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Today on Real Rescues, a hot air balloon hits an electricity pylon. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:04 | |
It's wrapped around a 130,000 volt cable. | 0:00:04 | 0:00:08 | |
Three people are trapped in the basket 50 feet above the ground. | 0:00:08 | 0:00:12 | |
An emergency at home, five-year-old Elleemae takes charge after dialling 999. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:19 | |
And how do you fancy working in raw sewage? | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
Animal rescue are called in to save a much loved horse that's fallen | 0:00:34 | 0:00:37 | |
five metres into a cesspit. | 0:00:37 | 0:00:39 | |
She looked like she was dead. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:40 | |
Her mouth was open, there was muck dripping off her. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:43 | |
Her legs were just hanging. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:45 | |
Hello and welcome to Real Rescues which celebrates | 0:01:01 | 0:01:04 | |
the work of Britain's emergency services. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:05 | |
This control room covers a large area including Gatwick Airport, | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
Brighton and the South Downs. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
Now the chances of surviving any kind of contact with | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
an electricity cable are not very high, | 0:01:15 | 0:01:17 | |
especially if it's carrying more than 130,000 volts. | 0:01:17 | 0:01:21 | |
When onlookers saw this balloon burst into flames after flying into | 0:01:21 | 0:01:24 | |
an electricity pylon 50 feet above the ground, they feared the worst. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:27 | |
The flames went out leaving the pilot and two passengers safe | 0:01:27 | 0:01:32 | |
but trapped in the basket. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
Now it's up to Northamptonshire Fire And Rescue Service to get them down. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:38 | |
I've seen it in the movies, I've seen it in the cartoons. | 0:01:38 | 0:01:41 | |
Electricity cables, your hair goes curly | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
and you also shake around a bit but what happened? | 0:01:44 | 0:01:46 | |
Well, yes, what was a very pleasant serene evening, | 0:01:46 | 0:01:50 | |
in a balloon turned into something very dramatic very quickly. | 0:01:50 | 0:01:53 | |
So, yeah, when it became clear that contact with those wires | 0:01:53 | 0:01:56 | |
was inevitable yeah, what do you do? | 0:01:56 | 0:01:58 | |
-You just wait for the bang really. -So what happened? Were there sparks? | 0:01:58 | 0:02:02 | |
Yes. As the balloon touched the cables, flash, bang, | 0:02:02 | 0:02:05 | |
like being in a flaming hailstorm. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
So, initial electrical contact then a piece of the balloon | 0:02:08 | 0:02:10 | |
must have melted because there were little bits of dripping nylon flying about. | 0:02:10 | 0:02:14 | |
You think, you pull a face and sort of curl in against it. | 0:02:14 | 0:02:17 | |
You seem quite calm describing it now. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:19 | |
Were you calm then, or screaming? | 0:02:19 | 0:02:20 | |
No screaming, no drama, no. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
Is that because you are a qualified pilot? | 0:02:22 | 0:02:24 | |
I have a pilot's licence, yes. So those sort of things you rehearse. | 0:02:24 | 0:02:28 | |
Procedures, checklist, repeat. So it is. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
You kick back to your training and that sort of basic approach kicks in. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:36 | |
So they're sort of hiding in the basket now waiting for you guys to kick in. | 0:02:36 | 0:02:39 | |
You get the phone call. What's your initial fears? What do you think? | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
Well, rescues are something we do on a regular basis. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
Rescues at height probably a little bit less | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
and of course rescues involving 132,000 volts. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:51 | |
Very unlikely, very unlikely. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:53 | |
So the initial thoughts of those at the fire control and also | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
the crews is to get that electricity isolated and to establish | 0:02:56 | 0:03:00 | |
the safety and the welfare of the people within that basket. | 0:03:00 | 0:03:03 | |
So how long did it take? A couple of minutes, 20 minutes? Hour? | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
We were there for some time. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:08 | |
To isolate the power, we eventually got it isolated about 9:45 | 0:03:08 | 0:03:13 | |
that evening, bearing in mind we'd been there since 6:10. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
Nearly four, five hours, isn't it? | 0:03:16 | 0:03:18 | |
But then again the power was isolated | 0:03:18 | 0:03:20 | |
but it did need grounding and earthing. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
Right, OK. So you're hanging about, quite literally. What are you doing? | 0:03:22 | 0:03:27 | |
Well having the initial fright, the flash, the bang, | 0:03:27 | 0:03:30 | |
and then the fact that some of the flying wires did actually twang, | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
so we've then got six holding us up out of the 16 | 0:03:33 | 0:03:37 | |
and then to have suddenly realised it wasn't going to shred | 0:03:37 | 0:03:39 | |
any more and plunge that last 50 feet. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
Then it is very much a waiting game. | 0:03:42 | 0:03:44 | |
-Just be patient. -So how did you get them down in the end? | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
We did establish communications. There was a lot of talk about how we would. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
Eventually we used out rope rescue team from Northamptonshire, | 0:03:50 | 0:03:54 | |
that work in the fire station. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:55 | |
They had to ascend up to the pylon, | 0:03:55 | 0:03:57 | |
up to the bail arm where the conductors are. | 0:03:57 | 0:04:00 | |
Abseil down and pick each person out one by one and then take them | 0:04:00 | 0:04:04 | |
to the ambulance where they were assessed by the ambulance crew | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
for minor burns and other injuries. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:09 | |
-I understand it was your first ever balloon flight? -Yes. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:11 | |
Out of curiosity, as someone who flies, come for a ride. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:14 | |
-So yes, ride in a balloon. -Would you do it again? | 0:04:14 | 0:04:16 | |
-Of course. Why ever not? Yes. -He's mad. -No, not a bit. I just... | 0:04:16 | 0:04:19 | |
-Yes. -I'm sure it'll be fine next time. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:21 | |
I need to know what a normal landing looks like. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:23 | |
Yeah, you should. Colin and Rob, thank you both very much indeed. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:26 | |
I can't believe he wants to go back again. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:27 | |
As we've just seen, emergency rescue crews have to work in all kinds | 0:04:27 | 0:04:30 | |
of difficult and demanding conditions. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:33 | |
However, agreeing to get into a tank of raw sewage to save a life | 0:04:33 | 0:04:37 | |
is testament to their commitment. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:39 | |
In a Hampshire field, | 0:04:41 | 0:04:43 | |
fire crews prepare for one of their toughest rescues. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
