A DROITWICH Spa firefighter has been given a national honour after he saved the life of a man in Glasgow.

Peter Doran, 49, who works at the town's fire station in Friar Street, responded to a very different emergency to the sort he is used to while eating at a restaurant in the Scottish city.

He has been hailed a hero by national charity the Royal Humane Society after rushing to the aid of a heart attack victim earlier this year.

Mr Doran, who is from Glasgow and was visiting family at the time of the emergency in March, has been honoured with the award alongside The Burnside Hotel's duty supervisor Kerenn Grant, who was also on hand to help save the man.

Mr Doran, whose heroics have also been recognised by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "I was eating at the restaurant with family. I went to the bar, heard a commotion and went to see what was happening.

"A man was unconscious and wasn't breathing. A lot of people were standing around and didn't know what to do.

"I cleared the tables and placed him on the floor and started to work on him. We got him back but then he died again. I worked on him for 15 to 20 minutes until the ambulance arrived and they were able to use a defibrillator on him.

"Eventually the ambulance staff came back and said I'd saved his life and that he was sitting up and talking in the ambulance. I didn't really have time to stop and think, I just acted and started to help him as soon as it was clear he wasn't breathing. My training definitely came to the fore."

Society secretary Dick Wilkinson added: "When this man collapsed with a heart attack at the next table, Mr Doran immediately downed cutlery and rushed to his aid. He administered physically exacting cardiac pulmonary resuscitation for about 15 minutes until the ambulance arrived. He twice restarted the man's heart while Mr Grant helped keep his airway clear.

"Working in together, they made the difference between life and death."

Mr Doran, who has been a firefighter for 27 years and has worked in Droitwich for 13 years, is now in touch with the man's daughter and regularly gets updates on how he is doing.

He now has plans to visit the man and his family when he travels back to Glasgow for the New Year.

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. Its president is Princess Alexandra and it is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.