0:00:02 > 0:00:08Three British workers, a bus driver, a midwife and a paramedic.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11They have all accepted the challenge to do their job
0:00:11 > 0:00:14under the some of the toughest conditions on the planet.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17That was a really, really horrible birth.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21That's one satisfied customer, he got off and he's alive.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27How you guys do this in these conditions?
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Angie Dymott is leaving her home in the Welsh valleys
0:00:34 > 0:00:38and her job as a Cardiff paramedic to work in Guatemala city,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41one of the most violent cities on earth,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44where gang killings run out of control.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47As far as I know at the moment, we're going to a shooting.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Angie will be working in a team of dedicated paramedics
0:00:52 > 0:00:57who risk their lives to deal with killings on a daily basis.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01You have to wear the bulletproof vest.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Working in the chaos and the carnage of a city dominated
0:01:05 > 0:01:10by violent drug gangs will test Angie's skills to the limit.
0:01:19 > 0:01:27This programme contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Until now, the closest Angie Dymott has come to Latin America
0:01:44 > 0:01:46is her weekly Zumba fitness class in Cardiff.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Come on, then.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04Angie lives in the Welsh valleys with her husband Rob, their son Christopher and Glen the dog.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08She's been working as a paramedic in Cardiff for six years.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12When it comes down to it, we do save lives
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and we're all very, very proud of what we do.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It's a great, rewarding job.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Just dealing with people in general - the old person that's fallen on the floor,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25that needs cleaning up, that needs putting back into bed,
0:02:25 > 0:02:30that needs a cup of tea making or just some kind words.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33That's on one end and then to the other end,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38where it's the person that needs to be taken as quickly as possible to the nearest A&E.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43It's Friday, the busiest night on Angie's beat in central Cardiff.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Angie's highly trained in emergency medicine and drives a state-of-the-art ambulance.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53OK, welcome to my office.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58This is my domain for four days a week, all right.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03We've got cupboards for everything. Everything has a space, all our airways, our oxygen masks,
0:03:03 > 0:03:08our music for the back, very important.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Our suction kit.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15When needed. Oh.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Vomit bowls.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22So you always make sure on a Friday and Saturday night you have a good stack of vomit bowls.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25If you have nothing else, you need those.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Our cat flaps.
0:03:26 > 0:03:33They're bins. This is our Zol. We can do 12-lead ECGs, 3-lead ECGs...
0:03:33 > 0:03:35OK. Look at that.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38We don't tolerate aggressive, violent and threatening behaviour.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40We don't tolerate it in Welsh either.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Look at this, right, this is the best bit, OK?
0:03:43 > 0:03:48When you open this door... the steps just fall out.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49How good is that?
0:03:51 > 0:03:57It's 9pm and Angie and her colleague Gus receive their first emergency call.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03How old is he?
0:04:03 > 0:04:06All right, Kyle, have you actually been sick, darling?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10I'm shaking and my whole, my adrenaline is shaking.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15- Kyle, calm down. What are you afraid of?- I'm dying, I'm dying.
0:04:15 > 0:04:16I can't, I can't...
0:04:16 > 0:04:18No, Kyle, listen. Kyle, you're panicking now.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- I can't feel like this, no... - Come on, Nick, steady now.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28What we have here is an 18-year-old who has had lots and lots and lots to drink,
0:04:28 > 0:04:33which is very, very normal for us here,
0:04:33 > 0:04:38and ending up in the back of an ambulance, which really is not the way it should be,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42using up an ambulance, using up an A&E bed, just for alcohol,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44so, I suppose, frustrating in that way.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I'm just going to park behind the police here
0:04:50 > 0:04:52and there's a man waving to me in the window.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Angie's second call and the paramedics and police
0:04:55 > 0:04:59have been sent to a house where a young man has been assaulted.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02OK, lovely, that's all right.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Show them the bruises on your back.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09While Gus deals with the boy's injuries, Angie looks after his mum.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Is he your only son?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- He's your only one.- My baby. - Your baby or your only one?
0:05:14 > 0:05:17No, I got two girls.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- You got two girls, have you? - Two girls.- But he's your youngest.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23All right. You never stop worrying about them, do you?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Usually I work with a female member of staff
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and together they call us the Mumbulance,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33because we like to sort of, you know, mother people
0:05:33 > 0:05:39and I give them the sympathy that they need and the sympathy they deserve.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Breathe slowly. OK.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47You don't want my Barry Manilow International Fan Club pen.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50It really is a Barry Manilow.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55Barry Manilow International Fan Club. My special pen and I'm proud.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59OK.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02# Her name was Lola
0:06:02 > 0:06:04# She was a showgirl
0:06:04 > 0:06:06# With yellow feathers in her hair
0:06:06 > 0:06:08# And a dress cut down to there... #
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Hello?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12After a series of drink-related incidents,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16patient transfers and minor injury call-outs,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Angie and Gus's Friday night shift ends.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Tonight, we've had a variety of jobs,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27some better than others.
