0:30:03 | 0:30:06 | |
but five minutes of consciousness is what I reckon at this point. | 0:30:06 | 0:30:09 | |
I couldn't really breathe, I heard my phone ringing, | 0:30:09 | 0:30:11 | |
cos they were trying to call me to see if maybe I'd skied off, | 0:30:11 | 0:30:13 | |
but I couldn't get to it, obviously. | 0:30:13 | 0:30:17 | |
I was screaming for help and no-one could hear me. | 0:30:17 | 0:30:19 | |
I could kind of see up and which way was up, because of | 0:30:19 | 0:30:22 | |
the light, and I could hear muffled sounds, but no-one could hear me. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:25 | |
It's making me panic, now! | 0:30:25 | 0:30:27 | |
So, you're prodding away with poles and you eventually dig her out | 0:30:27 | 0:30:31 | |
and she wasn't, I imagine, looking in the greatest of states. | 0:30:31 | 0:30:35 | |
No, I've seen her looking better. | 0:30:35 | 0:30:36 | |
Her face was pure white and her lips were purple. She wasn't breathing. | 0:30:36 | 0:30:40 | |
I looked at her face and I just thought she was dead. | 0:30:40 | 0:30:43 | |
Started giving her CPR. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:46 | |
It took four or five breaths | 0:30:46 | 0:30:47 | |
before we got a tiny little breath out of Rhianna. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:50 | |
Then, she came to slowly after that. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
-You were under for about 15 minutes, weren't you? -Something like that. | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
We can only estimate from the times of the phone calls. | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
Normally people say after 11 minutes, it's all over. | 0:30:58 | 0:31:01 | |
-Looking for a body, I think, is what we were told at training. -You're very, very lucky. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
Now, the one thing I've noticed is you've bought lots of equipment in | 0:31:05 | 0:31:08 | |
and you've shown me this, which is what? | 0:31:08 | 0:31:11 | |
This is a transceiver. Basically, | 0:31:11 | 0:31:13 | |
you should always have one of these | 0:31:13 | 0:31:15 | |
if you're going out skiing off-piste. | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
It's emitting all day, and if you get buried - | 0:31:18 | 0:31:20 | |
everyone else has to have one as well, that's very important. | 0:31:20 | 0:31:25 | |
They set theirs to receive, then they can find you - | 0:31:25 | 0:31:28 | |
it tells you how far away someone is, how many metres, and what direction to find them in. | 0:31:28 | 0:31:33 | |
So if you're going off-piste, always take one of these. | 0:31:33 | 0:31:35 | |
-Yes. -And you've been on an avalanche course, both of you? -Yes. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:38 | |
My mother paid for all of us to do an avalanche course and... | 0:31:38 | 0:31:42 | |
You know... Bit late for our one, | 0:31:42 | 0:31:44 | |
but will probably all be skiing off-piste again and have been since | 0:31:44 | 0:31:48 | |
and we realised how stupid we were | 0:31:48 | 0:31:50 | |
and how you've got to know the conditions. | 0:31:50 | 0:31:53 | |
-Thank you very much for telling us your story. -No worries. -Well done. | 0:31:53 | 0:31:56 | |
Give him a kiss now, go on! | 0:31:56 | 0:31:58 | |
-Thank you! -That's what I like! He's been waiting for that all winter. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:02 | |
Any idea what a rapid takedown might be? | 0:32:04 | 0:32:07 | |
Well, I don't, and Rob and Phil are here to show me. | 0:32:07 | 0:32:10 | |
-Do the honours, Rob. -OK - keep looking at me, keep nice and still. | 0:32:10 | 0:32:13 | |
I'm just going to come under your arms. | 0:32:13 | 0:32:15 | |
-Phil will come behind you. -Yes. -Are you there, Phil? -I'm on. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:18 | |
-Keep looking ahead - don't move your head. -Oh, my goodness! -Are you on? | 0:32:18 | 0:32:22 | |
