Firefighter helps save a life on a Ryanair flight back from a family holiday

A retained firefighter helped to save a woman’s life when she became unconscious on his flight home.

Daniel, who asked to keep his surname private, was on a Ryanair plane from Portugal when an elderly passenger took ill, and was found to have no pulse.

He worked with two doctors who also happened to be on board to save the woman’s life with first aid.

They lifted the patient from her seat, administered oxygen, carried out CPR and used a defibrillator.

After the incident, he tweeted saying: “On call and always ready have proved more true than I ever realised, especially at 32,000 feet!”

Daniel, a retained firefighter from Burwash in East Sussex, help the poorly traveller along with the two doctors, known only as Sue and Fiona.

Daniel said: “We checked her pulse, checked her pupil reaction, put the defibrillator on her, applied the oxygen air tank.

“The defibrillator confirmed that she didn’t need her heart re-starting, she was in normal heart rhythm, and at this point we realised that she had a very weak pulse.”

The woman came around, and was taken to hospital when the plane landed in Luton.

Daniel said: “For about the last 10 minutes of the flight she sat up, and looked much much better, was much more responsive.

“I spent six years with Kent Police as a special constable, so I’ve been in this sort of situation before.

“I’m pleased to say I’ve never had to step up at 32,000 feet. It really is so daunting to know you haven’t got paramedics on the way, you haven’t got an ambulance, you’ve got a limited first aid box on an aeroplane.

“I was lucky, the doctors were lucky, and [the patient] was exceptionally lucky to be on a flight with two doctors and a firefighter.”

Daniel has worked at Burwash Fire Station, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) for three years.

For him, saving a life that day was particularly poignant. Twelve years earlier, Daniel’s best friend died in Afghanistan.

Daniel said: “He was on a military plane that exploded. It’s a bit surreal to save a life one day and to be remembering your best friend.”

Dawn Whittaker, chief fire officer at ESFRS, said: “I am immensely proud of all our staff who on a daily basis utilise their training and ability to save lives and contribute to community safety, however it’s even more pleasing to hear when they use their skills, off duty, unprompted, to help save a life.

“I am sure like us, his family are all very proud of him, and I know how grateful the family he helped will be too.

“I also have every confidence that his colleagues at Burwash will be thinking up a new nickname as we speak, as they are a great bunch of on-call firefighters, with a real team and community spirit.”

Daniel also praised Ryanair staff adding “they were right there and ready to assist”.