Off-duty firefighter gives live-saving CPR to man

An off-duty firefighter has been praised for giving lifesaving CPR when first on scene to a cardiac arrest in Saffron Walden. 

Dane North, an on-call firefighter from Newport Fire Station, was off-duty and on his way home from firefighter training when he got an alert on the app Good Sam for a 71-year-old man in cardiac arrest in Saffron Walden. 

Dane was first to the scene where the man’s wife was giving him CPR under instruction from the Ambulance Service. 

Dane immediately took over while reassuring the woman that her husband was in safe hands with more responders on the way. 

Giving CPR for 10 minutes, Dane was soon joined by a first responder, who happened to be a former firefighter Dane had worked with lots in the past.

The pair gave CPR for a further 25 minutes until they were able to get a pulse. The man was then taken to hospital by paramedics.

Dane said: “I’m so glad I got the alert when I did as I was minutes from the scene. It really was a right place right time situation and I’m so glad the man’s wife acted quickly to begin CPR. 

“My training kicked in and it really was exhausting giving CPR for more than 30 minutes, especially after Breathing Apparatus training. But, we couldn’t give up and I’m so glad we persevered and were able to save him.

“I’d highly recommend everyone does some form of CPR training, you never know when you’ll need it to save a life.”

Dane is one of 13 on-call firefighters at Newport Fire Station. He balances his career in the military with his on-call role. All while still finding time to volunteer with Good Sam. 

Newport Fire Station was recently crowned Station of the Year at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s annual awards on 15 April.

In the last 12 months, the crew has responded to 498 call outs. They all live or work within 5 minutes of the fire station and have to respond to their pagers at a moment’s notice. 

Dane said: “If you live or work within 5 minutes of an on-call fire station, you could be paid to protect your community as an on-call firefighter too.

“It’s a really rewarding role and I can’t imagine my life without it. Our crew is a close knit team and it’s great to feel part of something bigger that really helps people. Pop into your local station if you’re keen and chat to some of the people working to keep your community safe, you won’t regret it.”

Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call