0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today, a 39-year-old suffers a heart attack on a golf course.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15His life is saved thanks to his mates and Vinnie Jones.
0:00:15 > 0:00:21A lifeboat crew trek across the marshes as a kite surfer is seriously hurt.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25His kite is filled with air, wrenching and twisting his leg.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Hello and welcome to Real Rescues.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53We're in the main ambulance control room near Southampton, which covers four counties.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58The emergency work starts right here. This is where 999 calls come
0:00:58 > 0:01:01and these people get the right help to the patient.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05First, a tough rescue on land for an RNLI lifeboat.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09We're about to see some of the worst moments in the life of kite surfer Alex.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11He's fallen 15 feet into marshland.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17Stuck up to the knee in mud, his kite fills with air. His leg is being pulled and twisted.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23This is the footage the lifeboat crew filmed as they sped to his rescue.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29It's 7pm, late summer, and four volunteers of the Lymington Relief Lifeboat are heading out
0:01:29 > 0:01:35to the emergency in the Solent. Kite surfer Alex is stranded on the marshes.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Within five minutes, they get their first sighting of his kite.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53With the tide ebbing, getting across mud flats will be a challenge.
0:01:56 > 0:02:03With a serious leg injury, kite surfer Alex will be in considerable discomfort.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08The crew carry oxygen to help him cope with the shock and trauma.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Simon Nuding and Jamie Lever are going to head for the casualty,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24while the two other volunteers look for another site closer to the injured man.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32The lifeboat crew know this area well.
0:02:32 > 0:02:40The tide is on the way out. These look like shallow inlets of water, but Simon knows what to expect
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and warns his crewmate.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53The assault course continues.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Finally, they reach the casualty.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Alex Newton is not going anywhere. Keeping him company is brother Edward.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19Simon can see immediately that he's suffered at least one break at the bottom of his leg.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40The fear is that Alex has suffered an open fracture, making the risk of infection much higher.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44In the meantime, they need to keep Alex as warm as possible.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Simon works as quickly as he can, cutting away the wetsuit,
0:04:03 > 0:04:09but the injury is making Alex's leg unstable as well as very painful.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19There is some good news - the skin's not broken.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26Now they need to put the leg in a splint. This is going to hurt.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45They're preparing to put Alex on the stretcher.
0:04:45 > 0:04:51He can then be carried to the roadside and transported by ambulance or possibly by water.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55First, though, Alex must endure more agony.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19ALEX CRIES OUT
0:05:31 > 0:05:33CRIES OF AGONY
0:05:39 > 0:05:42As the crew work on, an update comes through the radio.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48By luck, the coastguard rescue helicopter is airborne and in the area on a training mission.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52An airlift would be far less painful.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Pain relief is on the way to Alex. We'll be back with that rescue later.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09We're about to hear an extremely dramatic 999 call.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14A golfer has collapsed on the course. He's only 39 and he's not breathing.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20What happens next is thanks to three extraordinary friends, an ambulance call taker and a Hollywood star.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22This is the call.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53They'd been doing CPR now for four minutes, but as soon as the three friends get Alan breathing,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56he stops again. But they are not giving up.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17As you heard from that call, there was amazing teamwork. They did it.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Alan was airlifted to hospital and in intensive care for 24 hours.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26It was three days before he was out of danger. And here he is. Alan, hi.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28- Hi.- I saw your goosebumps go up.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32And here is your life-saving team.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Do you want to do the introductions? Tell me what they did.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Well, this is Brian Henderson. He did the phone call to the 999.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45That's Michael Rennie, my brother-in-law.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47He did the clearing the air ways.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51And that's Paul Pinkney, who did the CPR.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56And this is Karen, who took the 999 call.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01- Quite something to listen to it again, isn't it?- It's really...
0:10:01 > 0:10:04very traumatic to listen to it.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07The first time was bad and that was just as bad.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13But what you did was absolutely incredible and the teamwork and determination was really striking
0:10:13 > 0:10:18listening to it. What were you thinking when you were trying to keep him alive?
