Coastguard: Every Second Counts — Season 1

In episode one, in Liverpool on the River Mersey, a crewman tragically passes away while attempting to board a tugboat while jumping off a jetty. The MCA's Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team look into the incident to investigate how something like this could have happened. The investigator heads back to the scene of the incident and gathers as much evidence and intelligence as possible before taking it to a jury. If prosecuted the owners of the tugboat could face a massive fine or even a prison sentence.Over in the North Sea, a mayday call is picked up from a fishing trawler in serious trouble. The crew at Sumburgh Search and Rescue head over to the location to find the vessel has sunken and the sister boat is trying to rescue the floating fisherman in treacherous weather. In one of the most dramatic incidents in recent memory, it's a race against time to rescue the helpless crew as they battle the rising swells and powerful gale force winds.At the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Fareham, a mayday call from an elderly walker as he's ended up stuck in the mud. This quickly turns into a risky life-threatening operation involving the Coastguard Rescue Teams and a Search and Rescue Helicopter. Fighting time and the deteriorating cold weather, the anxiety builds to see if the teams can find, access and extract the casualty, before it's too late.Meanwhile, the Fixed Wing Plane is out monitoring the sea from above when they come across crew members on a fishing trawler not wearing life jackets. This is fed back to HQ and an inspection of the vessel takes place to check all is well on board and to inform the crew of the flight's findings.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Regulatory Compliance Investigations Team look into an incident on the Isles of Scilly, where passengers on a speedboat were lucky to escape with their lives intact. The investigating team must head back to the scene, to examine how an accident like this could occur and to gather evidence which leads to a prosecution.The coastguard rescue helicopter crew from Caernarfon take a call about an eight-year-old child suffering from appendicitis, on Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon. As the team arrive, they see a hoard of walkers which hinders their approach but upon making contact with the eight-year-old, the mother takes a turn for the worst, leaving the team to worry about an extra casualty.In Newquay, a coastguard rescue helicopter is tasked with rescuing a French yacht in serious trouble in the English Channel. Eight people are on board the yacht, which is being battered by Storm Claudio. The helicopter crew not only have to navigate around the ferocious weather but try to somehow land a winch paramedic on the vessel and extract eight people before the yacht is completely engulfed by the waves.In the Scottish Mountains, the coastguard rescue helicopter team from Inverness search for a walker who has taken a nasty fall. As they approach the rocky mountains, they see the casualty but also his dog, which comes as a surprise. In an emotional extraction the casualty has to be separated from his dog to ensure all can be rescued safely.

In Wales, the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Caernarfon is tasked with helping a kite surfer in trouble at sea. As time ticks away, the risk to the surfer's well-being increases, so the crew quickly prepare for the worst as they have no idea what they'll find when they arrive on scene.On the Port of Tyne, the Survey and Inspection team head onto a Singaporean bulk carrier that has been in port for 17 days. The vessel is carrying high-risk cargo and if a major fault is found during the inspection the vessel could be detained.A 999 call comes in from an individual who has been caught out by the incoming tide after going for a swim and is alone among hazardous rocks. The Newquay Coastguard Helicopter takes on an intricate and challenging rescue.The fixed wing airplane goes on a counter pollution-tasked flight over British waters. The team fly over an area with a peculiar sheen, which you'd normally find on a fuel station floor. The data is quickly sent back to HQ, where the counter pollution team get to the bottom of these findings.The Newquay Coastguard Rescue Helicopter crew receive a call that a climber is injured along the face of nearby sea cliffs. An awkward and challenging rescue lies ahead as the area is a popular climbing destination, so an extraction is not going to be easy.In Fareham, at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, a fishing vessel triggers a distress signal, raising concern for the crew's welfare. With no time to dwell, and being unable to make contact with the vessel, the team organise lifeboats and nearby trawlers to help before it's too late.

Off the coast of Devon, a couple are in serious danger as ferocious waves sweep their yacht onto rocks, causing severe damage to the vessel and putting their lives in jeopardy.In international waters, British sailors have sustained serious injuries while involved in a race across the Atlantic Ocean. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre receives the mayday but, with the vessel being in such a remote part of the world, the rescue has its own challenges.The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Caernarfon is midway through a training flight when it receives a call about an injured person trapped in a ravine. The team fly to the dramatic setting, to find out that an extraction will be more complex than was first thought.Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyors are on the River Tyne in Newcastle as a passenger ferry is due an inspection. The ferry is thoroughly looked over as the evacuation and fire drill exercises take prominence. If the crew fail the exercises, the MCA won't allow them to carry passengers and operate their ferry service.A lady has taken a nasty fall off a beach wall in the North East of England. Paramedics are on scene but the Coastguard Rescue Team on the ground must help guide the casualty and the Ambulance Crew to a safer place.The Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Inverness is tasked with assisting in a missing person search in and around the area of Ben Nevis. As the crew carry out the search from the air, they and the teams on the ground know that time is of the essence.

In the middle of the day, a motor-powered yacht is in serious trouble along the South Coast. Sinking fast, the two casualties on board call for help and the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Lydd is tasked and have to use all their expertise as they take part in a nail-biting rescue.A fixed-wing aircraft is flying over UK waters. During the flight, using the advanced technology on board the team observes a vessel operating in a potentially unsafe manner. The footage is sent back to teams at the MCA for review, to see if action is required.A tanker is to be re-inspected by MCA surveyors in Teesport. The vessel had failed its inspection and was detained and has been docked for 15 days. If the surveyors don't see any previous deficiencies rectified or improvement made, the tanker will not be released.The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Fareham receive a 999 call from a passer-by who can hear someone in distress under Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth. The Maritime Operations Officer has to keep the caller calm and retrieve as much info as they can, while other team members send various assets to the scene.In Prestwick, Scotland, the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter is tasked to a cardiac arrest in the Lake District, but during the flight they are stood down. As the weather worsens, with severe lightning, heavy rain and poor visibility, the crew are sent to another incident. The severe weather makes the mission even more challenging.

Off the Mull of Kintyre, an around-the-UK rowing boat challenge goes disastrously wrong as horrendous weather puts five rowers' lives in jeopardy. The Search and Rescue Helicopter crew at Prestwick are tasked with locating and saving the stranded and isolated rowers despite pitch black visibility, as the boat edges closer to an area of treacherous rocks.Over on the west coast of Wales, MCA surveyors make an unannounced visit to a harbour. Two vessels that have been previously inspected are assessed again to check that they are safe, and that deficiencies have been addressed. If not, they will be detained and not allowed to go to sea.On the south coast, a Coastguard Rescue Team is called to an incident onboard a commercial shipping vessel. A crewman is injured and in severe pain but located in an awkward part of the ship. With a suspected broken femur, and the situation becoming increasingly worse, the paramedics require the help of the Coastguard for a successful extraction.In Sussex,at the iconic Seven Sisters cliffs, a family's sightseeing holiday quickly turns into a fight for survival when they become trapped between coves as the tide comes in and the weather takes a turns for the worse. The Coastguard Helicopter from Lydd is tasked with one of the most challenging rescues possible against the chalky white cliffs.