0:06:27 > 0:06:35I think every paramedic looks for what's called a real job,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38or a job that's interesting, a job that's exciting,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41a job where you can use your skills and use what you've been trained for.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Angie is about to get what she wants.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49She's leaving her family and village life to work in Guatemala City,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52one of the most violent places in the world.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57To help prepare for her trip, the paramedics in Guatemala
0:06:57 > 0:07:00have sent her some essential Spanish phrases to learn.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03It's a taste of what may be to come.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'Are there criminals still in the area?'
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Oh. Hey. 'Did they have weapons?'
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Good God, it gets worse.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Now they got weapons.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Ellos tenian armas?
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Ages...dimea...armis?!
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- OK...- So they're talking about guns and weapons.- Yeah.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Have you seen a gunshot?
0:07:23 > 0:07:25No, I haven't.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- I think you'd better get your books out.- I think I better had.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Angie's rarely sees violent crime in Cardiff,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36so Guatemala is likely to test her training to the limit.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38I know that I'm a competent paramedic.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I wouldn't be working as one if I wasn't.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45But will I be a competent paramedic in Guatemala?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48That is a fear, that is a fear.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Definitely.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56It's 5,000 miles from the Welsh valleys to Central America
0:07:56 > 0:08:00where Angie is about to find out if she's got what it takes.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Guatemala is a small country of just 14 million people
0:08:07 > 0:08:10but it has a violent history.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15A long civil war ended in the mid-90s but left the country devastated.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Now there's a new war on the streets as violent gangs,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23called Maras, terrorise the city.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26A weak and corrupt police force does little to combat them.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29The stability of Guatemala is also threatened by
0:08:29 > 0:08:31powerful Mexican drug cartels,
0:08:31 > 0:08:36who transit billions of dollars of cocaine through the country.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Robbery, murder and gang killings are on the rise.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And picking up the pieces are the nation's bomberos,
0:08:42 > 0:08:49combined firemen and paramedics, who witness violent death every day.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03For the next two weeks, Angie will join a paramedic team working the very toughest beat.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08Looks like it'll be an interesting place to get out and have a look
0:09:08 > 0:09:14but we've been told that it's not that safe a place to wander round, even day time.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23It looks just like a normal market street to me at the moment.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27There's little kiddies running about.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30It's hard to believe, really, that it is that dangerous.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Bomberos fire station number ten, Guatemala City,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45is sandwiched between two funeral parlours.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Angie's guide will be local bombero Luis Archila,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53or Archie, to his friends.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- Hello.- Hello.- How are you?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I'm well, thank you.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So the taxi brought me straight to the door.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Why could I not get out on my way here?
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It's a red zone around here.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14A red zone, OK, which means...
0:10:14 > 0:10:17So you may be...
0:10:17 > 0:10:23robbed or killed or kidnapped if you're not wearing a uniform.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27I personally don't walk around here.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32You have your... I don't know if we spell it right.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Oh, wow.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Oh, thank you. - And this is just for precaution.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- OK.- You will have to wear the bulletproof vest.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48And are we likely to see shootings and stabbings tonight?
0:10:48 > 0:10:50- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52That's quite normal, is it?
0:10:52 > 0:10:59How many, on average, would you say a week, are there shootings in Guatemala?
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I will say, in the whole country,
0:11:03 > 0:11:08probably, like, 15 to 20 persons per day.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- Per day.- Per day.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13It rises a little bit more in the weekend,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16but the average, it's like that.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20So I think today is going to be busy.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25So let's prepare and let's rock and roll.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27OK, let's rock and roll.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31I think she was not prepared for all this...
0:11:31 > 0:11:35crime and bullets and knives and blood.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I know I am in quite a volatile, dangerous place,
0:11:39 > 0:11:46but hopefully, I'll just be able to focus on what I'm doing and not let my surroundings
0:11:46 > 0:11:52worry me too much or hinder me with what I'm doing.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59So it's going to be a little bit shocking,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02but I think she has been trained for that
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and she shall be able to go through that, so that's my impression as of now.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19The first call-out and it's to one of the most dangerous parts of town.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25We're in the right area, as far as we know,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28but I think nobody knows what the incident is.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34This is the patient.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45The man has a deep knife wound.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53But as Angie starts to treat him Archie tells her to get the patient
0:12:53 > 0:12:55off the street and into the ambulance straight away.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- So he was, he was drunk.- Yeah.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10And he had a fight.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13The knife was going to the chest.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15OK. He put his arm up instead. OK.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Yeah, if you put some on there.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21No worries, no worries.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39He's saying that he's going to fold it, shoot.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43- The guy that did what.- Oh, OK.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45He's really pissed off with him.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- I can imagine. - With the guy that did that.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- What's that?- He's going to fight with the guy that did this to him so.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55OK.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01In the first case, she just helped me there where I get there,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and she was good, doing the right thing.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Good work. It's the kind of work that you say, "OK, let's do another one".
