Shropshire heart drama fire crew land award - and thanks for saving a life

The 76-year-old collapsed in his garden after the firefighters were called to his home.

He was seconds from dying when his heart stopped.

But the crew from nearby Wem Fire Station have a defibrillator as part of their medical kit and they managed to shock his body back to life.

Now Mr Luce is fighting fit, and able to visit the crew with wife Margaret to thank them – and to highlight the benefits of defibrillators.

The drama started when a fire in Mr Luce's garden got out of control. He said: "It was very fortuitous that they were there. I was crumpled up on the floor collapsed and without their actions would certainly be dead."

Defibrillators are being placed in towns and villages across Shropshire, with key first aiders in the community given training to work them in an emergency.

Staff at Telford's Oakengates Leisure Centre saved the life of a man playing badminton who collapsed in July. And in October, a man was revived after collapsing while on a treadmill at Shifnal's Idsall Sports Centre.

Now the crew from Wem Fire Station has been given an award for their actions in saving Mr Luce's life.

He and his wife Margaret visited the fire station this week to thank the crew in person.

Watch manager Phil Smith, 59, said it was a "surreal" moment as he too had his life saved after suffering eight cardiac arrests a number of years ago.

The crew had been called to Mr and Mrs Luce's home in Wemsbrook, Wem, at just after 6pm on an evening in April earlier this year to deal with a garden fire.

When they arrived, Mr Luce and neighbours had almost put out the blaze, which had spread along a wooden fence and a lean-to shed.

It had melted a drainpipe and cracked a window of the house.

Firefighters were just getting out a hose reel and thermal imaging camera to "damp down" any remaining sparks when Mr Luce collapsed.

Mr Smith said: "He was flat on the floor and going purple. I shouted for one of the crew to ring an ambulance and another to run and fetch the defibrillator from the fire truck."

The life-saving machine alerted firefighters to 'shock' the patient as his heart had stopped.

"Within seconds he was back with us," added Mr Smith. "Within five minutes he sat up talking to us. I couldn't believe it."

Mr Luce, a retired funeral director, has fully recovered after undergoing heart surgery. He and his wife visited the fire crew at Wem Fire Station this week to thank them for saving Mr Luce's life.

"They definitely saved his life. We want to say how grateful we both are for what they did," said Mrs Luce.

Mr Luce said it was nice to be able to thank the firefighters in person.

He said: "It was very fortuitous that they were there. I was trying to burn some weeds with a flame gun when it set fire to some plastic. The fire brigade

used the defibrillator and I was taken to Stoke hospital. I ended up having triple heart bypass surgery."

The crew received an award from the Chief Fire Officer for saving a life. The chief fire officer, John Redmond, said: "The Wem crew are to be commended for the professionalism they displayed throughout the incident."