0:10:18 > 0:10:24- Just got to keep going, basically. - Even if we weren't sure if he was breathing.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28We said on there, "He's back," but we weren't 100% sure.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31So we just kept going, listening to Karen's instructions.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37- And just...giving CPR. - And very determined, the lot of you. We heard you all shouting at him.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Well, Alan's my brother-in-law and I was thinking about my sister.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48- Yeah.- It was horrible. Horrible, but a happy ending, so...
0:10:48 > 0:10:54Karen, you played a massive part in this as well. How well did they do during that call?
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- The effort they were putting in was just brilliant.- Tremendous.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02The fact that they kept going and listened to what I said.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07In that part of the call, checking his breathing and counting breaths.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12I knew by them doing that to keep going with the chest compressions
0:11:12 > 0:11:16to keep him alive until the ambulance got there.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Give us a sense of how many compressions they were doing.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25We worked it out at maybe between 800 to 900 compressions.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31One of the striking things is that you knew how to do this because of the Vinnie Jones video,
0:11:31 > 0:11:37- the Staying Alive video. - That's correct. That's what came straight into our head.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I'd seen it the week before and it's exactly what happened to Alan.
0:11:41 > 0:11:48The way Vinnie Jones did the instructions was what we all did. Brian phoned 999, like the advert.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Mikey checked his air way and I did the compressions.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56And you were taken by it because it was Vinnie Jones and you're massive fans?
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Well, he's a very well-known figure and someone who stick in your mind.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05If somebody else had been doing the advert, it's just an advert,
0:12:05 > 0:12:12but because he was doing it, it sticks in your mind. The job he did - he saved Alan's life.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17It just proves it is saving lives and let's remind people at home of the video.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23There are times in life when being tough comes in handy. Say some geezer collapses. What do you do?
0:12:23 > 0:12:27We need a volunteer that ain't breathing.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Here's one I made earlier. First off, you call 999.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Then, no kissing. You only kiss your missus on the lips.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39You push hard and fast here on the sovereign to Stayin' Alive.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44# Ha ha ha ha, stayin' alive Stayin' alive
0:12:44 > 0:12:47# Ha ha ha ha Stayin' alive... #
0:12:47 > 0:12:51Remember, call 999. Push hard and fast to Stayin' Alive.
0:12:51 > 0:12:57Hands-only CPR. It's not as hard as it looks.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- They proved it, didn't they, Alan? - Definitely, yeah.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06- And you wouldn't come here without the whole team.- No, definitely not.
0:13:06 > 0:13:13- I'm sure you've said a few thank yous and bought a few beers. - I think they kind of deserve it!
0:13:13 > 0:13:17- Did they find out what was wrong, eventually?- No, no.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23- Everything's fine. - But you've got a defibrillator. - Yeah. It's just an insurance policy
0:13:23 > 0:13:29in case it happens again, but there's no reason for it to happen. They just can't find the reason.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33I want to ask Chris in here. He's got a treat for you guys.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Karen, brilliant job. Sports reporter - who was winning at golf?
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- It was me and Paul! - I hope you paid up.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45I honestly want to say what an amazing job you did,
0:13:45 > 0:13:50but don't just take our word for it. Just have a look at this.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55# Ha ha ha ha, stayin' alive Stayin' alive... #
0:13:55 > 0:14:02Hello, Alan. This is Vinnie, here in Hollywood, doing a message for you boys back there in Scotland.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Mate, I'm glad it all worked out for you and you had three mates
0:14:06 > 0:14:12who were probably watching the football around 30 cans of lager and a curry and saw my advert,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Stayin' Alive - Hard and Fast.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's a great thing they done for you, mate. Well done.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23You haven't only survived this, you've also made it more aware.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28I done my part, you've done a big part for the British Heart Foundation as well.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Circumstances weren't the same, but it was probably your first bogey.