0:14:08 > 0:14:10So, I love it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17But Angie is concerned about how the patient was treated.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22Usually we would have transported to the ambulance
0:14:22 > 0:14:24and done all the blood pressure
0:14:24 > 0:14:29and all the observations before any intervention.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30I went by your instructions.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Why did we do it differently then?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36We were in a really, really dangerous area.
0:14:36 > 0:14:43There's a lot of gangs around there, so that's why it's like what we call pack and leave.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44- OK.- We're leaving.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54But there's no time to discuss patient care as calls come thick and fast.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Another call, again to the red zone.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06As far as I know at the moment,
0:15:06 > 0:15:13we're going to a shooting in zone 12, which is apparently a red zone.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19OK. We have arrived.
0:15:28 > 0:15:34- What...- Angie and the team are the first paramedics on the scene but it looks like they are too late.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40- Can you feel it? - No, it's brain here.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45- I have the bullet there. - OK.- It's in the face. - So what do we do now?
0:15:45 > 0:15:46There's nothing we can do.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48So do we leave the casualty here?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50We have to cover him. He has another...
0:15:50 > 0:15:52So he's been shot several times then.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- Yeah.- OK.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01- So they're going to bring their blankets so we can cover him. - And then we...
0:16:01 > 0:16:06- We have to wait till the Colonel get here.- OK. All right.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11- Careful, there's...- OK. - All the bullets are there.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26- Have you seen that before? - No. Never.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30- So your first time is there?- Yeah.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Difficult.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- And every person reacts different. - Yeah.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40I remember my first person that I picked that was killed.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I didn't sleep the whole night.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Just on playing on your mind all the time. Yes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- You see he has more than seven shots. - Yeah.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So somebody really wants to kill him.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Thank you.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09As per the police, the guy was in a bus going,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13two cars stopped the bus, the guys climbed into the bus,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17pulled him out and execute him in the street.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Oh. He's so young.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Yeah, looks like he's young.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- There was loads of witnesses there, though.- Yeah.- And what...
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It's an open street. Nobody can do anything, just run everywhere.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33- Yeah.- And make sure you don't get shot too.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- And you can see that we are in a gang area.- Right.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Because you see all the graffitis. - OK.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55We don't know what this guy has done, but even so,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59to hunt him down and shoot him in the street in front of people,
0:17:59 > 0:18:05and then drive off, just seems that, you know, life has no value.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Its highly unlikely the killers will be ever arrested.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17As many as 97% of murders here go unpunished.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20The police and government are accused of widespread corruption.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Recently, a leading international monitoring organisation
0:18:27 > 0:18:30described the country as "a paradise for criminals".
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It's 4am and Angie's shift with the bomberos has ended.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38She's staying with her host.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Archie is a volunteer paramedic, one of 20,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47who give up their weekends to work alongside the permanent paid staff.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53He's from a wealthy family and works as a sales manager by day.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Unlike most Guatemalans, he can afford to live in a heavily-guarded compound.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Buenos noches, gracias.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09So this is, like, three guards are sleeping there.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13That's what we have and then we have a second gate.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And is it necessary to have all this security around here?
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Just to give you a little example, last week, my parents-in-law,
0:19:30 > 0:19:35they were driving with my two sons, and they almost get robbed.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39They point the gun to my mother-in-law,
0:19:39 > 0:19:44and they showed the gun to my kid and my kid started screaming,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46so to avoid that, that's why we live...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Live in a... Right.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51And is it more expensive to live in an area like this?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Yeah.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- But it's safer.- It's safer.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Absolutely. OK.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08This is a lovely home that I'm staying in.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Just sad, really, that it's behind so many security gates
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and high walls, but if you want your children to be safe,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19I suppose that's what you have to do.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23But this, look, this beautiful little boy,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26beautiful, was traumatised by having a gun...
0:20:26 > 0:20:30No child should have to see that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32How cute is he? My notes,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35that's "welcome" in
0:20:35 > 0:20:38three-year-old Guatemalan.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Maho, Archie's wife, is getting the family ready to go to church.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48They're committed Christians and this is an important part of their week.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- I'm Maho.- Maho, nice to meet you.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- Have you with us.- Oh, thank you. Thank you for letting me stay.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Of course, of course, no thank you for joining us.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02As the violence in Guatemala increases,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06there has been a massive rise in the popularity of evangelical churches.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12This is one of the biggest in the world.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Angie hasn't been to church for years.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31CONGREGATION SING
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I didn't think that this place would affect me the way it did,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17to see everybody together, all there for the same reason,
0:22:17 > 0:22:22and then comparing it to less than 24 hours ago, what we saw were
0:22:22 > 0:22:24being gunned down, young people in the street.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27I can certainly see why Archie comes here,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29especially doing the job he does.