Five metres below ground, a horse is up to its neck in sewage. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:51 | |
The cesspit's fibreglass lid gave way under her weight | 0:04:51 | 0:04:55 | |
leaving elderly Annie in a desperate situation. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:57 | |
There's a good girl. There's a good girl. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
The stench is appalling and animal rescue specialist, | 0:05:02 | 0:05:06 | |
Buster Brown, knows that the trauma of a rescue might be too much | 0:05:06 | 0:05:10 | |
for this 23-year-old mare. | 0:05:10 | 0:05:12 | |
If you bang I'm just worried about stimulating this horse too much. | 0:05:12 | 0:05:15 | |
It's going to take two fire crews and a crane to attempt this rescue. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:19 | |
This is trouble, isn't it? | 0:05:20 | 0:05:22 | |
300 gallons of water has been pumped from the pit but Annie | 0:05:22 | 0:05:26 | |
can only just keep her head clear. | 0:05:26 | 0:05:29 | |
Her survival instincts are still strong | 0:05:31 | 0:05:33 | |
but Annie's struggles could exhaust and even kill her. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
She's already bleeding from a gash over one eye. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
You're in a predicament you are, eh? | 0:05:41 | 0:05:44 | |
The rescuers need to get straps around her so that the crane | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
can lift her out but first they must make the opening bigger. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:52 | |
They're going to cut that, do it in sections, it doesn't matter. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
Do it half and half if you like cos when it's cut I'll hold. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
-We're going to put this line. -All right. | 0:05:59 | 0:06:01 | |
I actually thought probably this was the end for her | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
and I'd lost her and obviously didn't want to lose her this way. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:07 | |
Since she was two we've had her. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:09 | |
My kids have all grown up with her and learnt to ride on her. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
The odds are against Annie. It's a cold November day. | 0:06:14 | 0:06:17 | |
She's been up to her neck in freezing sewage for an hour | 0:06:17 | 0:06:20 | |
and it's going to be a noisy operation. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:23 | |
When rescuing horses and cattle our biggest problem is stimulation. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
That is us making the animal react to what we're doing | 0:06:30 | 0:06:35 | |
whether it be using equipment or by movement around the animal. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:39 | |
It is very important to try and keep the noise down to a relatively quiet level. | 0:06:39 | 0:06:45 | |
Vet Suzanne is on site ready to sedate Annie | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
but they can't get close enough to the horse yet. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:50 | |
They want to lower a ladder but there's another problem. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
-It's a cylindrical bottom. -Cylindrical? | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
Yeah, so you haven't got an edge. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:01 | |
-It just goes around like the bottom of a lemonade bottle. -Yeah? | 0:07:01 | 0:07:05 | |
So a ladder is just going to slide. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:06 | |
-Shall we see if we can get some of this out? -Yeah. | 0:07:06 | 0:07:09 | |
Annie is also wedged behind the cesspit's filters. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:13 | |
These separate the water from the solids. | 0:07:13 | 0:07:15 | |
We're not going to commit you at the minute until we got rid of this filter. All right? | 0:07:15 | 0:07:20 | |
My main worry was more if she was inhaling | 0:07:20 | 0:07:23 | |
the fluid around her. That, you know, there was a great risk | 0:07:23 | 0:07:27 | |
of her developing a pneumonia should she survive the actual rescue. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
There was a risk of her becoming hypothermic and going into shock | 0:07:32 | 0:07:35 | |
so that was a possible concern as well. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
I'd better just get you back now because you haven't got a line on you. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
They're battling against time. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:44 | |
The water level is rising with each flush of the toilets | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
that drain into the cesspit. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:48 | |
There's water coming in from somewhere. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:51 | |
They have been asked not to use any flushes. | 0:07:51 | 0:07:53 | |
They have to keep Annie's head above water | 0:07:53 | 0:07:55 | |
but can't risk working near her until she's sedated. | 0:07:55 | 0:07:58 | |
I'm worried about the horse now. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:00 | |
It's getting a little bit lower in the water. | 0:08:00 | 0:08:02 | |
We need to get it some sort of medication. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:05 | |
It's time to change tack. Vet Suzanne can't get in the pit. | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
They're going to have to improvise a sedation spear. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:12 | |
All we did was, using duct tape, | 0:08:12 | 0:08:14 | |
tape the syringe to the end of one pole and, so the vet was able, | 0:08:14 | 0:08:19 | |
remotely, at three metres away, to jab the animal. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:22 | |
And then I was able, using another pole, | 0:08:22 | 0:08:24 | |
to plunge the pole onto the plunger of the syringe into the animal | 0:08:24 | 0:08:29 | |
so we were able to apply the sedation. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:31 | |
Now they can clear the rest of the filters | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
without fear of stressing the horse further. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:36 | |
But every time a filter is hauled out, the fumes increase. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:40 | |
The effluent that we were working in with the horse was quite vile | 0:08:40 | 0:08:44 | |
and also the filtration system holds back a lot of the solids. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:49 | |
So the environment we were working in | 0:08:49 | 0:08:51 | |
and the odour that we were ingesting was quite disgusting. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:56 | |
This is another one. This is quite heavy. It's so full of water. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:01 | |
It's taking too long. Buster can see the horse is beginning to give up. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
-Come on. -No, We're losing this horse. -Sorry? | 0:09:05 | 0:09:07 | |
Nothing's happening. We're going to lose this horse. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:10 | |
Annie is fading fast, two firefighters need to get inside | 0:09:10 | 0:09:14 | |
the cesspit to put lifting straps underneath her to get her out quick. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:18 | |
Somebody's got to go in there and strap this animal up, haven't we? | 0:09:18 | 0:09:22 | |
We'll get two blokes dressed in dry suits. We don't have an option. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:25 | |
And we'll be seeing what happens when two firefighters agree | 0:09:27 | 0:09:30 | |
to get into the sewage alongside the frightened animal. | 0:09:30 | 0:09:34 | |
Now, calls coming into this centre are regularly scaled up to | 0:09:34 | 0:09:37 | |
emergency status but it's not always obvious just how serious | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