0:14:33 > 0:14:39At gold, normally I hear you go round in about 112, 116.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44I'd hate to see what happens when you get a par! Anyway, mate, you're more than welcome.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49I'd love to give you a game of golf out here. Get your handicap down.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56I'll be waiting for you with a few quid next time. All the best, mate, and...it's been emotional.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- So what do you reckon?- Amazing!
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- Are you available for a game of golf in LA?- I'm sure we could be!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07It could be arranged, yep! We like our jollies.
0:15:07 > 0:15:14- A couple of caddies do you need? Sounds like a good trip. - That sounds no' bad to me!
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- Well, best of luck. Thank you for coming to see us. Glad to see you well.- Thank you.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28Next, a major emergency operation that's underway on the M27, one of the busiest south coast motorways.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33A vehicle has hurtled off the carriageway. Inside is a powerful and highly-strung animal.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38It's an unpredictable situation for the rescue teams.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45Senior Paramedic John Ayling is only called to the most serious incidents.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Today he's heading to a crash on a motorway.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56It appears there's a campervan has come off the road and gone down a verge.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59At the moment, no details of casualties are known,
0:15:59 > 0:16:04but we have activated our heli-med and there is a crew running to this incident.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10The evening rush hour has started. There are already long tailbacks caused by this accident.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14There's the vehicle. Let's pull in here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I'll go and see the crew and find out what we've got.
0:16:21 > 0:16:27But it's not a campervan at the bottom of the 40-foot embankment - it's a horse box.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Anyone injured?
0:16:33 > 0:16:38- No worries. The horse is in it still, I assume?- Yeah. He stood up.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45The horse, a nine-year-old show jumper called Harvey, has survived
0:16:45 > 0:16:53after his box became detached from the towing vehicle and careered down the banks at over 50mph.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58The worst-case scenario would be that he'd broken a leg or his neck.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02If he had broken a leg, we'd have had to have the horse put down.
0:17:02 > 0:17:09The horse is calm, but at any moment it could break free, feet from one of the south's busiest motorways.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14The emergency crews have called in animal rescue specialist Jim Green.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Hiya. Jim. From Animal Rescue. Right, what's the breed?
0:17:18 > 0:17:23- He's German Warmblood.- OK. - He's quite a calm horse. He's nine.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Quite a delicate situation, obviously.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32- My concern is he's in quite a tight space, he's been through a bit of a trauma...- Yes.
0:17:32 > 0:17:38It wouldn't take very much to spook him. We may want to take some of this rose out of it
0:17:38 > 0:17:43just to clear his passage. I'll have a look at that ditch as well.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49Claire's husband, Kevin, is inside the box doing all he can to keep Harvey calm.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The owner, what he wants to do is
0:17:54 > 0:17:59- to shut the motorway, back him out, turn him and walk him up the bank. - Yeah.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- Nice in practice.- Lovely if that works. If it doesn't work,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05we could be in a bit of trouble.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09'This was a horse that was an eventing horse,
0:18:09 > 0:18:16'it was called a Warmblood, which means its temperament is more highly-strung than a Shire horse.'
0:18:16 > 0:18:21If something had caused that to spook, it could have gone ballistic.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27Kevin's intentions are good, but Jim knows that any sudden noise outside could put the owner's life at risk.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Just stay switched on to what's going on in there
0:18:31 > 0:18:35because if that thing starts going loopy, he's got no way out.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39So we might have to take some action then. Keep your eye on it.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45At the end of the day, the bloke is our priority and he hasn't got any run away in there at all.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48That is one agitated horse.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53Jim can't begin freeing Harvey until another horse box arrives.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59Jim's plan is to try to back Harvey out, through the gap that's opened between the trailer and its roof,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02but it's not as simple as it sounds.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07'It was straddling a stream, so if it put its foot in it may cause a reaction.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'And tight behind it was a big dog rose bush.'
0:19:10 > 0:19:16If it had backed onto one of those thorns, that would have caused a reaction that put people in danger.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24So they need to clear a pathway behind the trailer back up to the road.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29That horse can see all the way round it, so just quietly start moving stuff out of the way.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32It's all about body language.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37'There are very few blind spots in the horse's vision. It's designed for looking out for trouble.'
