An off-duty firefighter saved a man’s life by giving him emergency care when he collapsed with severe chest pains.

Stuart McDonald, of Battersea, was travelling on an Isle of Wight ferry recently when the passenger in front of him collapsed as they were disembarking.

Like all firefighters at LFB, Stuart is trained to give immediate emergency care – advanced first aid which includes oxygen administration and defibrillation.

Stuart looked after the man, keeping him warm while frequently checking his pulse until the paramedics arrived. 

Stuart said: "It was late at night and as I walked around the corner I saw the gentleman suddenly clutch his chest and go down.

"I went over to him with one of the Wightlink ferry guys and sat him down on a chair.

"I was on the phone to the ambulance service and thankfully I'd already done the things they were asking me to do, such as ask about his medical history and feel for a pulse, which was quite faint and rapid.

"I'd also asked someone to fetch a defibrillator and open it up because I thought we might well need to use it.

"It was freezing so we took the gentleman to a café where it was warmer and then stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. Because it was so late at night there were hardly any people about and if he hadn't been seen it could have been a lot worse.

"Luckily I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

Wightlink, the ferry company, contacted London Fire Brigade this week to thank him for his heroic behaviour.

The gentleman was admitted to A&E but later discharged.