A QUICK-THINKING off-duty Dunfermline fireman saved a girl’s life after a horror car accident.

Hero Ian Hoggins had to break the news to the girl’s mum that she’d been knocked down when the daughter’s mobile went off as he battled to restore her breathing.

The youngster was lying lifeless on the road when Ian, 32, sprang into action and got her breathing again.

His bravery has now resulted in a Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation Award for the Dunfermline Fire Station-based Ian – but the modest hero shrugged and insisted he was just doing his job.

Ian had been in Widnes, Cheshire in March while on a trip helping a friend with his racing cars.

After a day at Oulton Park racetrack followed by dinner, he was heading to his hotel at around 10.30pm when he was faced with three young girls who had been knocked down trying to cross the road.

One of the girls was lying unconscious in the street with severe injuries to her face and wasn’t breathing.

“I was just looking forward to getting to bed and, all of a sudden, the traffic in front of us stopped suddenly and I could see something was not quite right,” explained Ian, who is a member of the Blue Watch at Dunfermline Fire Station and is also crew manager at Burntisland Fire Station.

“We stopped the van and jumped out and saw the three girls lying on the road. Two of them were screaming with pain and one was just lying on the floor not screaming or moving and there was no real sign of life. 

“As we are taught with our fire service training, she was the one to treat. If they are not screaming, there’s something wrong.

“I went over and did a bit of first aid and tried to clear her airways and managed to get her breathing again.”

It was then that Ian had the grim task of breaking the news to the girls’ mum.

“The worst part was the phone ringing and it was her mum trying to get in touch. I thought I am going to have to answer this and explain what had happened.

"She was asking where we were and I didn’t really know where we were but luckily I managed to direct her and her parents came down.”

One of the other girls had a suspected broken leg and one escaped relatively unscathed.

Modest Ian said his actions were just doing what came naturally as a result of his firefighter training. 

“I am lucky that I work with people who are trained to do a high standard of work and all this kind of rubs off,” he added. “Because we deal with things like road traffic incidents, we are trained in first aid to a very high standard.”

As a result of his heroism, Ian was presented with the Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation Award at a special service this week where staff from across Scotland were recognised for their dedication and professionalism.

“The award was a bit of a surprise,” added Ian. “I wasn’t aware of it. My watch manager put me forward for it.”

Fellow Dunfermline firefighter Jonathan Millburn received a Long Service Good Conduct medal to mark 20 years with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service