Thank you for not turning a blind eye.

(From Western Daily Press)

Three off-duty fire brigade managers have been hailed as heroes after saving the life of a man subjected to a vicious assault at a train station.

Married firefighters Gary and Jane Heap and their friend Mandy Andrews were on their way back from a rugby match at Twickenham when they leapt into action to administer vital first aid at a station in Berkshire.

The trio joined other Wiltshire firefighting heroes given special awards by their chief fire officer.

Also receiving special commendations from Chief Fire Officer Andy Goves was an air hostess who crossed a busy motorway after seeing a nasty crash on the other side, a policeman who rescued a stricken pensioner from a fire and a cool under-pressure 999 operator. For the three station heroes the drama unfolded in August 2007 when the train they were returning home on stopped at a station in Berkshire. As the doors opened, a call went out for a doctor to attend a medical emergency on the platform. The three jumped off the train and found a teenager had been subjected to an unprovoked attack that had left him unconscious and lying on the platform.

"The force of the blow had knocked him out before his head had even hit the platform," said a brigade spokesman. "The casualty was about to vomit, was not in the recovery position and was suffering from a head injury and bleeding profusely. Gary, Mandy and Jane rendered immediate first aid and placed the casualty safely in the recovery position whilst awaiting the arrival of the emergency ...