-Ready, set, walk. -Where am I going? Whoo! | 0:32:22 | 0:32:24 | |
-Oh, that's actually surprisingly relaxing. -I'm on. -I'm off. | 0:32:26 | 0:32:30 | |
-I'm on. -I'm off. -Have you finished? -We've finished. | 0:32:33 | 0:32:36 | |
Oh, thank you. The reason we're showing you this | 0:32:36 | 0:32:38 | |
is because paramedic Hannah Hunter is about to use this technique. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:41 | |
She's been called to an A-road crash in rush-hour traffic | 0:32:41 | 0:32:44 | |
where several people have been hurt. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
SIRENS WAIL | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
We're going to a two-car RTC. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:52 | |
There's apparently three children in the cars | 0:32:52 | 0:32:54 | |
and the airbags have gone off in one of their faces, apparently, but that's all we've got so far. | 0:32:54 | 0:32:59 | |
Arriving, Hannah is confronted with a busy scene. | 0:33:03 | 0:33:07 | |
It turns out that three cars were involved in the smash. | 0:33:07 | 0:33:10 | |
We've got this Vauxhall here, it's come along, basically. | 0:33:10 | 0:33:13 | |
It's gone into the back of the Peugeot here, which has gone into the Golf. | 0:33:13 | 0:33:16 | |
Not worried about anyone in the Golf. That was just a tiny tap. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:19 | |
The Vauxhall at the back of this three-car shunt | 0:33:19 | 0:33:22 | |
is the most badly damaged. | 0:33:22 | 0:33:24 | |
A young boy who was sitting in the front suffered mild irritation to his eyes from the airbag dust. | 0:33:24 | 0:33:29 | |
While he's treated in the back of an ambulance, | 0:33:29 | 0:33:32 | |
the rest of the medical team deal with the occupants | 0:33:32 | 0:33:34 | |
of the second car, which was stationary when it was hit. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:38 | |
Hannah's focus is on Natalie, who was sitting in the back. | 0:33:38 | 0:33:42 | |
Right, any pain in your neck, first of all? Any pain there? | 0:33:42 | 0:33:45 | |
-Don't shake your head or anything. Just say yes or no. -No. | 0:33:45 | 0:33:47 | |
-Anything down here at all? Down your spine? -No. There! | 0:33:47 | 0:33:51 | |
-That's where it really hurts. -And is it across here as well? -Yes, yes. | 0:33:51 | 0:33:55 | |
-And over here? -Yes. And then down more. -Down here? | 0:33:55 | 0:33:59 | |
-That's where the most... That's where it really hurts. -OK. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
Natalie's friend Claire, who was driving, | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
has already been secured to a board to protect her spine. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:07 | |
Now that Natalie has started to feel pain in her lower back, | 0:34:07 | 0:34:11 | |
she'll require the same treatment. | 0:34:11 | 0:34:14 | |
When you get involved in something like this, the adrenaline kicks in and that can mask pain, | 0:34:14 | 0:34:19 | |
-so as you start calm down... -I was just shaking. | 0:34:19 | 0:34:21 | |
..that's when you start feeling the effects of what's happened, | 0:34:21 | 0:34:24 | |
which is why you're starting to feel the back pain now. | 0:34:24 | 0:34:27 | |
Is Claire OK? | 0:34:27 | 0:34:29 | |
As a precaution, | 0:34:29 | 0:34:31 | |
driver Claire will be taken to hospital for a check over. | 0:34:31 | 0:34:33 | |
With both ambulances at the scene now occupied, | 0:34:33 | 0:34:37 | |
a third has been called. | 0:34:37 | 0:34:40 | |
-We're waiting on yours. -Oh, no. | 0:34:40 | 0:34:41 | |
-With me, standing, holding your face! -Yeah! | 0:34:41 | 0:34:44 | |
-The whole time? -Yep! | 0:34:44 | 0:34:46 | |
They have to take this level of care with Natalie as it's been known | 0:34:47 | 0:34:51 | |
for people to walk about following a car accident | 0:34:51 | 0:34:54 | |
