A TV series exploring real-life incidents faced by emergency services is set to feature a Cumbrian rescue team.
Maryport Rescue will appear on Rescue 999: Seconds To Save A Life – which gives viewers an inside look at how emergency incidents are dealt with on land, sea, mountains and air through body-cam and on-the-ground footage.
The episode featuring the crew will air on September 13 at eight o’clock on Channel 5 and will follow team members during a very early morning call-out to a yacht in distress.
Operations manager Michael Messenger, who has been with the crew for 39 years, said they were first approached to carry out the filming several months ago.
He said: “We were approached via email by Channel 5 asking if we would be interested in taking part in the series and we said absolutely, it would be great.
“So they sent us up some body-cams and other stuff and we had to take them out to rescues within a short time frame, around two months or so.
“We filmed one rescue where we ended up towing a yacht that was in a bit of bother into Workington and then we sent it all back in the time frame we had available.
“Sometimes when you’re in a hurry to get to a call-out you forget things like body-cams because you think they’re not that important really, but actually we use them quite a lot now in general training and for call-outs.”
Michael said that the team have since seen the footage set to be used in the episode ahead of it being aired and are thrilled with the results.
Other rescue teams are also set to feature alongside Maryport Rescue in the episode.
Michael added: “It is really good, it’ll highlight independent lifeboats as a whole and everyone involved and it will also highlight Maryport, which needs to be highlighted, because it’s a great spot.
“But you’ve got to be passionate about this role, for me it’s a way of life because I’ve been here so long, you have to want to do this sort of thing.
“It’s not something you can do half-hearted, you’ve got to give it a lot of dedication, commitment and work.
“It is very rewarding when you’ve accomplished a successful rescue and you’ve got people back from a potentially life-threatening situation.”
Maryport rescue are entirely volunteer led and run and rely on public donations to help them operate the service.
While they started life as a traditional lifeboat organisation – the crew also now cover more aspects of search and rescue including flood rescue and often assist mountain rescue with in-land lake, water and river rescues.
The team were also presented with King’s Coronation Medal’s this week – an honour given to members who serve for over five years.
Most of the team were awarded with the medals which were presented to them by Belfast Coastguard.
The Rescue 999 episode featuring the team will air on September 13 at eight o’clock on Channel 5 and will be available on catch up on Channel 5’s website.
