AN off-duty firefighter sprung into action after hearing a teenager crying and screaming in the street.

Keegan Johnson, an on-call firefighter from Stansted fire station who also works as a pharmacy dispenser, heard screaming outside as they settled down for the evening.

After seeing a girl outside with a heavily bleeding hand, the quick-thinking firefighter, who joined the fire station at 19-years-old in 2021, grabbed a first aid kit and rushed to her side.

“I took her to the side of the road and calmed her down where I could see she had a deep cut from her thumb to her wrist. I comforted her and said I was a firefighter and that I was trained to help,” Keegan said.

They continued: “She was bleeding quite heavily and we quickly used most of my first aid kit but thankfully lots of people had stopped and several of them brought first aid kits from their car.

“It was great to see the community coming together without hesitation to help, one person ran to the shop to get some water and sweets for the girl.”

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Keegan’s first aid training took over and they worked quickly to treat the girl’s hand.

“After cutting her hand on some glass, it was bleeding quite heavily which can be really scary to see,” the firefighter explained.

They added: “My training and instincts just took over and I had found some butterfly stitches in my first aid kit.

“Once I’d cleaned the wound up and put antiseptic on it, I used the stitches on her. I told her to check it in the morning and to seek medical advice if she was worried or if it got infected.”

The pair then headed to the fire station for a cup of tea while the girl waited to be picked up and learned about the first aid training firefighters are given and about Keegan's role as an on-call firefighter.

Keegan said being an on-call firefighter had “truly changed their perspective on life for the better”.