a situation is to start with. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
Mike can tell me all about a call just like that one. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:46 | |
-Um, Mike, sorry to disturb you. -That's OK. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
Somebody called you, a man, he was very calm at the beginning. | 0:09:48 | 0:09:51 | |
What did he say was wrong? | 0:09:51 | 0:09:52 | |
He didn't want to say because he said it was personal | 0:09:52 | 0:09:55 | |
and was a bit embarrassing to explain but he wanted to see | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
a police officer that evening if we had one free. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:00 | |
He was very calm. We were trying to resource it. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:04 | |
About an hour later I phoned him back to make sure that he | 0:10:04 | 0:10:06 | |
still needed to see someone which he said he did. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:09 | |
Tried to see what it was. Maybe I could have dealt with it that time. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:12 | |
But he still didn't want to explain it. | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
OK, so eventually you got two police officers outside the front door | 0:10:15 | 0:10:19 | |
-and they knocked on the door and he didn't answer. -No. | 0:10:19 | 0:10:21 | |
So I gave him a ring and said to him you know, | 0:10:21 | 0:10:24 | |
"We now have two police officers at the front door if you want to go and talk to them?" | 0:10:24 | 0:10:28 | |
And out of the blue he said, "I can't go and answer the door. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:32 | |
"Because my wife's found out I've been having an affair, | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
"she's picked up two very large carving knives | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
"and I've barricaded myself in the bedroom." | 0:10:37 | 0:10:41 | |
So at that point I was thinking here is a danger for this guy | 0:10:41 | 0:10:43 | |
although he's safe at the moment because he's barricaded himself in the bedroom, | 0:10:43 | 0:10:47 | |
but we're going to have to break into the premises from what he's told us which means that | 0:10:47 | 0:10:51 | |
we're putting the police officers at risk as well. So I explained to him | 0:10:51 | 0:10:54 | |
we're going to have to force entry to the premises from what he's | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
told us and he agreed to that. | 0:10:57 | 0:10:58 | |
He was quite happy for us to do that. | 0:10:58 | 0:11:00 | |
-He'd been waiting some 2.5 hours for you to come. -Yes. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:03 | |
But not saying how serious. | 0:11:03 | 0:11:04 | |
No, he was so calm about the whole thing | 0:11:04 | 0:11:06 | |
that you wouldn't have guessed there was anything sort of urgent behind it. | 0:11:06 | 0:11:10 | |
So I explained to him | 0:11:10 | 0:11:12 | |
we were going to have to put the door in or force the door open. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:15 | |
And he was very happy about that and as a parting sort of gesture | 0:11:15 | 0:11:18 | |
he said, "By the way, once you get in, I have two German Shepherd dogs | 0:11:18 | 0:11:21 | |
"loose downstairs as well." | 0:11:21 | 0:11:23 | |
Which you managed to get around and actually he was OK | 0:11:23 | 0:11:26 | |
-in the end, wasn't he? -Yes. | 0:11:26 | 0:11:27 | |
We had to make sure we had proper clothing, equipment | 0:11:27 | 0:11:30 | |
to actually force the entry in but we managed to get in. | 0:11:30 | 0:11:32 | |
Nobody got injured and we dealt with it once we were in there, | 0:11:32 | 0:11:35 | |
but it's an example that things can escalate quite quickly and things change. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
-We have to risk assess that as we go along. -Strange story. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:44 | |
-Mike, thank you. -Any time. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:45 | |
From someone in deep, deep trouble to deep sea divers. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:50 | |
Now it's been affecting them since the 19th century | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
and it used to called the mystery malady. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:55 | |
Nowadays, the bends or decompression sickness | 0:11:55 | 0:11:57 | |
is more thoroughly understood, but divers are still getting into trouble. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:01 | |
When an emergency happens, it requires the fastest response. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:05 | |
You've got a job, OK, where is it? | 0:12:05 | 0:12:07 | |
Air ambulance paramedics, Paul Owen and Mark Williams are heading to | 0:12:07 | 0:12:11 | |
an emergency at an inland lake near Frome in Somerset. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
We're off to a local dive centre to a 30-year-old male. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
He's ascended from depth quite quickly | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
so he's possibly got the bends. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
Decompression sickness is called the bends | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
because it can leave sufferers doubled up with pain. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:29 | |
The diving centre is a popular place for divers to learn and practise. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:35 | |
We are on route now, ETA hopefully six minutes. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:41 | |
The cloud is a little bit of a problem. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:43 | |
We'll inform you if we can't make it. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:47 | |
All understood, thank you. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
Flying conditions aren't good but this can be a very serious condition. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:55 | |
There is every chance this diver will need to be taken to | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
a specialist treatment centre. | 0:12:58 | 0:12:59 | |
Basically what happens is the nitrogen they absorb in their body | 0:12:59 | 0:13:02 | |
when diving doesn't have time to dissipate as they come up slowly. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:06 | |
He's come up too fast. | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
We've been called in because we've got the option of flying him | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
to a local decompression chamber down in Poole | 0:13:11 | 0:13:14 | |
where they'll sort him out. See the doctors down there. | 0:13:14 | 0:13:17 | |
The main role for us is the speed of getting him down to the chamber. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:20 | |
The low cloud cover and strong winds makes the landing tricky. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:26 | |
It may be a bit snotty because the wind's coming through the trees. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:31 | |
AUTOMATED VOICE: '100 feet.' | 0:13:31 | 0:13:34 | |
30 tall trees there, coming up on your side now. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:37 | |
Shout when you're clear your side. | 0:13:37 | 0:13:39 | |
You're clear my side. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:40 | |
Coming down. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:42 | |
-Wobbly. -OK. Clear. I'll turn the radio. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:48 | |
But they've made it, in under 10 minutes. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:52 | |
-How are you feeling at the moment, Martin? -All right. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:54 | |
Are you OK. Are you at all short of breath or anything like that? | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
-No. -No? | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
