Ice Road Rescue

Sometimes it looks like we take very big chances.

But we need to do it to get the job done, no matter what.

These Norwegian roads are some of

Europe's most dangerous.

Whether it's in the northern wilderness

or the southern fjords,

drivers face down hostile conditions.

Stop, stop!

People are crazy!

It's enough to send even the best of them,

over the edge.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Throughout Norway, an elite force of rescuers

keeps the country on the move, during one of the

most unpredictable winters in decades.

Today is a windy day up on the mountain.

Freak weather brings extra danger on the roads.

Oh!

And to the rescues.

BJØRN: The wind, we need a bucket roll over.

Forcing them to unite.

Well, the best team is together.

More than ever before.

Hey!

Life is good in the mountains.

BJØRN: Ai, ai, ai.

.

Right now you feel you're alive.

This year, everything is bigger and tougher,

but I'm ready, bring it on.

Norway's Ice Road Rescuers are a breed apart.

Working all hours, in all conditions, relying on

each other for success.

In the South, when truckers hit trouble, they turn to

two of the best rescue bosses in the business.

Bjorn Laegreid and Thord Paulsen.

This winter I have a lot of challenges.

Thord runs a rescue empire with a fleet of 20 tow trucks.

I have a lot of big rescues and bad weather.

But now he partners with Bjorn, who brings

experience from 34 seasons of big truck rescue.

BJØRN: Thord and me are helping each other as much as we can.

We not get there old and slow.

Right, Bjoern?

BJØRN: Yes.

In Eidfjord, Bjorn's in his garage.

.

BJØRN: Hello?

It's Thord calling, all his crews are committed on

other rescues, he needs Bjorn's help.

BJØRN: I get the phone from Thord that it's a man

struggling with his truck in the tunnel.

BJØRN: I'll come immediately.

On Route 134, the road linking the western port

of Haugesund, with the capital Oslo, a car transporter has

been forced to stop mid-tunnel.

The truck entered the tunnel when a snow-chain on the

trailer's nearside wheel came loose, span round,

then smashed into the bodywork bending a

metal panel up into the tire.

The chain then jammed tight around the gap between

the two wheels.

As the wheel locked, the trailer began to skid

forcing the driver to stop.

The truck now blocks one lane of the 4.6 kilometer tunnel.

BJØRN: I don't know so much about the accident, I know

I have to go up and see what the problem is.

The accident is in the south of Thord's territory,

118 kilometers away.

Bjorn's got a long drive ahead.

BJØRN: I think one and a half hours driving.

BJØRN: Here it is.

BJØRN: When I arrive I see a truck that's standing and

I stop and I see he has a problem, so I try to help him.

BJØRN: Hello.

I've broken one chain.

The driver tells Bjorn he's on a deadline to

deliver the cars to Haugesund, two hours drive away.

But he's not the only one on a tight schedule.

The Road Authority has closed the tunnel for the rescue,

and need it re-opened.

Bjorn's under pressure to get the job done.

BJØRN: Problem is this, destroy this cutting between

the wheel and the chassis that's broken.

Snow-chains, called Kjetting in Norwegian,

are vital winter equipment for grip on ice and snow.

But if they come loose, they cause big problems.

To get the chain free, Bjorn must bend back the metal plate

that's wedged against the trailer tire.

BJØRN: Lower, I think just something here that we can

take it back, then see if we can move it.

He gets a steel rod and a sledge-hammer.

BJØRN: This iron is hard so we have to try to do different things.

And the max height?

.

Bjorn checks that the trailer's air suspension

can't be raised for extra clearance.

BJØRN: No, we need to stop.

The metal's too strong, but Bjorn thinks

he's got the solution.

BJØRN: I will try with some straps, hopefully that works.

His plan is to take a strap from the wheel, run it

around the chassis, then attach it to the metal plate.

When the wheel turns, the straps should pull the metal back.

It's a good plan.

But Bjorn now discovers he hasn't got

the right straps.

He asks the driver.

BJØRN: Do you have any long straps?

Pull-up?

No.

The tunnel's closed, the truck's going nowhere and

Bjorn's got a big problem.

He calls Thord for help.

BJØRN: Do you have any ratchet straps in your truck?

Yes.

Thord passed this rescue on to Bjorn because

he was busy, he's now heading home.

I'm on my way now.

But instead, turns his truck around.

OK. Bye.

I have to help Bjorn a little bit because he don't

have any jack-strap in his truck, so I need help him a

little bit so he can get this away.

There's nothing Bjorn can do until Thord arrives.

BJØRN: I have to wait for Thord 'cause he has some

big straps in his car.

But patience is not one of Bjorn's virtues.

1,000 kilometers north in Overhalla,

there's big news in the family business.

26 year old road rescuer, Ole Henrik,

has become a father.

This is the next generation of road trucker.

Ole Henrik has become a father this winter

and I have become a proud granddad.

Are you going to sleep all day?

Ole Henrik's taking time off with girlfriend,

Anna, to be with the baby.

But for Jo Roger, it's back to business.

Responsible for keeping 1,700 kilometers of road open,

and with his second-in-command, Ole Henrik, out of action,

Jo Roger's working harder than ever, and relying on

his young team to get the jobs done.

It's mid-afternoon, rookie rescuers,

Christoffer and Torstein, are in charge.

.

Torstein speaking.

Yes.

Torstein takes details of the call-out.

We have seen some pictures of the accident.

The trailer is lying on its side and the truck is also

in the deep ditch.

The accident happened on a remote road

that runs towards the Swedish border.

The tipper truck was transporting 14 tons of sand

and towing a six ton excavator.

The trailer started to slide over the road edge and

down the bank.

Gaining momentum, it swung the truck behind it,

then crashed over.

The driver was lucky.

The trailer stopped the truck from falling further towards

a frozen lake.

But even close to the road, this will be a difficult rescue.

So, we bring little rotator truck and

the big rescue truck.

It's 31-year-old Christoffer's first full

season and he takes the rotator truck with its

360 degree turntable crane.

Torstein's new to the garage, but has ten years' experience

as a mechanic.

He's in Jo Roger's heavyweight tow truck.

Normally, this is a job Bjorn or Gary

would take, but he trust us to do this ourselves.

It's a long drive, so it's going to be late afternoon

before we arrive.

Two hours later, the rescuers are on scene.

It's getting dark but still easy to see how big

a challenge they're facing.

We have just arrived and we see a truck,

a trailer and an excavator in the ditch.

This is gonna take some time.

First job is to make a plan.

There's not a lot of space.

It's going to be hard if you want to get past it.

It's only one way to do this and we need to get

the rotator truck on the other side.

You need to drive it around and up here.

This is a dead-end road, and there

is no other way around.

The heavy truck needs lifting from both sides,

so they'll take the rotator through the small gap between

the tipper and the ditch.

The red tow truck can then come in close.

The rotator will run one winch wire to the tipper truck's

rear wheel, the red truck running a line to the front.

This will anchor the tipper as the rotator truck swings the

back end onto the road.

We are going to get the rotator tow truck

behind the truck here.