0:22:29 > 0:22:36I could see that I would come here regularly if I worked as a bombero full time in Guatemala.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43It's Angie's second evening shift with the bomberos.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50News comes in of a multiple shooting in the city centre.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Angie's team have been called in to help.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Right we're going to the hospital now...
0:22:59 > 0:23:04..to help another ambulance take off three injured people.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07They've been involved in a shooting, right? Yeah.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18At the hospital they encounter the victims of a bloodbath.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Two men are dead and three more are injured.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27One survivor has been shot in the face,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31another has multiple wounds to the leg.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Angie is treating a man with a bullet lodged in his arm.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But this isn't just another gangland hit.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12They were all university students.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16They weren't involved in any drugs or gangs
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and their lives have just been completely changed.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I mean, lives have been lost.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30It's not a good place out there on the streets of Guatemala City.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Not a good place at all.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35There's a lot of hate, violence and life is cheap.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49The next casualty for tonight's shift is not quite so dramatic.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53This is quite a relief, actually,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57to have somebody wandering in that's not covered in blood...
0:25:00 > 0:25:02..cos it has been full on for two hours.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04In the middle of the shift,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07there's time for some food and to learn the bomberos' rituals.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10So before eating we do two things.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13- OK.- First, we pray.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16And the newest is the one that is going to pray.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18So the pray is for you.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20For me. OK.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Say Grace.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25All right.
0:25:25 > 0:25:31Thank you for this wonderful food that has been put before us
0:25:31 > 0:25:36by some very kind people and can I also say thank you
0:25:36 > 0:25:42for this opportunity and for everyone being so welcome.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Um... Let's all enjoy our food.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Amen.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50And next, somebody has to wash the dishes.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Ah, so you do.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Everybody has to pick one and the smallest card is going to...
0:25:56 > 0:25:58The lowest one does the dishes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Does the dishes.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20So obviously gang culture is huge here.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25Now it's, like, 200 or 300% more than five years ago,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27so it's really bad.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29So what can be done about it, though?
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Is anything being done? Or is there nothing that can be done?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Nothing much, put them all inside jails.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40And the thing is, we don't have enough jails to keep all of them in.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44A good solution is what they're doing in Honduras and in El Salvador.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47They're putting them together and they're killing each other.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52And it's my personal opinion that's what they have to do, put them together in the jail and let them...
0:26:52 > 0:26:54And let them fight it out.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58They get all of their funding from extortions.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02- Like, these kids that we just saw in the hospital...- Yeah.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07They probably weren't extortions, but they were like an initiation,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11so in the initiation, also in the gangs, they say,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14"OK, you want to be in the gang,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16"go and kill somebody?".
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- And it just happened to be those five.- Unfortunately they were.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24They have no conscience, though, or no value of life.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Nothing. And it's...
0:27:27 > 0:27:28awful.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33At 3:00am, Angie's second shift ends.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42She wakes in the security of Archie's fortified house.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Today Archie's wife, Maho,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47wants to take her out of the compound to go shopping.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52In Guatemala, this is not as simple as it sounds.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Now we're going to town.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56You have to be very precautious.
0:27:56 > 0:27:57Take all your jewellery off.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- Oh, right.- Your earrings, yeah, or something that is valuable.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- This, maybe? - Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It is, like, different for you but...
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Very different, very different.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11I never have to take my jewellery off to go shopping. That's for sure.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14I didn't bring my purse.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I just have the cash with me and...
0:28:17 > 0:28:18- OK.- And nothing else. Yeah.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- All right. - So don't bring attention to us.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Things here that...
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- you have to be thinking all the time, it seems.- Yeah, yeah.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29But it is like part of your routine.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32It's like getting dressed or getting showered.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It's like you're thinking all the time.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Yeah.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And was it the same as you when you were young as well?
0:28:39 > 0:28:43No, no. There was like delinquency and everything
0:28:43 > 0:28:45but now they kill you for your cell phone.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48It is ridiculous, right?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50- Yeah.- A life for a cell phone.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53But now, these days, it's what we live with.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Maho is shopping for her son's first birthday party.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04- Ready? Which way? Face down?- Face up.- Face up?
0:29:04 > 0:29:07- Yeah.- OK. - That's the advice from the experts.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09Ha-ha, there we are.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- Pinata experts.- Yeah.- Wow!
0:29:12 > 0:29:14Muchas gracias. Gracias.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16- It looks great in there! - Yeah, I know.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Bye.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Even at the party it's hard to escape the violence.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Angie, we're in the newspaper.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Nuestro Diario is Guatemala's biggest selling newspaper.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- We're in the newspaper? - What a picture.- Yeah.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44It's known locally as Muerto Diario, or the daily death.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48Oh, that was, er... pretty violent last night.