and then suffer paralysis later, after aggravating a spinal injury. | 0:34:54 | 0:34:58 | |
-Hi, Mum. -'Hi, are you all right?' | 0:35:00 | 0:35:02 | |
-They're going to put me on a stretcher. -'Oh, my God!' -Yeah. | 0:35:02 | 0:35:06 | |
-It's just my back, yeah. -'OK.' | 0:35:06 | 0:35:08 | |
There's a man holding my head, so I can't really talk to you. | 0:35:08 | 0:35:12 | |
Mum reassured, Hannah starts the process of protecting Natalie. | 0:35:12 | 0:35:16 | |
..A few more blankets? | 0:35:16 | 0:35:18 | |
-It's going to be cold for a minute while we get this collar on. -Whoo! | 0:35:18 | 0:35:22 | |
Right, I'll attach this and then try and scoop the hair out. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:25 | |
-I was meant to be going out for dinner and all. -I'll take her back. | 0:35:25 | 0:35:28 | |
-Do I have to walk there? -Walk? -Is that a ridiculous question? | 0:35:28 | 0:35:32 | |
You're not walking anywhere. | 0:35:32 | 0:35:33 | |
Instead, Natalie will have to undergo a procedure | 0:35:33 | 0:35:35 | |
known rather unnervingly as a rapid takedown. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:38 | |
Do you reckon we could do the rapid takedown | 0:35:40 | 0:35:43 | |
and then whilst we strap her on, you move the bus? | 0:35:43 | 0:35:45 | |
Is that all right, just to get her off her feet? | 0:35:45 | 0:35:47 | |
Rapid takedown? Is that actually rapid? | 0:35:47 | 0:35:50 | |
It's not as exciting as it sounds! | 0:35:50 | 0:35:53 | |
Board is going to come in behind you. | 0:35:53 | 0:35:56 | |
-You'll feel a hard board, cold, behind you. -Got it. | 0:35:56 | 0:35:58 | |
So, now, ready, set, lower. | 0:35:58 | 0:36:02 | |
That's it. Keep going. | 0:36:03 | 0:36:05 | |
Now that Natalie has been rapidly taken down from standing to lying, | 0:36:09 | 0:36:13 | |
she needs to be strapped securely. | 0:36:13 | 0:36:15 | |
-How old are you, Natalie? -20 in three weeks. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:17 | |
Despite it all, | 0:36:17 | 0:36:20 | |
Natalie is proving to be a remarkably cheerful casualty. | 0:36:20 | 0:36:24 | |
What's happening to my feet?! | 0:36:24 | 0:36:26 | |
He's strapping them on! | 0:36:26 | 0:36:28 | |
-They're all over the place! -They're off for a tea break. -OK, see you later! | 0:36:28 | 0:36:31 | |
-It's all right. -Thank you! | 0:36:31 | 0:36:33 | |
-This is so weird. -I bet it is. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:42 | |
SHE GROANS | 0:36:44 | 0:36:46 | |
All casualties from this three-car shunt will be going | 0:36:46 | 0:36:49 | |
to Poole Hospital's emergency department. | 0:36:49 | 0:36:52 | |
It's going to be a bumpy three or four-mile road. | 0:36:52 | 0:36:55 | |
-Really? -Mm, yeah. -Oh, no. | 0:36:55 | 0:36:57 | |
I love rollercoasters, though, so... | 0:36:57 | 0:36:59 | |
You might like it, then. | 0:36:59 | 0:37:01 | |
'She'll be off to Poole Hospital for X-rays.' | 0:37:01 | 0:37:04 | |
She seems totally unfazed by the whole thing. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:06 | |
Natalie will have a full examination at hospital to rule out | 0:37:08 | 0:37:11 | |
any spinal injury. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:12 | |
Now, my favourite stories on this programme | 0:37:15 | 0:37:18 | |
are about babies being delivered | 0:37:18 | 0:37:20 | |
thanks to the help of our call-takers. | 0:37:20 | 0:37:22 | |
-Danielle, is it OK to talk to you? -Yeah, yeah. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:24 | |
I know everybody gets competitive - | 0:37:24 | 0:37:26 | |
how many babies have you delivered on the phone? | 0:37:26 | 0:37:28 | |
-Five now. -Five! Congratulations. -Thank you. | 0:37:28 | 0:37:31 | |
But I hear the fifth one was the most complicated. | 0:37:31 | 0:37:33 | |
Yeah, that was a water birth. | 0:37:33 | 0:37:35 | |
So, for obvious reasons, but talk me through it. | 0:37:35 | 0:37:37 | |
Why does it get so complicated and so dangerous? | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