0:19:37 > 0:19:43So from the horse's point of view, we needed to be as quiet and calm and relaxed as possible.
0:19:43 > 0:19:50The police are on standby to close the entire section of the motorway before Harvey is moved.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54There's always a risk of the horse bolting across the carriageway.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01And we'll be seeing how Harvey reacts when the moment comes to lead him out.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07Now I'm going to let you into a little secret because everybody here loves it when they get a call
0:20:07 > 0:20:11about the arrival of a baby. I want to introduce Lucinda.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15You got really lucky one day. How many babies?
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- I had three.- Three?!- Yeah. - In the space of what time? - About four hours.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Really? Is that a record?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Yeah, definitely! For me.
0:20:25 > 0:20:30- There's a lot of pressure on you. Most of the time, the parents will be panicking.- Yes.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- What advice do you give them? - Obviously, stay calm,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39always don't sit on the toilet. It seems funny, but they always seem to want to.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43- One main thing is don't cut the umbilical cord.- Why is that?
0:20:43 > 0:20:49It needs to be done with sterilised scissors to prevent infection.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Also, the mother and the baby could bleed out if not treated quickly.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00- They usually just clamp it. - Has anybody done that?- Yeah. One of the ones I had, the caller did that.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05I just got him to get a piece of thread and just tie it round both ends
0:21:05 > 0:21:11- and kept it like that until the crew arrived.- Dad was getting overexcited with his role.- Yes!
0:21:11 > 0:21:17- Tell me - do you get competitive? - Oh, yes.- Do you know how many babies you've been involved in?- Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:24I always keep count. And if they're boys or girls. Anyone can tell you how many they've had.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- You've had?- Eight.- Is that good? - Yeah, pretty good. I think so.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33- Brilliant. I'll go and find out if anyone's delivered more. See you later.- See you.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Still to come: a city flat is set alight by an arsonist.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46I don't know what's in there. Have a good scout around.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50And on the motorway it's pitch black - time to rescue Harvey.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56Time's moving on now. The horse is getting cold. I'm getting cold!
0:21:59 > 0:22:05Lots of calls come in here about things people have eaten that make them feel a little ill.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- Claire has a pretty strange one. Are you OK to talk?- Yes.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14- A lady called about what exactly? - I received a call from a lady
0:22:14 > 0:22:19- who stated that she had eaten a flower.- A flower?- Some sort.- OK.
0:22:19 > 0:22:26And she was talking to me fine, answering my questions, and then I could hear her being very ill.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31- Suddenly, it was very quiet. - Which is worrying.- Very worrying.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- She was being ill... - And didn't come back to the phone.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38So I stayed on the line in case she came back.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44I stayed until the ambulance crew arrived and I could hear them attending to the patient.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50- So you can eat some flowers, but not that particular one. And we don't know what it was.- No.
0:22:50 > 0:22:56- What about children? They can be terrible.- We get lots of calls from children wandering around.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02- They'll go into the cleaning product cupboard...- The dangerous one. - Definitely the dangerous one.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06And they'll drink bleach or something like that
0:23:06 > 0:23:13- and their parents have just discovered them.- The thing is to know what they have drunk.- Yeah.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18It might even have some information on the back with some advice.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- Good advice, Claire. Thank you. - Thanks.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28Earlier we saw how two lifeboat crew had to trek across marshes to reach a badly-injured kite surfer.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33The RNLI volunteers can't give pain relief, but they stabilised Alex
0:23:33 > 0:23:37as they await the coastguard rescue helicopter.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42In the mud flats of the Solent, a rescue operation is underway.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Lifeboat volunteers Jamie and Simon were the first to get to injured kite surfer Alex,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50but now he's going to be airlifted out.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04They're going to use the kite to protect him from the wind and the downdraught from the helicopter.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Jamie and Simon have already put Alex's injured leg in a splint.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12His brother Edward is with him and witnessed the accident.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28Coastguard rescue helicopter 106 was on a training flight nearby.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39As well as getting a quick airlift to hospital, Alex also receives gas and air for his pain
0:24:39 > 0:24:41from winchman Dougie Ayles.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05But Alex has to endure having his leg moved again.
