TWO heroic firefighters have been commended for their lifesaving actions after jumping to the aid of a woman who had collapsed.
Claire Speed and Paul Brazier, on-call firefighters from Braintree Fire Station, have been awarded Chief Fire Officer commendations after helping to resuscitate the resident.
After installing two new smoke alarms for a resident at a home fire safety visit, the pair were getting ready to leave when they were approached by a distressed member of the public asking them for help.
Both firefighters immediately followed the lady to the house across the road, where they found a resident who had collapsed and was visibly in a lot of pain.
Without hesitation, Claire and Paul began gathering as much information as they could and feeding this back to the paramedics over the phone.
“Suddenly, the resident began losing all consciousness and neither of us could feel a pulse”, said Paul.
He then began administering CPR whilst Claire remained on the phone to paramedics.
Paul said: “Fortunately it wasn’t long, and the paramedics arrived who told us to continue whilst setting up their equipment.
“Claire assisted them with the breathing and CPR.
“The paramedics did a brilliant job and after a while, she was stable and breathing again.”
The pair then helped put the resident onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.
Claire said: “We were told that without our quick actions of giving her CPR, this could have been a very different outcome.
“We just put into practice what we've been taught in training and made the vital decisions until the paramedics arrived.”
Chief Fire Officer Rick Hylton said: "I am very honoured to be presenting this award as the actions of Claire and Paul were truly extraordinary.
“They provided vital lifesaving medical treatment at a critical time.
“Their actions saved this lady’s life that day and we are very proud of you both.”
Claire works at Tesco supermarket and Paul is a firefighter at the London Heliport in Battersea.
An on-call firefighter is a person who is 'on call' to respond to a range of emergencies and engage with their community.
For more information, visit join.essex-fire.gov.uk/on-call/vacancies/.
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