Mainly because it's a lot easier to deliver a baby not in water. | 0:37:40 | 0:37:45 | |
There's many things that can happen. | 0:37:45 | 0:37:47 | |
The baby could intake water, which we wouldn't want to happen. | 0:37:47 | 0:37:50 | |
The baby can get very cold quite quickly, | 0:37:50 | 0:37:53 | |
and generally it's just a lot easier and safer to do it out of water. | 0:37:53 | 0:37:57 | |
So the most important thing is to keep Mum and baby in the water? | 0:37:57 | 0:38:01 | |
In the water all the time. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:02 | |
We don't want Mum to lift up so that the baby can take air. | 0:38:02 | 0:38:06 | |
Mum needs to be submerged all the time to keep baby submerged | 0:38:06 | 0:38:10 | |
until baby's completely out and then they can bring baby up. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:13 | |
-So that's what happened in your case? -Yeah. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:15 | |
-So you said, "Mum, get back in the water, stay in the water." -Yeah. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:18 | |
-And what happened? -She delivered, and it all happened in four minutes, | 0:38:18 | 0:38:22 | |
and everything was fine, and a healthy baby girl born. | 0:38:22 | 0:38:25 | |
A healthy baby girl. So how many's that out of the five? | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
-That's five - one girl, four boys. -Oh, so your first girl. -Yeah. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:32 | |
-Oh, congratulations. -Thank you. -Well done, you. Where's Louise? | 0:38:32 | 0:38:35 | |
-Oh, there she is. -Oh, what a lovely story. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:37 | |
Paramedics Alison Good and Lindsey Thompson | 0:38:37 | 0:38:39 | |
are making their way to a woman who's slipped and hurt her leg. | 0:38:39 | 0:38:42 | |
She's not making a fuss at all, | 0:38:42 | 0:38:44 | |
but she is going to need a major operation to fix the damage. | 0:38:44 | 0:38:48 | |
With her 60th wedding anniversary on the horizon, | 0:38:48 | 0:38:50 | |
it's a worrying time for her and her husband. | 0:38:50 | 0:38:53 | |
The accident's happened at a shopping centre | 0:38:55 | 0:38:57 | |
-on the south coast. -Hello. | 0:38:57 | 0:38:59 | |
Ironically, 80-year-old Vera Hedger has slipped | 0:38:59 | 0:39:02 | |
after venturing out to keep a doctor's appointment. | 0:39:02 | 0:39:05 | |
-Can you tell us what happened, Vera? -Yes, the walking stick slipped. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:08 | |
-It's wet. -Vera's fallen heavily on her hip. | 0:39:08 | 0:39:12 | |
It's a common accident with older people. | 0:39:12 | 0:39:14 | |
One in every five beds in orthopaedic wards in the UK | 0:39:14 | 0:39:17 | |
-are taken up by patients with hip fractures. -See what I mean? | 0:39:17 | 0:39:21 | |
-Where have you got the pain? -It's right on the hip. | 0:39:22 | 0:39:26 | |
-It's in your hip, is it? -Hip and the back, really. | 0:39:26 | 0:39:28 | |
Vera had the lower half of her left leg amputated two years ago | 0:39:28 | 0:39:32 | |
because of circulation problems. | 0:39:32 | 0:39:34 | |
I've got an artificial leg as well, which doesn't help. | 0:39:34 | 0:39:37 | |
The prosthetic replacement doesn't make her any steadier on her feet. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:41 | |
I've just been to the doctor's for a blood test. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:44 | |
Alison needs to assess how serious the injury is. | 0:39:44 | 0:39:47 | |
If Vera's hip is fractured, she'll need surgery. | 0:39:47 | 0:39:50 | |
Vera, how much pain are you in, sweetheart? | 0:39:50 | 0:39:53 | |
If you had to give me a number from 0 to 10, 0 no pain, 10 the worst, | 0:39:53 | 0:39:57 | |
what would you give it at the moment? | 0:39:57 | 0:40:00 | |
Erm...10. | 0:40:00 | 0:40:01 | |