0:25:05 > 0:25:11He must be protected by a stronger vacuum splint. He'll need all the pain relief he can get.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15ALEX CRIES IN PAIN
0:25:19 > 0:25:25The indications are that Alex has broken more than one bone. They need to keep his foot properly aligned,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28which means more movement.
0:25:33 > 0:25:39The worst is over. The helicopter returns to lift winchman Dougie and Alex on board.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43He'll be taken to Southampton General Hospital.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49Meanwhile, the lifeboat crew help brother Edward take all the equipment back to Lymington.
0:25:53 > 0:26:00As feared, the injuries to Al's leg were so severe, six months on he's still not fully recovered.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07After x-rays at hospital, doctors discovered Alex had suffered a total of three breaks in his leg.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I had a clean break through my tibia
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and a spiral fracture up my tibia
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and a clean break on my fibula.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20It took months to regain full movement and rotation in his ankle.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Six months on, he's still not able to play sport.
0:26:24 > 0:26:32I go through mixed feelings. I want to go again, but I don't want to break anything again, obviously.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38Despite the accident, he has sympathy for his brother Edward, who is still waiting for a lesson.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42My poor brother waded across the marshes to rescue me.
0:26:42 > 0:26:49He didn't even get kite surfing, but thank God he was there or it would have been a cold night
0:26:49 > 0:26:51or a long crawl home.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Al is very grateful for the work of the volunteer lifeboat crew
0:26:55 > 0:27:00and Simon and Kevin are here. Nice to see you.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04The thing that strikes me is that you are volunteers.
0:27:04 > 0:27:10Most people I speak to, "I do it day in, day out." What do you do, ordinary job, every day?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Well, I run a charter business, so I'm on the water quite a bit.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19So lifeboating is almost second nature, if that makes sense.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- Kevin?- A builder.- Right.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I build houses.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Are you on duty all the time or do you have shifts?
0:27:28 > 0:27:33We're on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38So we're on call all the time, but we've got a 22 crew who are on call,
0:27:38 > 0:27:43- so it gets shared about quite a bit. - How do you get to know? - We all carry pagers.
0:27:43 > 0:27:50- They go off and we run, basically. - Drop what you're doing, run to the car and you're off.- That's it.
0:27:50 > 0:27:57So we're aiming to get the boat on the water within about 8 minutes of being called on our pagers.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- So it's a pretty quick process. - Now this was an unusual case.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04He was in a pretty bad way and a lot of pain.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09- You couldn't give him painkillers. - No, we only carry oxygen,
0:28:09 > 0:28:14so we can't restrict his pain at all. We work with what we've got
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and fortunately that's when the helicopter had that with them.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Your big fear is that not only is he marooned, he's cold and in shock.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24You used a bit of ingenuity.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Yeah, we used his kite as a wind break
0:28:28 > 0:28:33and that came up, as it always does on a lifeboat crew, as an idea
0:28:33 > 0:28:37- and it just sort of progresses from there.- Brilliant.
0:28:37 > 0:28:44What I always think is the helicopter takes away the kite surfer and you go back to work!
0:28:44 > 0:28:49- Yeah.- Pretty much.- Well, you do a great job. Nice to meet you.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57It's not just the heat of a fire and the super-heated gases that pose a threat to fire-fighters.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01They usually have no idea what's inside a burning building.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05In this case, it's dangers from needles and illegal drug gear.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12SIREN WAILS
0:29:15 > 0:29:218.30pm and Green Watch from St Mary's Fire Station are on their way.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23Is that someone there by the crossing?
