A PENSIONER who collapsed while out walking the dog has thanked the volunteer medic who helped save his life.

Philip Whittaker was with a friend and his dog in Hillsborough Avenue, Brierfield, when he collapsed suffering from a cardiac arrest.

Now the 71-year-old has met 'community first responder' David Brown who treated him until paramedics arrived.

Community first responders are volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work.

Mr Whittaker said: “I had been going for a walk with my friend Bill and his dog Ruby.

“We were still on the road when I collapsed.

“My friend thought I was kidding with him but he turned me over and could see I wasn’t breathing.

“Fortunately, a man who lived across the road looked through the window of his house and saw I was in trouble.

“He had taught CPR in the past and gave it to me again."

It was then that Mr Brown arrived and delivered the lifesaving treatment.

Ambulance crews then arrived and he was taken to Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.

Since then, Mr Whittaker has recovered and is taking blood-thinning tablets.

Mr Whittaker said the incident had come as a big shock to him at the time and thanked Mr Brown and ambulance crews for saving his life.

He said: “I spent seven days in hospital and in the first three days I couldn’t remember anything.

“I had to have stents fitted in my heart and as it had become completely blocked up.

“On my fourth day at hospital, I also discovered that I had suffered three broken ribs.

“What happened was a massive shock to me as I’ve always led a healthy lifestyle.

“There is no doubt that David and the ambulance crews saved my life.

Yesterday, he arranged to meet with them to thank them for saving his life.

He added: “They do a great job and I wouldn’t be alive today without them.”

Mr Brown, who has been a community first responder of two-and-a-half years, said: “I was just round the corner at the time when I got a call on my phone.

“I’d been told a man had collapsed and had gone into cardiac arrest and I was asked if I would go.

“I got there in about five minutes, and when I arrived there was a man giving CPR to Mr Whittaker – that made a huge difference.

“I went to shock Mr Whittaker using a defibrillator but it did not work the first time.

“So I tried it again and it worked and he started breathing.

“Then ambulance crews arrived and got him on a stretcher to hospital.

“The fact I was there as a community first responder ultimately saved his life.

“If it means the ambulance service gets to calls a few minutes earlier, this is vital in helping to save lives.”

Jane Atkinson, community resuscitation development officer at North West Ambulance Service, said: “The CFRs do an amazing job on behalf of the ambulance service.

“As volunteers, they are trying to make a difference before ambulance crews arrive.”