Four Walton firefighters who gave emergency life-saving treatment to a man suffering from a cardiac arrest have been awarded for their "outstanding patient care".

Walton fire station crew commander Colin Francis, along with firefighters Eric Daniels, William Keenan and Barry Culver have been awarded by the South East Coast Ambulance Trust (SECAmb) for saving a man's life in June last year.

The man had collapsed in his chair while at a car garage across the road from the fire station when the crew were alerted to the man's condition through a 999 call.

Firefighters have been trained to deal with medical emergencies since a collaboration between SECAmb and Surrey Fire and Rescue last year.

Mr Daniels and Mr Keenan dashed across the road with their trauma kit and found the patient slumped in a chair, not breathing, before carrying out CPR.

Mr Culver joined the pair and worked to manage the man's airways before using the defibrilator, while Mr Francis relayed messages from the station on the patient's condition.

The man was then treated by paramedics, who said the actions of the firefighters had saved the man's life.

He eventually made a full recovery.

Matt England of the medical management team at SECAmb, said: “This incident just shows what good collaborative working can achieve. Prior to this working between our services, this patient wouldn’t have had four skilled individuals close at hand.

“This shows that with early intervention, we can make a real difference to lives.

“I am really pleased that this work is delivering such great results. It is a real confidence booster for the firefighters who volunteered to get involved with this initiative.

“It can seem very daunting a first but I think that with results like this, it makes it so worthwhile.”

Kay Hammond, Surrey County Council’s cabinet associate for community safety services, said: “These four firefighters from Walton saved a man’s life thanks to their quick-thinking and strong teamwork and I’m delighted their efforts have been recognised.

“This initiative with SECAmb is about better serving our communities by giving the fastest possible response to people who are seriously ill.”