0:29:23 > 0:29:29Somebody has made an emergency call to say they saw flames coming from the window of a ground floor flat.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Lovely. Thank you.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37Jay, it's five four papa one and five four papa four in attendance. Over.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Go by it, way by it.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42That looks like it's cooking up, boys.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46A window frame is on fire.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51The question is whether the fire is just on the outside or coming from the flat inside.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Right, we'll get a covering jet.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Watch Manager Shaun takes a closer look.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01He feels the adjacent windows to see if they're warm, a sign of fire indoors.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- Boys, you're on it.- Inside or just outside?- Inside as well.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07It's inside as well, they reckon.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10It's going inside, Steve.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13It's access, whether it's round the side or this.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Crew manager Steve finds the door to the communal hallway open.
0:30:17 > 0:30:22I'll get a crew to knock the window out. You cover them with the jet as they do it.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26All right. If you want to start up then...
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Fire-fighters Adam and Rich quickly don breathing apparatus. They're going in.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35Obviously, we don't know what's in there. Nothing is isolated
0:30:35 > 0:30:39If you can isolate it on the way in, great, all right?
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Whether it's persons...
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Have a good scout around.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Are you both on...? What are you on, Channel Six?
0:30:47 > 0:30:52The word "persons" means that Shaun wants the pair to search for anybody unreported
0:30:52 > 0:30:56that might still be inside and knocked out by the fumes.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59They prepare to break the window which will help
0:30:59 > 0:31:05to ventilate the heat and smoke in a direction away from the fire-fighters entering the building.
0:31:07 > 0:31:12In the meantime, Steve has been let into a neighbour's flat to check for fire spread.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Yeah, go ahead. Over.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Steve, for your information, we've just vented the fire. We've broken the window.
0:31:27 > 0:31:33Give it a little drink, just on the spray, not a jet. You've got BA crews. Just dribble it in there.
0:31:33 > 0:31:39They have to be careful not to spray water too forcefully into a property that's alight
0:31:39 > 0:31:41while fire-fighters are inside.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46In the high temperatures a fire creates, water can instantly heat up to boiling point
0:31:46 > 0:31:48and severely scald anybody in its path.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55In breathing apparatus, Adam and Rich have negotiated the smoke-filled flat
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and made it into the room on fire.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01There's the BA crew in there now.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04They quickly put out the small blaze that they find.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10After searching the flat, they found nobody is inside.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15The next step is to use a powerful fan to clear the remaining smoke out of the property.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21While they seal off the scene, the increased visibility enables the fire crews
0:32:21 > 0:32:26to see exactly what's been going on in the premises and it's not pretty.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29There's, um...drug paraphernalia in there,
0:32:29 > 0:32:31so I'm just going in with my gloves.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39The fire has started in a bedroom littered with syringes and other signs of heavy drug use.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46The lady who put the call in was parked over there.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50She saw a fully developed fire in front of the window.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55I'll try and find out if it's occupied and get a TFS officer down, but...
0:32:55 > 0:32:57We need to get the police.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01We need to establish who owns the building and if it's occupied.
0:33:01 > 0:33:07While they were in the flat, Adam and Rich had to break down a locked door with a battering ram
0:33:07 > 0:33:09to check that nobody was behind it.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12It seems like sheltered accommodation.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Each room's got its own individual lock,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20so we got to one of the rooms using the thermal imaging camera and saw that was the affected room.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24We opened the door and knocked it down. Got there just in time, really
0:33:24 > 0:33:29Another couple more minutes and the room would have been a lot more developed
0:33:29 > 0:33:32and a bit more dangerous for any occupants in there.
0:33:32 > 0:33:38At the moment, we're just trying to work out whether it was done from outside the building or inside,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41but we'll find out soon when we get some light in there.
0:33:41 > 0:33:48One of the residents from another room in the property has come back to find this chaotic scene.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51- You live in the first room there? - Yeah.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55But he has no idea of the whereabouts of the occupant who lives in the burnt room.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00As there's a suspicion of arson, the investigation by the Technical Fire Safety Teams
0:34:00 > 0:34:03and the police will continue into the night.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12You've probably seen lots of these people answering the phones,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15but they don't just say, "Yeah, we'll send an ambulance."
0:34:15 > 0:34:19The investigation and the hard work starts right here.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24Marie is going to explain exactly what goes on. You're surrounded by a bank of screens here.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28- We've got a test call here. You know where he or she is.- Yeah.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31You've sent an ambulance. What do you do next?
0:34:31 > 0:34:34We have to get the location of the patient, confirm and accept i
0:34:34 > 0:34:38and make sure it's correct, confirm and accept the telephone number
0:34:38 > 0:34:44just in case we get cut off. The nex important step is to reassure the caller or the patient
0:34:44 > 0:34:46that help has been arranged.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49We find out exactly what's happened to them.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52We then have to go through protocol questions.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Yeah, cos you're helping the ambulance crew as they're on their way.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59You can see here you've got a series of questions.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04We're pretending that your patient or your caller has got some serious burns.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08- Yeah.- And you've got some questions and places here.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12What happens? They answer all your questions and what do you do next?
0:35:12 > 0:35:17First, we have to establish whether the patient is conscious and breathing, OK?
0:35:17 > 0:35:23Say, like, they've got a burn. We would then use the burns card, go down the questions
0:35:23 > 0:35:26and establish where they're burnt, how much of the body is burnt
0:35:26 > 0:35:30and give life-saving instructions until the ambulance arrives.
0:35:30 > 0:35:37Yes, you've got something here. "Are they having difficulty breathing or having difficulty speaking to you?"
0:35:37 > 0:35:43And that information will be very useful for the crew as they make their way to see the patient.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49- It's getting the relevant informatio to the ambulance crew, so they know what they're going to.- Brilliant.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53If you have a power cut, everything goes down, what do you do?
0:35:53 > 0:35:59Luckily, it doesn't affect us in here. We have cards to go to. We just literally go to paper.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03- The old pen and paper. - Yeah, the good old-fashioned way.
0:36:03 > 0:36:10- I'm going to go to a fall here and you start asking the questions, "Is he completely alert?"- That's right.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15"Has he got dizziness?" Then we go down, "Is there any serious breathing
0:36:15 > 0:36:17"or bleeding problems there?"
0:36:17 > 0:36:20- So you start jotting this all down. - We do.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23We get all this written down for the dispatchers.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28We have a person available to hand the paperwork over to the dispatchers,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32so they can let the crew know what they're going to straight away.
0:36:32 > 0:36:38- Marie, fantastic. The responsibility would be far too much for me. I'll leave you to your work.- Thank you.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43A motorway crash has left a horse in its box at the bottom of an embankment.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47The owner is determined to stay in the wreckage alongside the animal.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50The rescue team are preparing to move the horse,
0:36:50 > 0:36:54but any sudden sound could put its owner and motorists in danger.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02Yeah, as soon as they radio to escort him, we'll go for it. That'll be perfect. Thanks, mate.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06As darkness falls, the rescue is just minutes away.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09The lorry is nearly here.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12It's at Junction 11. We're getting a police escort to get it down here.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15We'll then shut the traffic and go for it.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19Time is moving on and the horse and owner are getting cold. I'm getting cold!
0:37:19 > 0:37:22This is such an unpredictable situation,
0:37:22 > 0:37:29Jim has called in another animal rescue specialist, Anton Phillips, who is an experienced horseman.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33He's going to take the head when we turn the animal round.
0:37:33 > 0:37:39I'm going to go down to the bottom of the bank there and take away some of the dog rose and the oak around i
0:37:39 > 0:37:43to stop it fouling as it comes out, so hopefully, it'll come out nice and cleanly.
0:37:43 > 0:37:50In the gloom, they're adapting a hook normally used to pull down burning ceilings
0:37:50 > 0:37:53to pass a head collar inside the trailer.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58We're using a ceiling hook. The horse is a little bit skittish when we're round the back of it,
0:37:58 > 0:38:03so we're making sure we do things out of sight and not something that's going to surprise it.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Jim keeps all his men updated.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Right...
0:38:08 > 0:38:15They're going to escort the box in t the coned area, then we'll shut the road and we'll re-position the box.
0:38:15 > 0:38:21We'll probably put it in the middle of the carriageway, so you can go up there and they'll stop everything
0:38:21 > 0:38:27The police close down all three lanes of the carriageway and escort the horse box into place.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31It all has to be done as quietly as possible,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33so as not to startle Harvey.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35They even turn off all the blue lights.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39Good boy... Good boy.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42They've reached a critical point in this rescue.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47They need to ease Harvey back through the gap where the trailer roof has broken away from the walls,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50but it's a tight squeeze.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54I'm just getting a bloke round to hold the roof while he does it,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57then hopefully the roof will go back three or four inches.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59If Harvey kicks off as they move him,
0:38:59 > 0:39:04a blow from his hooves could easily kill the very people who are trying to save him.
0:39:04 > 0:39:10When he comes up, we don't know what state he'll be in. Anton might need some room to lunge him round,
0:39:10 > 0:39:15- so these boys want to be up there with some protection, so they can hide.- OK.- Just in case.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18The fewer men up close to Harvey, the better.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21That looks like that's the last of that traffic.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24The motorway is now at a standstill.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It's eerily quiet.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32It's a very strange place to be. It's just really weird that there's no sound,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36there's no rumbling of the lorries, but it's important that's what we have
0:39:36 > 0:39:42because that's what we need to move an animal that perhaps has never bee on a motorway or a road before.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47- Good boy.- Everything is in place to move the horse.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I just can't think what was going through his brain.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54I knew what was going through mine and it was just horrific.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56I thought, "Is this really happening?
0:39:56 > 0:39:58"Is he going to come straight up?"
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Harvey's natural instincts will be telling him to make a bolt for it.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Good boy. Other way, other way, Harv. Other way.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08- Other way.- Go on.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12- Good boy.- There's a good lad. Go on.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Well done, fellas.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Against all the odds, he's finally out.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Stage one of the rescue is complete.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Everyone is hoping he'll go quietly into his new transport.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Some animals, if they've been in a collision...
0:40:34 > 0:40:39This one had rolled down the embankment. It was quite a frightening experience.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44Some of them, when they've been in a transporter and that's happened they're very reluctant to load.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49This one was no real problem at all.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- That's a result.- Phew!
0:40:52 > 0:40:54- God, it's cold, mate!- It is.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57I was extremely proud of Harvey.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01I remember a policewoman asking how much sedation he had had
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and I said he'd had none, it's just a trust.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06He's come out with a few scrapes,
0:41:06 > 0:41:12but trusting enough that he'll just go straight into a lorry, knowing that he'll be going home.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17I'm just going to quietly open the eastbound now, so if we can get these doors shut, that will help.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20They've averted a motorway accident.
0:41:20 > 0:41:25As a result of meticulous planning, the actual transfer has taken less than five minutes.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29It's been resolved safely.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32They're on their way back to West Sussex now.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37They'll get him looked at by the vet when they get back.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I think it was Harvey's kind temperament and calmness
0:41:40 > 0:41:44and the trust in the people that deal with him on a daily basis
0:41:44 > 0:41:50that saved him from doing more damage to himself or damaging himself any further
0:41:50 > 0:41:54and causing perhaps a more horrific accident
0:41:54 > 0:41:57if he had panicked and gone up on to the motorway.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Harvey's very special to us. He's always been part of the family, but even more so.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08For the animal rescue team, it's been a good evening's work.
0:42:08 > 0:42:13Anton and I both said that this was one of the most dangerous incidents we'd been to for quite some time
0:42:13 > 0:42:17and the potential for something to go wrong was very high.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Therefore, to have the outcome that we did was very pleasing.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30We've had some great results - Harvey and what about those golfers?
0:42:30 > 0:42:33They're definitely going to go and see Vinnie in LA.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37There'll be a few boys turning up with suitcases. Watch out, Vinnie!
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- That's it for Real Rescues. See you next time.- Bye-bye.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd