Family Life

'A daunting moment': Firefighter saves woman's life on flight

The idea of flying can be scary enough without any added worries.

But for one passenger on a Ryanair flight, her journey was much more frightening than she anticipated.

An unnamed elderly woman suddenly fell ill during her flight from Portugal. Luckily, firefighter Daniel took notice of her ailing condition.

His instincts kicked in quickly as he searched for a pulse. Once he realised the passenger had no heartbeat, he took immediate action.

Alongside two doctors on board, the firefighter moved her to a better location, used defibrillating paddles, and administered CPR.

Daniel described the experience as a “daunting situation” and was beyond grateful for his emergency training as a retained Burwash firefighter in East Sussex.

Luckily, he was able to lead the fast-acting crew in a successful life-saving mission on board the aircraft, bringing the woman back to life and improving her oxygen levels.

Afterwards, he shared his experience on Twitter: “Flight home from Portugal. Lady taken seriously ill. No pulse & unresponsive!! Two doctors and a Ff (me) moved patient & provided medical care.Defib used, CPR & O2 given.#oncall & #alwaysready have proved more true than I ever realised especially at 32,000 feet!”

He went on to thank others who helped him save the unnamed women, explaining that her sudden unconsciousness was most likely caused by a bleed in the brain.

“A personal note to: Sue – Doctor SpR, Fiona – Onc, Ralph – @ralphbhewitt. Thanks, A good team!
It is a daunting moment at 32,000 feet when you stand up & say I'm a Ff in a medical situation & don't know if anyone else is going to assist. Basic First Aid Saves Lives.”

There is no doubt that the firefighter helped save the elderly woman’s life that day and people everywhere are thanking him for his heroic act.

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