-10 out of 10, is it? -Yeah. Yeah. -OK. | 0:40:01 | 0:40:03 | |
She's still smiling, but is clearly in a lot of pain. | 0:40:03 | 0:40:06 | |
Victor, her husband, is looking much more worried than his stoical wife. | 0:40:06 | 0:40:11 | |
Until a couple of years ago, | 0:40:11 | 0:40:13 | |
they'd always prided themselves on their good health. | 0:40:13 | 0:40:16 | |
So, for this pain you've got in your hip, Vera, | 0:40:16 | 0:40:18 | |
I can give you gas and air. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:20 | |
-Have you ever had that before? -No, only when I was pregnant. -OK. | 0:40:20 | 0:40:24 | |
Same thing. Exactly the same thing. We'll try you with some of that. | 0:40:24 | 0:40:28 | |
Do you want to give that a go? | 0:40:28 | 0:40:30 | |
-Yeah. -Yeah? OK. | 0:40:30 | 0:40:31 | |
The last time Vera had gas and air was more than 40 years ago, | 0:40:31 | 0:40:35 | |
when her son was born. | 0:40:35 | 0:40:36 | |
It's a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide - laughing gas - | 0:40:36 | 0:40:40 | |
which should take the edge off her pain. | 0:40:40 | 0:40:43 | |
What you need to do, Vera, is hold that in your hand. | 0:40:43 | 0:40:46 | |
Try not to press the button at the end, | 0:40:46 | 0:40:48 | |
cos it'll just push it straight into your mouth. | 0:40:48 | 0:40:50 | |
Form a seal round the edge, and a nice, big, deep breath in. | 0:40:50 | 0:40:54 | |
We do have alternatives, | 0:40:54 | 0:40:55 | |
but we can give you something else once we get you on the ambulance. | 0:40:55 | 0:40:58 | |
Getting onto the trolley is going to be painful. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:05 | |
On your good leg. | 0:41:05 | 0:41:06 | |
That's it, well done. | 0:41:09 | 0:41:11 | |
Swing that round. Big breath. There we go. | 0:41:11 | 0:41:14 | |
Don't think we're going to get very far with the instruments... | 0:41:14 | 0:41:18 | |
Fortunately, the gas and air has kicked in, | 0:41:20 | 0:41:23 | |
and Vera is feeling quite light-headed. | 0:41:23 | 0:41:26 | |
-How's that pain at the moment, Vera? -It's not too bad. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:29 | |
The journey to hospital could be a bumpy ride, | 0:41:29 | 0:41:32 | |
so student paramedic Lindsey is trying to persuade her brave patient | 0:41:32 | 0:41:36 | |
to take some stronger painkillers. | 0:41:36 | 0:41:39 | |
It's up to you. | 0:41:39 | 0:41:40 | |
-If your pain's 7 out of 10, Vera, that's quite strong. -Yeah? | 0:41:40 | 0:41:43 | |
-Yeah, yeah. -Some paracetamol? -We've got stuff stronger than that. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:47 | |
We've got codeine or ibuprofen. | 0:41:47 | 0:41:48 | |
Well, OK, I'll have one of the stronger ones. | 0:41:48 | 0:41:51 | |
-One of the stronger ones. -Yeah. -Ibuprofen? | 0:41:51 | 0:41:54 | |
-Yeah. -And here's some water. | 0:41:54 | 0:41:55 | |
Victor can hardly believe what's happening, | 0:42:00 | 0:42:02 | |
or the upset that a stay in hospital might mean. | 0:42:02 | 0:42:05 | |
They're both hoping the accident won't interfere | 0:42:06 | 0:42:09 | |
with their diamond anniversary. | 0:42:09 | 0:42:10 | |
They've been together 60 years. | 0:42:10 | 0:42:13 | |
Has he got his stick? | 0:42:14 | 0:42:16 | |
But plans may have to change. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:19 | |
When Vera reaches hospital, | 0:42:19 | 0:42:21 | |
she's told she'll need surgery to pin a break in her hip. | 0:42:21 | 0:42:26 | |
Wait for hubby. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:27 | |
Vera recovered and was back home in eight days, | 0:42:27 | 0:42:30 | |
in plenty of time to celebrate her diamond anniversary. | 0:42:30 | 0:42:32 | |
Oh, that's brilliant. Congratulations to you. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:35 | |
-That's it for Real Rescues. See you next time. -Bye-bye. | 0:42:35 | 0:42:38 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:43:07 | 0:43:10 |