Inside the centre, local paramedics are already giving high flow oxygen | 0:13:59 | 0:14:03 | |
to the patient which should reduce nitrogen levels in his body. | 0:14:03 | 0:14:06 | |
-OK. Right. What was BP, that's all right? -The last one was 120/60. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:11 | |
That's fine. Yeah. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:14 | |
Temperature was reading quite low | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
but he's been down at six degrees in the water. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
Martin was slowly surfacing from a 23 metre dive when halfway up, | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
his assent went out of control and he shot to the surface. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:29 | |
The sudden change in pressure flooded his system with too much nitrogen. | 0:14:29 | 0:14:33 | |
You're OK at the moment? OK, pins and needles, all that's gone? | 0:14:33 | 0:14:36 | |
All the tingling... | 0:14:36 | 0:14:38 | |
Common symptoms of the bends are dizziness, | 0:14:38 | 0:14:40 | |
joint pain and abdominal cramps. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
In extreme cases it can lead to organ failure. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
Let me know if anything changes, if you start to feel groggy, | 0:14:46 | 0:14:49 | |
whether you're getting pain in your chest. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:51 | |
We're going to take you down to Poole. You have come up quickly. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:54 | |
-Have you ever done anything like that before? -No. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
-You'd never been to a decompression chamber before? -No, never. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
OK. How long have you been diving? | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
-Since last summer. -Right. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
They commandeer the centre's Transit van. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:07 | |
It's going to be a bit bumpy, I imagine, in the back of a Transit. | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
We'll just take you up to the helicopter. It's in the car park at the top. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
Although Martin's symptoms are subsiding, | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
they still need to get him checked out by dive doctors. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
He may need time in an oxygen rich hyperbaric chamber | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
to rebalance the gas levels in his blood and tissues. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
But there's a worry. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:28 | |
Martin's decompression sickness has been brought on by rapid | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
changes in pressure. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:32 | |
There's an outside chance that flying him at altitude | 0:15:32 | 0:15:34 | |
in the helicopter could aggravate his symptoms. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:38 | |
In a minute, once we're all loaded, we'll pop your arms under this one, | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
but we want to keep them out to get blood pressure and that sort of thing. | 0:15:42 | 0:15:45 | |
Just got to be quite careful in these situations. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:47 | |
As you can see, he's talking, he's happy, | 0:15:47 | 0:15:49 | |
let's hope he stays that way. | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
And we'll be following Martin's journey to hospital. | 0:15:56 | 0:15:59 | |
Still to come on Real Rescues, at home with her baby sister | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
five-year-old Elleemae comes to the rescue after her mum falls ill. | 0:16:05 | 0:16:10 | |
And I'm on top of the Royal London Hospital. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:23 | |
Not to take in the beautiful views of the capital, but to check out | 0:16:23 | 0:16:27 | |
an innovation in London's air ambulance which will improve | 0:16:27 | 0:16:30 | |
the survival rates of hundreds of people a year. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
Throughout the programme we are following one of the toughest missions | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
the animal rescue specialists have faced. Now the conditions are the very worst. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:43 | |
The horse is trapped in a cesspit. | 0:16:43 | 0:16:44 | |
The two firefighters have got to get into the sewage with the animal. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:49 | |
The battle is on to save an elderly horse from drowning in a cesspit. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:55 | |
Animal rescue specialist, | 0:16:55 | 0:16:56 | |
Buster Brown, has to keep her head above water. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
Move your head. Good girl. Come on. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
He loops a rope to pass it under her neck. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:06 | |
Annie! Good girl. | 0:17:06 | 0:17:08 | |
Can you just... | 0:17:09 | 0:17:10 | |
-Hold that. -It'll be my fault you don't go flying in. -Yeah, yeah. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:14 | |
With the filters out of the way, the crews can get a ladder in place. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:19 | |
Buster needs two volunteers to climb down into the raw sewage | 0:17:19 | 0:17:24 | |
to get the strops in place to crane the horse out. | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
Jim Tarbuck and Jim Tallick must be completely covered | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
and protected before they can climb down. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
I'm happy with the gas levels. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:39 | |
-OK, Annie! -All right, Annie. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:43 | |
No worries, babes. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:44 | |
All right, Annie. | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
"No worries, babes"(!) | 0:17:46 | 0:17:47 | |
Meanwhile they can move the crane closer to the pit. | 0:17:47 | 0:17:50 | |
Annie's rescue is reaching the critical stage. | 0:17:50 | 0:17:53 | |
Generally, when we get them in the harness, | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
because of the endorphins it will relax. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:58 | |
-OK. -If it kicks off we're just going to put it back down again. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
That's fine. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:02 | |
-Jimmy? -Yeah? -Don't stimulate it, talk quietly, please. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:05 | |
The smell was quite appalling but apart from that there's also gases and we have to be mindful | 0:18:05 | 0:18:10 | |
that if we're working in an atmosphere like that | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
we must monitor those gases, so we knew it was breathable. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:16 | |
Although we knew the horse was breathing, what may affect the horse | 0:18:16 | 0:18:20 | |
may not necessarily affect the human. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:23 | |
We also had to be aware that to ask people to enter the pit, we had to keep them safe | 0:18:23 | 0:18:28 | |
in that environment and dress them in protective suits. | 0:18:28 | 0:18:30 | |
So they were in dry suits, big rubber suits, | 0:18:30 | 0:18:33 | |
to keep all that effluent off the actual skin and their body. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:36 | |
Steady. | 0:18:36 | 0:18:37 | |
Out of sight of our camera, a worrying development. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
Annie panics and struggles. | 0:18:41 | 0:18:43 | |
