John Hallam is off-duty to finally receive counselling after his accident in series 4. Nick, George, Kevin and Colin are checking a shopping centre for fire safety precautions. Meanwhile Claire is visited by Bayleaf's ex-wife Karen who wants to take their daughter Melanie with her, but she wants to stay with her father. Karen threatens to have Mike in court about custody. Many pumps are called to a tunnel where smoke is issueing from an unknown source - but it turns out to be a dosser frying sausages in a pan. Paul talks Jean and Sicknote into taking part in Shakespeare's Richard III, while Malcolm takes Helen out on a shopping trip and George and Colin win some goldfish on the fairground. George, Kevin and Bayleaf go to meet Recall and his family on the airport after their trip to Disneyworld in Florida. Recall has brought a plastic fireman from the States that is to serve as their mascot. When Hallam returns to duty he is stunned by the odd arrangement of a little pond and the plastic fireman in front of the fire station to cheer the place up. Instead of being amused, station officer Georgiadis is fuming and orders them to clean up. A group of young thugs cause havoc on the fun fair and crash the Big Wheel. People are left dangling in mid-air or squeezed into tiny carriages and Blue Watch is called to free them.