For the first time on TV all three major emergency services in one of Britain's biggest cities have been followed by cameras - giving a comprehensive view of the work of the men and women who keep Sheffield safe.
The result is an action-packed series, full of real drama, tension and acts of true heroism, set in one of the busiest urban areas in the country.
The police, fire and ambulance services cover a busy city centre, large housing estates, industrial areas, the M1 motorway, and a wide range of incidents from house fires and road traffic collisions to drugs raids and car chases. When there are major incidents, such as a blaze in a large building or a major car crash, cameras will reveal how the services coordinate together.
In tonight's opener, police units respond to a driver out of control in Sheffield City Centre, a wounded man turns violent against the police and refuses medical assistance, and all three emergency services battle to save two builders trapped underground.
Covering 142 square miles and as the sixth biggest city in the UK, Sheffield has over 1,000 police officers, 200 ambulance staff and nearly 300 fire fighters working round the clock, 365 days a year.
While each of the emergency services has a specific role to play, they regularly come into contact with one another while patrolling the streets. Occasionally, a call requires all three services to team up, often when lives are at risk.
When two builders fall down a 40ft deep and 8ft wide well shaft in a derelict school in Hillsborough, fire, ambulance and police rush to the scene to help rescue the men. The men were working on developing the old school into flats when part of the floor collapsed beneath them.
The two men - Andy Topham and Darren Cousins - are badly injured and have been in freezing cold water for over two hours. They run the risk of developing hypothermia which could cause them to lose consciousness and drown. The temperature is just 4° Celsius. For all services, acting quickly and safely is of the utmost importance.
Ambulance crew member Dale Wragg is first on the scene. He tells the programme that medics would normally use spinal boards to support the injured men, but they won't fit down the narrow shaft.
"We've got two casualties trapped down a well," says Wragg. "They're about 40ft down. The body temperatures will be very cold because they are treading water at present. They are talking to us; they are conscious however they've both got head injuries. We're working as fast as we can to get them out of the well but obviously it's a dangerous environment."
Fire officer Gary Willoughby is winched down into the shaft to begin the rescue with Dale on standby to treat the injured men as soon as they are out of the well shaft.
Out on the streets of Sheffield, cameras capture a terrifying high speed pursuit. PC Marcus Wootton and PC Phil Holmes are on patrol at a road accident just outside the city centre when they are asked to respond to a priority call.
An unmarked CID car has been tailing a stolen vehicle with two people on board. The police officers are enlisted to help CID stop the car and soon end up pursuing the vehicle, which is dangerously running red lights and overtaking at 60mph in a 30mph zone to evade capture.
After an exhausting and highly dangerous chase - ending in the capture of the driver and passenger, PC Holmes says: "For us it's just one element of policing. I would be lying if I said it didn't get the adrenaline going somewhat. And yes, it's always enjoyable when you get one, it ends safely, nobody gets hurt and we get the bad guys. It's a good result."
Like all major cities, Sheffield suffers from drug-related crime. To tackle the problem, South Yorkshire police set up Operation Scimitar in October 2007.
In the programme DS Chapman and the undercover team plan a raid on two flats where they believe drugs are being sold. Early morning, they hope to catch the suspected dealer at home and off guard.
Finally, south-east of Sheffield City centre, we meet fire fighters from Mansfield Road fire station, one of the busiest in the city with 52 fire fighters across four watches. Last year they had nearly 2,000 call outs.
White Watch has just returned from a call before midnight. It's not long before another call comes in: a flat is on fire in the south of the city and they don't know if anyone is trapped inside. The fire fighters assign the situation an "Oscar offensive", which means they attack the fire by entering the danger zone in case people are trapped inside.
She was on the one when that 10 year old boy got knocked over.
If you are wondering, yes she did have love-bites and in real life she's wayyyy____ pretty. love from 9 year old Ragan xx
February 11th - 2:18pmhelen ullyatt said...
i have missed this program as i have been ill in hospital and it doesnt appear to be on catch up tv on the itv website. is there any where it maybe repeated
helen
helibish@tiscali.co.uk
January 12th - 4:36pmlen williams said...
would health and safety authorities need to be informed about the men collapsing into the well?
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