One kick could kill a firefighter, even in these cramped conditions. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:49 | |
-Steady! -Jim, out! Out, Jim! | 0:18:49 | 0:18:53 | |
Jim is pulled to safety but somehow, he put the head collar and rope | 0:18:53 | 0:18:57 | |
onto Annie before she panicked. | 0:18:57 | 0:18:59 | |
To get the red lifting straps under the horse's body, | 0:19:01 | 0:19:04 | |
they use the yellow guide to pull them through the raw sewage. | 0:19:04 | 0:19:08 | |
And I want the crane with the spreader bar brought over. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:13 | |
The straps are in place. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:15 | |
Now they can attach a bar which will distribute her weight | 0:19:15 | 0:19:19 | |
once she's on the crane but they can't risk the horse panicking again. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:22 | |
She needs more sedation. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:24 | |
Do you want to give it another sedation or...? | 0:19:24 | 0:19:26 | |
-Definitely need one more before it comes up. -OK. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
We're going to do it the same way as before. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
If she starts to struggle, there's a possibility | 0:19:31 | 0:19:33 | |
that she falls out the sling. She may fall back down into the cesspit. | 0:19:33 | 0:19:38 | |
She may re-injure herself when she falls. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:40 | |
So, the main point at that time is to keep her as quiet as she can. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
The horse is now ready to be lifted out but one wrong move | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
and she could slip back into the sewage. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
We'll be seeing what happens when they start to winch Annie out of the cesspit. | 0:19:56 | 0:20:00 | |
It turns out the rescue is far from over. | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
This is Elleemae, | 0:20:07 | 0:20:08 | |
she's just six, she's here with her bear, Yogi, | 0:20:08 | 0:20:10 | |
and even though she's just six, | 0:20:10 | 0:20:12 | |
she knows exactly what to do in an emergency. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
This is the 999 call she made last year. | 0:20:15 | 0:20:18 | |
Wow. The call taker at Cheshire Police has managed to trace the address | 0:21:41 | 0:21:45 | |
as Elleemae is using a landline. | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
The six-year-old is getting more and more worried about her mummy. | 0:21:48 | 0:21:52 | |
What an amazing call. With me is Sally who took that call. | 0:23:02 | 0:23:05 | |
Loretta as well and obviously Elleemae. | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
Um, gosh, Sally, it brought tears to my eyes listening to that. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:11 | |
What was it like for you? Just describe for us. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:13 | |
It was just difficult when she first came on | 0:23:13 | 0:23:16 | |
because she was so upset. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:17 | |
She was crying and when little girls cry they just go... like that. | 0:23:17 | 0:23:21 | |
so it was really hard to get information out of her, | 0:23:21 | 0:23:24 | |
but she did calm down. We managed to get what was up with mummy. | 0:23:24 | 0:23:27 | |
Not quite exactly but she wasn't... | 0:23:27 | 0:23:29 | |
-But very close, wasn't it? -It was, yeah. | 0:23:29 | 0:23:32 | |
She was like, "Mummy is lying in bed," and we just basically asked her | 0:23:32 | 0:23:35 | |
questions like is she breathing, what is she doing, is she moving? | 0:23:35 | 0:23:40 | |
She answered all the right questions. | 0:23:40 | 0:23:42 | |
She's absolutely brilliant. What a star. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:44 | |
And I know this was particularly tough for you because you're having your own baby | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
-so you must have been more emotional as well. -It was, very. | 0:23:47 | 0:23:50 | |
Because you think I'd like my child to grow up like that to be... | 0:23:50 | 0:23:54 | |
so brave. She's brilliant. Absolute star. | 0:23:54 | 0:23:57 | |
-What a lovely thing to say, Loretta. -I know. | 0:23:57 | 0:24:00 | |
She did brilliantly. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:02 | |
Tell me how she knew even | 0:24:02 | 0:24:04 | |
because she was only five at the time, how to dial 999. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:07 | |
Mentioned it to her a couple of times | 0:24:07 | 0:24:09 | |
as we moved into our own house. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:12 | |
I mentioned it to her a couple of times to do it. | 0:24:12 | 0:24:15 | |
It was literally off the cuff. | 0:24:15 | 0:24:16 | |
It wasn't anything written down or anything | 0:24:16 | 0:24:19 | |
and she seemed to remember it. That was it really. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
And the amazing thing about that phone call is Elleemae is a little bit shy, | 0:24:21 | 0:24:25 | |
Isn't she? But on that phone call, Elleemae, | 0:24:25 | 0:24:28 | |
you were telling her all the brilliant things about Mummy, | 0:24:28 | 0:24:31 | |
-wasn't she? She was incredible. -Yeah, she did really, really well. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:34 | |
What was wrong with you at the time? What was going on? | 0:24:34 | 0:24:37 | |
-I had a seizure but didn't feel it coming on. -Was it epilepsy? -Yeah. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:41 | |
So...didn't feel it coming on, just had one out the blue | 0:24:41 | 0:24:44 | |
and she had come in and seen me and realised I needed help. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:48 | |
And tell me, you have given her, afterwards, for being so brave, | 0:24:48 | 0:24:51 | |
you've given her a few presents, spoiled her a little bit, haven't you? Quite rightly! | 0:24:51 | 0:24:55 | |
Yeah. She's been very spoiled, haven't you, madam? Eh? | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
She's had all sorts. She's been rollerblading, pictures, | 0:24:58 | 0:25:02 | |
loads of treats off like the local Warrington Guardian. | 0:25:02 | 0:25:05 | |
-Off the Mayor in Warrington and stuff. -That's lovely! | 0:25:05 | 0:25:07 | |
Elleemae, thank you very much for coming to see us and I know that | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
you are going to go for a swim later so it might make it worthwhile. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:13 | |
-Well done for being so brave. Thank you. -Thank you. -Thank you. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
Earlier we saw the air ambulance fly to the rescue of diver, Martin, | 0:25:18 | 0:25:22 | |
who was showing all the symptoms of decompression sickness. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:26 | |
He needs specialist treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
Martin's suffering from classic symptoms of the bends, | 0:25:30 | 0:25:33 | |
dizziness, nausea and headache. | 0:25:33 | 0:25:36 | |
He's obviously come up from a depth a lot quicker | 0:25:36 | 0:25:38 | |
than he should have done. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:39 | |
There's problems that could result | 0:25:39 | 0:25:41 | |
with the expansion of the nitrogen in the blood. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:43 | |
So we've got to get him down to Poole, the decompression centre. | 0:25:43 | 0:25:47 | |
The rapid pressure change has caused nitrogen to flood Martin's system. | 0:25:47 | 0:25:51 | |
The dive doctors in Poole may decide he needs high-pressure | 0:25:51 | 0:25:54 | |
oxygen treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. | 0:25:54 | 0:25:57 | |
It's going to be noisy. We're going to pop a headset on you. | 0:25:57 | 0:25:59 | |
I will keep it unplugged for most of the time, but from time to time, | 0:25:59 | 0:26:02 | |
if you wave at me we'll plug you in and we'll have a chat. | 0:26:02 | 0:26:04 | |
Is that all right? Well done. | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
The air ambulance takes off. | 0:26:13 | 0:26:15 | |
They'll have to hug the ground where possible. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:17 | |
Flying too high at low air pressure could aggravate Martin's symptoms. | 0:26:17 | 0:26:22 | |
To help stop the nitrogen taking hold, | 0:26:22 | 0:26:24 | |
Martin is on high flow oxygen throughout the flight. | 0:26:24 | 0:26:27 | |
We're currently at 500 feet. It's no problem to the patient. | 0:26:27 | 0:26:33 | |
You think if you're out walking you may walk up a hill at 500 feet | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
and it doesn't really change the air pressure or anything at all. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:39 | |
At this height there's no issues or concerns at all. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:43 | |
It takes just 15 minutes to get him to the decompression centre. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:47 | |
By road it would have taken at least 90 minutes. | 0:26:47 | 0:26:50 | |
Hello, I'm Rosemary. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:52 | |
-Hello, Doc. -I'm the dive doctor. -Hello. | 0:26:52 | 0:26:54 | |
You've had a bit of fun and games this morning? How are you doing? | 0:26:54 | 0:26:57 | |
-I'm OK. -Yeah? What are the sats like? | 0:26:57 | 0:27:00 | |
Sats 98 pulse rate around 110. On oxygen. | 0:27:00 | 0:27:03 | |
He was desaturating a little bit apparently earlier on. | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
He is a little bit cold. His temperature was 36.1. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
Pulse rate around 110 BP 110-111/73. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
-Have you ever had any problems diving before? -No. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:15 | |
No, no problems at all. This is just one of these things. All right? | 0:27:15 | 0:27:19 | |
We're going to bring him down to | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
the hyperbaric chamber | 0:27:21 | 0:27:23 | |
because he's got some signs and symptoms of decompression illness. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
Dr Rosemary Crinion | 0:27:26 | 0:27:28 | |
has decided Martin does need a stint in the centre's hyperbaric chamber. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:34 | |
What we do is we treat them, give them high-pressure oxygen | 0:27:34 | 0:27:37 | |
under pressure and then that will hopefully resolve the symptoms. | 0:27:37 | 0:27:40 | |
He will be in there for about... | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
in the and he'll be in for about six or seven hours. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:44 | |
Went for a dive, everything was fine, got to about 12 metres. | 0:27:47 | 0:27:52 | |
All of a sudden my fins became very loose on my feet. | 0:27:53 | 0:27:56 | |
I'm not entirely sure why. I had a lot of trouble with my weight. | 0:27:56 | 0:28:01 | |
I just couldn't keep myself down. | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
Dumped as much air as I could but just couldn't stop myself rising. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:07 | |
And just shot up very quickly. You know, very scary. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
One of the most scariest things I think that's ever happened to me. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:13 | |
The great news is, Martin is fine now. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:19 | |
Air ambulances are becoming a more common sight carrying doctors | 0:28:19 | 0:28:22 | |
and paramedics to the most seriously injured. | 0:28:22 | 0:28:24 | |
Up until now, there's one thing they couldn't carry, blood. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:28 | |
But that's changed, as Chris has been finding out. | 0:28:28 | 0:28:31 | |
I'm on top of the Royal London Hospital on a beautiful day | 0:28:31 | 0:28:34 | |
here in the capital. | 0:28:34 | 0:28:36 | |
Just take in the views. | 0:28:36 | 0:28:37 | |
We've got Canary Wharf, the dome and over here the London Olympic Stadium. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:42 | |
But we haven't come all this way to see that. | 0:28:42 | 0:28:45 | |
We've come to see something much smaller and it's on this | 0:28:45 | 0:28:48 | |
London air ambulance. To explain everything is Dr Anne Weaver. | 0:28:48 | 0:28:52 | |
-Hello, how are you? -Hi, I'm good thanks, good afternoon. | 0:28:52 | 0:28:55 | |
So tell me, I've heard about this magic box, what's it called? | 0:28:55 | 0:28:58 | |
This is the golden hour box. | 0:28:58 | 0:29:01 | |
We found it with some help from the British Army. | 0:29:01 | 0:29:03 | |
It's used by our troops in Afghanistan. | 0:29:03 | 0:29:07 | |
But we've found that it's perfect for civilian purposes and for us | 0:29:07 | 0:29:10 | |
to carry blood on board London's air ambulance and our fleet of cars. | 0:29:10 | 0:29:13 | |
OK, so many questions I've got for you. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:16 | |
Why is it called the golden hour box? | 0:29:16 | 0:29:18 | |
Well for people who've heard of trauma as a disease, there's thought to be | 0:29:18 | 0:29:23 | |
a special hour, the hour immediately after you've been injured | 0:29:23 | 0:29:26 | |
when if medical resources are applied appropriately and you get the right treatment, | 0:29:26 | 0:29:30 | |
if you're looked after well in that hour you can actually reduce | 0:29:30 | 0:29:33 | |
death rates subsequently after that period of time. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:36 | |
So we try and make sure that actually patients get the very best care as soon as possible. | 0:29:36 | 0:29:40 | |
We've been trying for a couple of years to actually get blood on board. | 0:29:40 | 0:29:44 | |
For some groups of patients who are actually bleeding to death, | 0:29:44 | 0:29:47 | |
current, until March, we had to give them | 0:29:47 | 0:29:49 | |
normal saline which doesn't carry oxygen so it doesn't resuscitate the heart and the brain. | 0:29:49 | 0:29:54 | |
But now that we are carrying blood, we can provide better care for this group of patients | 0:29:54 | 0:29:58 | |
and hopefully restart their heart or make them better by the time they even reach the hospital. | 0:29:58 | 0:30:03 | |
That sounds so obvious. | 0:30:03 | 0:30:04 | |
It does, but you wouldn't believe how difficult it has actually been to make that happen | 0:30:04 | 0:30:09 | |
and that's because there's lots of rules and regulations around carrying blood | 0:30:09 | 0:30:13 | |
and making sure we do it in a safe way which is equivalent to | 0:30:13 | 0:30:16 | |
the processes that are used inside hospitals by the NHS. | 0:30:16 | 0:30:20 | |
Now what is so magic about this box? | 0:30:20 | 0:30:21 | |
Well I'll open the box and then you can sort of see for yourself. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:26 | |
This black box inside has actually been in a freezer at -18 degrees | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
for eight hours. | 0:30:29 | 0:30:31 | |
It then gets taken out and is allowed to thaw about an hour until | 0:30:31 | 0:30:34 | |
condensation forms, but the beauty of this box is that whilst it's closed | 0:30:34 | 0:30:39 | |
it will keep the blood at four degrees centigrade for 72 hours. | 0:30:39 | 0:30:42 | |
-Have you used this unit? -Yeah, we have. | 0:30:42 | 0:30:44 | |
This has probably been used eight times already. | 0:30:44 | 0:30:46 | |
And what difference has that made? | 0:30:46 | 0:30:47 | |
We had a patient last week who was a cyclist, hit by a lorry, | 0:30:47 | 0:30:51 | |
who was in cardiac arrest. | 0:30:51 | 0:30:53 | |
Following some of the interventions and giving blood, we got the heart started, | 0:30:53 | 0:30:57 | |
the patient was taken to one of the major trauma centres. | 0:30:57 | 0:31:00 | |
Brilliant. And it stays in the air ambulance all the time? | 0:31:00 | 0:31:02 | |
It stays in the helicopter and even though it's a warm day, | 0:31:02 | 0:31:05 | |
it won't make any difference to the contents inside. | 0:31:05 | 0:31:07 | |
Fantastic. What a great invention. Well done the Army, well done you. | 0:31:07 | 0:31:11 | |
-Yeah, absolutely. -Nice to meet you. -Thanks very much. | 0:31:11 | 0:31:14 | |
You leave your car parked safely in the road like you always do. | 0:31:16 | 0:31:19 | |
When you come back you expect it to be in the same place | 0:31:19 | 0:31:22 | |
and still in one piece. | 0:31:22 | 0:31:25 | |
PC Mark Fowler has been called to a two car smash | 0:31:27 | 0:31:30 | |
but only one of the cars was being driven. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:32 | |
He's taken the wheel off of that other one. | 0:31:32 | 0:31:35 | |
The crash has happened on a main road, one lane is now blocked. | 0:31:40 | 0:31:43 | |
Whose is whose? | 0:31:43 | 0:31:45 | |
That's mine. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:47 | |
-And that's the gentleman's in the back of the ambulance. That's his car. -What happened? | 0:31:47 | 0:31:52 | |
I don't know. I was working. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:55 | |
The driver involved is Gerald. | 0:31:55 | 0:31:56 | |
He's unharmed but Mark wants to know what's caused him | 0:31:56 | 0:32:00 | |
to crash into a parked car. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:02 | |
As I was driving along, another car coming the opposite direction | 0:32:03 | 0:32:07 | |
was a bit far over on my side of the road - | 0:32:07 | 0:32:10 | |
on this side of the road - and I just swerved in a bit to miss it | 0:32:10 | 0:32:15 | |
and straight into the side of that one. | 0:32:15 | 0:32:17 | |
Dental practice manager Alison, has come back to find her car damaged | 0:32:17 | 0:32:20 | |
and at the centre of an investigation. | 0:32:20 | 0:32:23 | |
I always park here every day. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:25 | |
The gentleman who lives in this house here just gave me a ring. | 0:32:25 | 0:32:29 | |
At least the gentleman's well and all fit and he's not injured. That's the main thing. | 0:32:29 | 0:32:34 | |
That's quite precarious there, isn't it? | 0:32:34 | 0:32:37 | |
If you have a look, the wheel's been snapped off of the um... the arm | 0:32:37 | 0:32:44 | |
And the actual bodywork is resting on the wheel itself, | 0:32:44 | 0:32:47 | |
so the wheel's detached from the arm and from the suspension. | 0:32:47 | 0:32:51 | |
Back of the bodywork is resting on the wheel | 0:32:51 | 0:32:53 | |
so any movement of that and it's liable to collapse and catch someone's toes! | 0:32:53 | 0:32:58 | |
So the traffic can pass freely, | 0:33:00 | 0:33:01 | |
Mark and his colleague, Greg, need to move the stricken cars. | 0:33:01 | 0:33:04 | |
The damage to both cars suggests this was quite a blow. | 0:33:17 | 0:33:20 | |
Gerald has said he had to swerve to avoid another car | 0:33:21 | 0:33:25 | |
on his side of the road, but without a registration | 0:33:25 | 0:33:27 | |
plate number, PC Mark knows he'll never be able to track it down. | 0:33:27 | 0:33:32 | |
Instead, he has to rule out any other possible causes. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:35 | |
First, Gerald needs to be breathalysed. | 0:33:35 | 0:33:39 | |
So you haven't had any alcohol in the last 20 minutes then? | 0:33:39 | 0:33:41 | |
-I haven't had any alcohol at all. -OK. -In 15 years, I don't think. | 0:33:41 | 0:33:44 | |
-Do you smoke at all, have you had a cigarette? -Gerald passes. | 0:33:44 | 0:33:47 | |
Now for the next check. | 0:33:47 | 0:33:48 | |
What I will need to do is require you to take an eyesight test. | 0:33:48 | 0:33:54 | |
To pass the practical driving test, a driver must be able to read | 0:33:56 | 0:34:00 | |
a number plate from 20 metres away. | 0:34:00 | 0:34:02 | |
So it's just reading you wear them for? | 0:34:03 | 0:34:05 | |
Yes. And for watching television. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:07 | |
-That's fine. Thank you very much. -Gerald's passed. | 0:34:12 | 0:34:15 | |
Now he's free to walk into town | 0:34:15 | 0:34:17 | |
and sort out how to get his car off the road and into a garage. | 0:34:17 | 0:34:21 | |
It's got to go today because of all the sharp bits here. | 0:34:21 | 0:34:25 | |
Yeah. Yeah. | 0:34:25 | 0:34:27 | |
Even though it was stationary, | 0:34:29 | 0:34:31 | |
it looks like Alison's car may have come off worse. | 0:34:31 | 0:34:34 | |
As it's unsteadily balanced on its broken wheel, Mark has arranged for the vehicle | 0:34:34 | 0:34:38 | |
to be towed away for the general public's safety. | 0:34:38 | 0:34:42 | |
You reckon that's written off? | 0:34:42 | 0:34:45 | |
A car on three wheels is recovered just the same way as one with four, | 0:34:48 | 0:34:53 | |
though it makes things slightly more difficult. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:55 | |
Here he goes. Oh... Is he going to make it? | 0:34:58 | 0:35:02 | |
The road is fully clear and now, should they want to risk it, | 0:35:05 | 0:35:08 | |
other drivers can use Alison's parking spot that has become | 0:35:08 | 0:35:12 | |
unexpectedly available. | 0:35:12 | 0:35:14 | |
Up to your neck in raw sewage. | 0:35:15 | 0:35:17 | |
That's where the firefighters have been working to try | 0:35:17 | 0:35:20 | |
and save the life of a much loved horse called Annie. | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
Now, the most dangerous part, the lift, is about to happen. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:26 | |
They're almost ready to start lifting Annie. | 0:35:29 | 0:35:31 | |
The two men inside the cesspit guide the spreader bar into position. | 0:35:31 | 0:35:35 | |
I want it over the spine, if possible, Perry. | 0:35:37 | 0:35:40 | |
OK, listen, guys. | 0:35:40 | 0:35:42 | |
Do one set at a time. Front, then back, it'll be easier. | 0:35:42 | 0:35:46 | |
Once it's in place, they need to get out of the pit for their own safety. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:49 | |
You two out, please. | 0:35:49 | 0:35:51 | |
The slow lift begins. | 0:35:55 | 0:35:57 | |
One firefighter holds a rope attached to Annie's head collar | 0:35:57 | 0:36:00 | |
and makes sure her head is kept clear of the sides of the pit. | 0:36:00 | 0:36:04 | |
Right, come in a bit, Perry, this way, come on. | 0:36:06 | 0:36:09 | |
This is such a delicate process. | 0:36:09 | 0:36:10 | |
Crane operator, Perry, has to be pit side. | 0:36:10 | 0:36:14 | |
Any sudden problem | 0:36:14 | 0:36:15 | |
and Perry can stop the rescue from the remote box that he's carrying. | 0:36:15 | 0:36:19 | |
Perry, when you come up, don't go too high, | 0:36:22 | 0:36:27 | |
just swing her out as far as you can go. | 0:36:27 | 0:36:29 | |
At last, Annie's back can be seen as she's lifted clear of the pit. | 0:36:29 | 0:36:34 | |
That was the worst bit for me | 0:36:35 | 0:36:37 | |
because I actually thought she'd gone. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:39 | |
I just thought I'd lost her, I just thought that was the end of her. | 0:36:39 | 0:36:43 | |
One of her legs could be badly injured. | 0:36:46 | 0:36:48 | |
The horse rug has become wrapped around a hind leg. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
Depending on how tight that rug is, it may have | 0:36:53 | 0:36:56 | |
limited the blood supply to the rest of the limb. | 0:36:56 | 0:36:58 | |
She could have a skin injury. | 0:36:58 | 0:37:00 | |
The skin could then possibly slough off or, you know, even worse, | 0:37:00 | 0:37:04 | |
there'd be damage to the actual internal structures of the foot. | 0:37:04 | 0:37:08 | |
She looked like she was dead. | 0:37:09 | 0:37:11 | |
Her mouth was open. | 0:37:11 | 0:37:12 | |
There was muck dripping off her. Her legs were just hanging. | 0:37:12 | 0:37:15 | |
Perry, go over that way a bit. I can't go any further. | 0:37:15 | 0:37:19 | |
The horse is heavily sedated and can't stand on her own. | 0:37:19 | 0:37:22 | |
They need to guide her legs to one side as they lower her. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:25 | |
Despite the drugs, there is a chance Annie will suddenly recover. | 0:37:30 | 0:37:34 | |
They can't risk her going anywhere near the pit again. | 0:37:34 | 0:37:38 | |
Everyone ready? Go! | 0:37:38 | 0:37:40 | |
It takes the strength of 14 firefighters to move the half ton horse. | 0:37:40 | 0:37:44 | |
-Keep going. I want her right out the way of them stumps. -That's it guys. | 0:37:44 | 0:37:49 | |
Good. Head sheet. | 0:37:49 | 0:37:52 | |
Now, at last, vet Suzanne can check Annie over. | 0:37:53 | 0:37:57 | |
I couldn't feel any breaks. Luckily there didn't seem to be that many superficial wounds either. | 0:37:59 | 0:38:03 | |
Come on, girl. | 0:38:03 | 0:38:05 | |
We had her on oxygen just because again we weren't sure | 0:38:05 | 0:38:08 | |
if she was going to have been limited to the oxygen | 0:38:08 | 0:38:10 | |
with the gases from the sewage. | 0:38:10 | 0:38:12 | |
It's doing what it would do. It needs to roll over... | 0:38:12 | 0:38:17 | |
which might stimulate it enough to get it up. | 0:38:17 | 0:38:20 | |
It's been on that side now for hours. | 0:38:20 | 0:38:23 | |
It's rather like watching a film laying on the settee. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:26 | |
You sit for hours watching the film | 0:38:26 | 0:38:28 | |
and then when you go to get up, the side you've laid on is dead. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:31 | |
The blood circulation has not worked as well | 0:38:31 | 0:38:34 | |
and so you've got a dead leg. | 0:38:34 | 0:38:35 | |
Well that horse had the same feeling on one side. | 0:38:35 | 0:38:38 | |
Both its lower limbs where effectively dead legs. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:42 | |
So we have got a technique where you roll the horse over | 0:38:42 | 0:38:45 | |
onto its good side. | 0:38:45 | 0:38:46 | |
That releases all the pressure on its inner organs | 0:38:46 | 0:38:49 | |
but also stimulates the blood flow in the body. | 0:38:49 | 0:38:52 | |
And that normally powers the horse up. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:54 | |
That's it. Bring it right over the chest there. | 0:38:54 | 0:38:57 | |
All you do... | 0:38:57 | 0:38:58 | |
-Get two or three on each line. -Ready, one, two, three, pull. | 0:38:59 | 0:39:03 | |
Keep walking, keep walking, keep walking. Well done. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:09 | |
I was told that she had been very heavily sedated and would probably take a good | 0:39:11 | 0:39:15 | |
40 minutes before she actually stood on her legs. | 0:39:15 | 0:39:18 | |
It's when she stood on her legs would be the moment that they | 0:39:18 | 0:39:20 | |
would know whether she had done any damage to them. | 0:39:20 | 0:39:23 | |
They won't know until she gets up if she has suffered serious injury. | 0:39:23 | 0:39:28 | |
They put straw bales around her to support her. | 0:39:28 | 0:39:30 | |
All they can do now is wait and hope. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:36 | |
So, did Annie manage to get back on her feet? | 0:39:39 | 0:39:41 | |
It took some time but she did finally stand, much to the relief of Jo, | 0:39:41 | 0:39:45 | |
her owner, and all the rescue team. | 0:39:45 | 0:39:47 | |
Four months on, you would hardly recognise her. | 0:39:47 | 0:39:50 | |
This is the same horse. | 0:39:50 | 0:39:52 | |
However, she did need specialist treatment | 0:39:52 | 0:39:54 | |
and three nights in an equine hospital to treat her injuries. | 0:39:54 | 0:39:59 | |
They were mainly concerned about her eye. | 0:39:59 | 0:40:01 | |
But they said she hadn't lost her eye and her sight was fine. | 0:40:01 | 0:40:04 | |
The cleaned it all up. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:06 | |
Gave her two nice hot warm baths because she absolutely stunk. | 0:40:06 | 0:40:09 | |
And they allowed her home on the Monday afternoon | 0:40:09 | 0:40:12 | |
with medication and a vet to call out for the next three weeks. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:15 | |
Back out in the field with her friends and, yeah, | 0:40:15 | 0:40:18 | |
you would ever know it had happened. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:19 | |
Well, sadly for us, we weren't able to bring Annie the horse in here | 0:40:19 | 0:40:22 | |
but we've got the next best thing, Buster Brown here... | 0:40:22 | 0:40:25 | |
Well done, Buster. ..who was instrumental in the rescue. | 0:40:25 | 0:40:27 | |
-Thank you. -I noticed, very, very quickly, when I was watching that film, | 0:40:27 | 0:40:32 | |
that you weren't in the cesspit. Why is that? | 0:40:32 | 0:40:34 | |
Well, when you put people in that sort of mess, | 0:40:34 | 0:40:36 | |
you don't go in there yourself, do you? | 0:40:36 | 0:40:39 | |
That's why I've got my pips. I know when to stand back. | 0:40:39 | 0:40:41 | |
Yes, I understand that. I have to say, watching that, | 0:40:41 | 0:40:44 | |
I could almost smell it. Was it bad? | 0:40:44 | 0:40:46 | |
It was particularly bad. | 0:40:46 | 0:40:48 | |
A cesspit is full of human waste. | 0:40:48 | 0:40:51 | |
Not too much detail. | 0:40:51 | 0:40:53 | |
And the aroma was very, very strong. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:56 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:40:56 | 0:40:58 | |
How long did it take for those two boys to get themselves clean and free of that smell? | 0:40:58 | 0:41:02 | |
I imagine they smelt it the following morning in the nostrils. | 0:41:02 | 0:41:05 | |
-You didn't get them a lift home, I bet. -I didn't! Oh, I actually gave one a lift, yeah! | 0:41:05 | 0:41:09 | |
-Did you? -Yes, I did. | 0:41:09 | 0:41:10 | |
But he had had a shower before he got in the truck. | 0:41:10 | 0:41:13 | |
I bet he did! | 0:41:13 | 0:41:14 | |
-Well, well done, you. -Thank you. | 0:41:14 | 0:41:16 | |
What I notice, obviously you had to sedate the horse | 0:41:16 | 0:41:18 | |
because it would have panicked in the cesspit. | 0:41:18 | 0:41:21 | |
But you didn't have all the right equipment there to do that job. | 0:41:21 | 0:41:24 | |
You had to make it up. Tell me what you did. You brought this. | 0:41:24 | 0:41:27 | |
That is correct. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:28 | |
The trouble was the horse was in an environment that was dangerous for us to enter | 0:41:28 | 0:41:32 | |
and the animal needed to be sedated. | 0:41:32 | 0:41:34 | |
It was a joint rescue using West Sussex Fire Brigade | 0:41:34 | 0:41:38 | |
and Hampshire Fire And Rescue Service. | 0:41:38 | 0:41:40 | |
So, what we'd made up on three of these poles together was a syringe | 0:41:40 | 0:41:44 | |
-taped to the end. -Yeah? | 0:41:44 | 0:41:46 | |
The vet was able to jab the horse with one | 0:41:46 | 0:41:49 | |
and then I was able to push this one down and push the plunger in. | 0:41:49 | 0:41:55 | |
-Fantastic. -It's not a professional way of doing it. A very sensible... | 0:41:55 | 0:42:00 | |
So jab sticks are commercially available but they don't | 0:42:00 | 0:42:03 | |
serve our purpose in an emergency environment | 0:42:03 | 0:42:06 | |
so Hampshire Fire And Rescue Service and an engineer | 0:42:06 | 0:42:10 | |
are designing this | 0:42:10 | 0:42:13 | |
and this is going to be a purpose-built syringe for jabbing horses. | 0:42:13 | 0:42:17 | |
-Brilliant. -And the idea is that it's got compressed air in there. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:20 | |
When it hits the animal it plunges like that. | 0:42:20 | 0:42:24 | |
That lever opens up. Compressed air will then push the piston | 0:42:24 | 0:42:28 | |
-and push the syringe to administer the sedation. -Good bit of kit. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:31 | |
-Have you seen the horse? -I have, yes. | 0:42:31 | 0:42:33 | |
I saw it a few days later as well and it was looking very, very good. | 0:42:33 | 0:42:36 | |
-Very clean. -Brilliant. Well done. And clean? -She was not injured. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:39 | |
-She was fine after everything. -She had a head injury. | 0:42:39 | 0:42:41 | |
-But other than that she was fine. -Good. -Lovely to see you, Buster. | 0:42:41 | 0:42:44 | |
-Thank you. -Well done, Buster. He smells all right, doesn't he? | 0:42:44 | 0:42:48 | |
-He always does. That's it from Real Rescues. We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. -Bye. | 0:42:48 | 0:42:52 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:42:58 | 0:43:01 |