0:29:48 > 0:29:49Yeah, it was.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51It was really violent.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56If I was living in Guatemala City
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I just don't think I'd want to live here any more.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03I think I'd just want to go. I'd just want to go somewhere safer,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05especially with children.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08THEY CHATTER EXCITEDLY
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Especially with something that's getting worse,
0:30:13 > 0:30:15getting worse every day.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18That's pretty grim. Yeah. I wouldn't want to live here.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Not at all.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Not at all.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24But Angie's stay has only just begun.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28From now on she'll be leaving the gated security of Archie's house
0:30:28 > 0:30:31and living with another of the bomberos
0:30:31 > 0:30:33in a very different part of town.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42Unlike Archie, Wilfredo Ponce is a full time bombero.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Hola, Wilfredo. Si?
0:30:52 > 0:30:57The Bomberos Voluntarios rely almost totally on donations to pay for their medical kit
0:30:57 > 0:31:01and the salaries of the dedicated permanent staff like Wilfredo.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06He seems a really nice man that's very proud of his job
0:31:06 > 0:31:08and very proud of what he does.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11Very proud and honoured to be a permanent bombero.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Very knowledgeable as well.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17And said he's looking forward to learning from me.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I'm looking forward to learning from him, I think, definitely.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25But aside from checking the kit there are other important jobs for Angie to learn.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Like making pork and rice,
0:31:28 > 0:31:29Guatemalan style.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I'm going as fast as I can.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I think this is a great way to work.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I think it really brings people together.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44It would be good if this could happen
0:31:44 > 0:31:49back on our station but just the nature of the jobs are so different.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Where I work it's quite often
0:31:51 > 0:31:55you can go all day without seeing somebody else on your shift.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58BELL RINGS
0:32:03 > 0:32:06They've been called to a road traffic accident,
0:32:06 > 0:32:08which should be more familiar territory for Angie.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20After 30 minutes of classic bombero driving they arrive at the scene.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35A 25-tonne-truck carrying tortilla flour
0:32:35 > 0:32:38has crashed through the central reservation.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Two men have been crushed underneath.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55But one very lucky 19-year-old has been pulled from the wreckage.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02We've got this guy here
0:33:02 > 0:33:06whose main injury seems to be his leg,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10and he's got quite a bad laceration to his knee
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and to his head.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15That's a pretty grand scale accident.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20I've never seen an accident like that before. And we've just got here at the tail end of it
0:33:20 > 0:33:24so you can imagine what it would have been like to be first on scene.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26That's pretty incredible.
0:33:29 > 0:33:31The emergency calls just keep coming.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53By the time they get back,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56the carefully prepared meal is stone cold.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58We're finally having pizza
0:33:58 > 0:34:02because we've attempted to eat food now for about the last four hours,
0:34:02 > 0:34:07which was the food that I helped prepare.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10It's probably is just as well that everyone's ended up with pizza.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Angie is staying with Wilfredo while they are working together.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32He lives with his family 20 miles outside the city.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35It couldn't be more different from Archie's house.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41This feels to me like the real Guatemala,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43or more like the real Guatemala.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47The community, the small shops, the people working together,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50people walking round the streets.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Where Archie lives, behind the gates, I think it's what
0:34:54 > 0:34:58unfortunately has become necessary in Guatemala
0:34:58 > 0:35:03to survive and to be safe, but not being able to live freely.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Yeah, this definitely feels to me more like
0:35:12 > 0:35:14I thought what Guatemala would.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28- Buenos dias.- Hola. Buenos dias.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Bienvenida. Como estas? Muy bien?
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Hola. Como estas?
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Ah. Hola.
0:36:09 > 0:36:10Has he got a name?
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Patito.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Do you want the parrot to kiss you?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Do I want the parrot...?
0:36:20 > 0:36:23It's been a dream of mine.
0:36:23 > 0:36:29The house is very small and very, very different to Archie's house.
0:36:29 > 0:36:35Obviously the... Well, Wilfredo said they make the best of what they've got and you can see that.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37But so small for all those people.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41They've all moved in together so I can have a room to myself.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44I'm just very touched actually that they've done that for me.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46I feel a bit like the queen,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48which is nice.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03This place is lovely. It's so relaxing.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07It's so how I imagined a little village in Guatemala to be.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Everybody knows everyone else.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13I'm sure everyone knows everyone's business here as well,
0:37:13 > 0:37:15like they do where I live at home. It's lovely.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Really nice. I feel really comfortable walking round here.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25But even here, life is not as peaceful as it seems.
0:37:25 > 0:37:32To travel the 20 miles to work every day Wilfredo catches a bus from the bus station at five in the morning.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36But this simple journey to work is fraught with peril.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39TRANSLATION: Travelling is very difficult.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43At the moment they are extorting money from the bus companies.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49And because the companies aren't paying, people are being killed every day on the buses.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51And why do they do this? Why does it happen?
0:37:51 > 0:37:53TRANSLATION: The gangs ask them for money
0:37:53 > 0:37:56and if they don't hand it over, they kill them.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Do you ever feel afraid to travel by bus?
0:37:59 > 0:38:02TRANSLATION: Yes, it's uncomfortable.
0:38:02 > 0:38:03Every time you get on the bus,
0:38:03 > 0:38:05you look around to check who is getting on.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09And you think, something's going to happen here.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16Guatemala City has been gripped by a campaign of terror on the buses.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19In the last five years more than 500 bus drivers
0:38:19 > 0:38:23and dozens of bystanders, including children, have been murdered
0:38:23 > 0:38:26as the Maras have tried to extort money from the bus companies.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31And the threat is not far away.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34TRANSLATION: Those houses you can see over there,
0:38:34 > 0:38:36that's the neighbourhood of Peronia.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42It's got a lot of gangs. It's a very dangerous place.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Here it's very quiet,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50but they used to come over and steal people's belongings.
0:38:50 > 0:38:57So is it the Maras that create the trouble that you find on the local buses here?
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Is it the Maras that do the extortion?
0:39:01 > 0:39:04TRANSLATION: That's right, they are the ones that do it.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06At first, they just extorted the buses.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10Then they started extorting households, schools and shops.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17I wasn't expecting the Maras to live that close to Wilfredo,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21and such a big presence of them as well.
0:39:21 > 0:39:26It looks such a lovely place over the green hills,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and you can see it there.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33But Wilfredo said he just wouldn't go there and it's just not a place you'd walk around.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Back in Wilfredo's house, Angie can relax and get to know more about the family.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Do you want to be a bombero when you grow up?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Good boy. It's a good job.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54What do you want to be when you are a big girl?
0:39:56 > 0:39:58A ballerina? Show me.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Oh!
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Beautiful.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12But there seems to be no peace here in Guatemala.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17By 11 o'clock, outside Wilfredo's house, the street is full of men,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20many in balaclavas. Some are armed.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25They are the guardians of the neighbourhood.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29From 11 o'clock they watch the whole neighbourhood, just in case anything happens.
0:40:29 > 0:40:35Since this system was set up, nothing serious has happened.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Quite shocking that this is what it takes
0:40:45 > 0:40:48to make sure that the village sleeps safely.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54People give up a big chunk of their time,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58when really, you should be able to be sleeping soundly in your bed.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Increasingly, ordinary Guatemalans
0:41:02 > 0:41:07are forming vigilante groups to protect themselves against the gangs.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09The police seem to have abandoned the streets.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16I am really, really, really tired now,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19so I'll say good night.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23And know that I am going to sleep soundly in this bed tonight,
0:41:23 > 0:41:27because I'm being protected by those wonderful people out there.
0:41:39 > 0:41:44It's stupid o'clock in the morning.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45About quarter to five, I think.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Wilfredo usually gets to work on the bus,
0:41:51 > 0:41:56but we've been advised that it's not safe to travel on the buses,
0:41:56 > 0:41:58so I've ordered a taxi.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02I haven't asked Wilfredo yet, but I'm going to ask him if he'll join me.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06(Will you join me in it and we can travel to work together?)
0:42:16 > 0:42:17Here's to a good shift.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27While most of the villagers start an uncertain journey on the buses,
0:42:27 > 0:42:32for once, Wilfredo avoids the risk by travelling in the back of a cab.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46After a week in Guatemala, Angie is getting used to her new job and workmates.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49She is becoming a bombero.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51Yeah!
0:42:59 > 0:43:02In the middle of another shift,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Angie and Wilfredo get their most bizarre call.
0:43:06 > 0:43:11The police want them to identify the contents of a blood-soaked bag which they have found in the street.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36But there's a reason the police are nervous.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41TRANSLATION: A few months ago, it was fashionable to find heads here.
0:43:41 > 0:43:47And arms, legs, hearts, lungs, or any bits of people's insides.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51So they thought this could be a head, or body parts.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Even for Guatemala City, this series of gruesome murders
0:44:00 > 0:44:05and decapitations represents a worrying escalation in the violence.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10It's further evidence that the city has become a target
0:44:10 > 0:44:12for the fearsome Mexican drug cartels.
0:44:14 > 0:44:19In Mexico, to the north, the state is at war with the cartels.
0:44:19 > 0:44:26It's a conflict that cost more than 30,000 lives.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Now there are fears that Guatemala could be completely overwhelmed
0:44:30 > 0:44:33by the powerful Mexican cocaine traffickers.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38But there is a glimmer of hope in this troubled country.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41The government has begun to negotiate
0:44:41 > 0:44:45with some of the gangs to try and bring the killings under control.
0:44:45 > 0:44:52The Ministry of Culture has invited Angie to visit a gang-controlled area that they claim is now safe.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57It's Peronia, the village near Wilfredo's house.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00Understandably, Angie has her doubts.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03We've been asked to visit Peronia
0:45:03 > 0:45:06by the Ministry of Culture,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09who are doing some work there.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14Well, we've been invited,
0:45:14 > 0:45:19and we've been told it's quite safe now, so...
0:45:19 > 0:45:20I don't know.
0:45:20 > 0:45:25I'm a little bit scared, but I'd be interested to go.
0:45:37 > 0:45:43So Wilfredo, if I asked you to come with me,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46would you do that? Would you come to Peronia with me?
0:45:49 > 0:45:53OK, I understand you need to think about it.
0:45:57 > 0:45:58I mean, in a way,
0:45:58 > 0:46:03although I am quite afraid to go in because of the things
0:46:03 > 0:46:07that Wilfredo said, it would be very fascinating to actually...
0:46:07 > 0:46:10speak to these gang members,
0:46:10 > 0:46:14and just to see what kind of people they are.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18And just why they do what they do,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22or how they came to do what they do.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25Um... Yeah.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Next morning, and Angie has decided to take the plunge.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38She's heading to Peronia. Wilfredo has agreed to meet her there.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42She's hoping to talk to some of the people behind the violence she has had to deal with.
0:46:42 > 0:46:48Just waiting here now for a bus to take me to Peronia.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Waiting for a guy called Gustavo,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55who's going to be my guide, I guess.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57OK?
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Hello.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- Mucho gusto. Soy Angie. - Angie. Mucho gusto.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09I have to say I'm a little bit...
0:47:09 > 0:47:11worried and concerned about today.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15How safe is it?
0:47:15 > 0:47:19TRANSLATION: We're going to Peronia.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22The government initiatives have had a big impact.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25The two gangs there managed to sign a peace agreement.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27So things are a bit calmer now.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Gustavo and his friends aren't quite your usual government representatives.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40This isn't what I expected of the Ministry of Culture at all.
0:47:40 > 0:47:45When I knew they were going to be taking me in to Peronia, I thought it was going to be quite formal.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53But it's not like that at all. They're all slightly bonkers, to be honest.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00It turns out that Gustavo and his colleagues are all ex-gang members themselves.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10We come from the street.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12We have credibility with the gangs.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15They trust us.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18This allows us to be a bridge to help them change.
0:48:20 > 0:48:26So how did you manage to get away from the street then, and do what you're doing now?
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I never left.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30I still feel part of the street.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33But the part of the street that tries to help people.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41Gustavo's approach has already got results.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45He played a key role in bringing a ceasefire between Los Metales
0:48:45 > 0:48:48and Los Caballos, gangs who, before the truce,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52were killing up to ten people a day.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58It's the only gang ceasefire to ever happen in Guatemala.
0:48:58 > 0:49:03And now Gustavo is taking Angie to meet the ex-leader
0:49:03 > 0:49:05of the notorious Metales gang.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Wilfredo and Mildred have turned up to show their support.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15So here we are, Peronia. Yeah.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Just what you were telling me about.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Glad you came.
0:49:21 > 0:49:22Glad you came.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Gracias.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35Juan Francisco Sarceno has the tattoos the Maras are famed for,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39but he has now left the gang he used to lead.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41He has found God,
0:49:41 > 0:49:46- and now he has a job. - In your past life, did you ever actually kill anybody?
0:49:49 > 0:49:54TRANSLATION: Unfortunately, it's compulsory if you follow that path.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56You have many rivalries and enemies.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02And some of them tried to kill me.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04I've been shot in the face.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06I've also been wounded here.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10You kill them, or they kill you.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21I used to extort money from the buses. Now I work on them.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23So now that you're a bus driver,
0:50:23 > 0:50:28how does that make you feel knowing that you used to extort the bus drivers here?
0:50:34 > 0:50:36I thank God.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40And also the bus owner who gave me a break.
0:50:40 > 0:50:46He opened a door to me, and showed me that there are people
0:50:46 > 0:50:51who value you, and believe in you.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58Suddenly, something is wrong.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Gustavo tells everybody to get back on the bus.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03It's time to leave.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14When we were filming with the ex-leader of the Metales gang,
0:51:14 > 0:51:18many of the young guys still in the gang were annoyed.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22They drove past, revving their engines.
0:51:24 > 0:51:29For your safety, we decided it was time to leave.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32It was a nervous few minutes,
0:51:32 > 0:51:35but the visit has been worthwhile.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39It was strange to actually put a face to the killings,
0:51:39 > 0:51:45and the violence, because they've been faceless till now.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49All we've seen is the mayhem that they've left behind.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54I didn't feel any sort of hatred towards him,
0:51:54 > 0:51:55or any...
0:51:55 > 0:51:59No, he just seemed an ordinary man,
0:51:59 > 0:52:03who now just wants to earn a living.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05It's hard to believe that
0:52:05 > 0:52:08he did the things that he did.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16Angie is clocking on for her last shift with the bomberos.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21It turns out to be one of the most shocking.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33They are racing to the scene of one of Guatemala City's regular bus shootings.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43It's an incident on a bus.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49OK.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07- Si...- A passenger has been shot twice in the chest.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09It's not clear if he is still alive.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10Yeah. Here.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15Yeah, yeah, si, si.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18Si, si, si, pulso.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24I need my kit.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35Can we have...a mask as we go?
0:53:35 > 0:53:41After two weeks with the bomberos, Angie is taking charge of the situation.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Ambu bag, Ambu bag. Er...
0:53:44 > 0:53:46Can I have it now?
0:53:51 > 0:53:52That's OK,
0:53:52 > 0:53:56that'll do. Let's just get out, shall we, and then we can...
0:53:56 > 0:53:59This man might be saved, but as Angie and the bomberos
0:53:59 > 0:54:02struggle to get him off the bus,
0:54:02 > 0:54:07- his life is ebbing away. - Si, si, oh, si.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18Connect that up for me, please?
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Connect it.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Yeah. He's a big boy.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35Can...cannula.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Gracias, gracias.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43The ambulance is tiny compared to the one that Angie is used to back home.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44Si, si.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50OK. Compresion. Gracias.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Let me check carotid.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59He had one on the bus, he hasn't got one now.
0:54:59 > 0:55:04How you guys do this in these conditions...
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Compresion.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Ooh.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Despite their best efforts, the man dies.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18That poor guy's gone.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23It's another brutal murder on Guatemala's buses.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Wilfredo, I don't know how, seeing that now, and you having to go on the buses,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32I don't know how you deal with it.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Sometimes you expect people to thank you for what you do,
0:55:35 > 0:55:37maybe the families or something.
0:55:37 > 0:55:43But the greatest gift you can have here is to wake up alive the next day.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04The short time I've been in Guatemala, especially
0:56:04 > 0:56:08in Guatemala City, I've realised it's a tough, tough place anyway,
0:56:08 > 0:56:13er, seen a lot of violence and brutality around,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15and these guys, the voluntarios, are,
0:56:15 > 0:56:20are sort of putting themselves out there in the midst of it.
0:56:23 > 0:56:27But I can kind of see why, because it is very, very exciting.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33And they love it, and they love it,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35and they're so, so good at it.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40Thank you! I feel I really belong now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45I got kind of mixed feelings about going - I would love to do some more shifts with the bomberos.
0:56:46 > 0:56:51So, mixed feelings, yes, of course I miss my family, and of course,
0:56:51 > 0:56:55but yeah, I could stay out here, I could stay out here.
0:57:03 > 0:57:08One month later, and Angie is back in Cardiff, but she hasn't forgotten the bomberos.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Since I got back from Guatemala,
0:57:10 > 0:57:16I made it my mission to do a bit of fundraising and raise some money,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19so I am in the process of organising a sponsored Zumbathon,
0:57:19 > 0:57:21or Zumba Till You Drop.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27I've persuaded a lot of my colleagues to come tonight and have a practice
0:57:27 > 0:57:31because some of them have never done Zumba before - hopefully, they'll get a taste for it,
0:57:31 > 0:57:36like I have, and we will have a good money-raising event in the near future.
0:57:41 > 0:57:46Guatemala City is a violent place and it make me appreciate
0:57:46 > 0:57:50what an easy life, compared to my colleagues out there,
0:57:50 > 0:57:56that I have here without the fear of shootings in the street,
0:57:56 > 0:58:00shootings on buses, stabbings.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02I'd love to go back out there
0:58:02 > 0:58:09and take them some equipment, things that we take for granted that I know they really need.
0:58:10 > 0:58:15It was a privilege, and I felt very proud to be part of the bomberos
0:58:15 > 0:58:17of Guatemala city - it was amazing.
0:58:20 > 0:58:26Next time, a bus driver leaves his London garage to get behind the wheel in Manila.
0:58:26 > 0:58:29- They're coming from all directions. - Everywhere.
0:58:29 > 0:58:33He has to go solo on some of the busiest roads in the world.
0:58:33 > 0:58:38I should give him 43 change but the minimum fare is seven.
0:58:38 > 0:58:43And he learns what it takes to survive in the most densely populated city on earth.
0:58:43 > 0:58:46He works 12 hours a day to live in a box.
0:58:46 > 0:58:49A man that works that hard shouldn't have to.
0:59:03 > 0:59:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:06 > 0:59:11E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk