Off-duty paramedic saved football fan's life on moving train

Off-duty paramedic saved football fan's life on moving train

An off-duty paramedic performed life-saving CPR on a fellow Tottenham Hotspur fan on a moving train. London Ambulance Service Paramedic Stefan Soler was returning home with a friend after a football match on December 19, 2024, when he heard voices calling for help on his train.

The calls for help grew more frantic and urgent, prompting Stefan to rush over to help. He found Keith Calnon, 68, from Rochester, Kent, slumped on a seat. and with the help of an off-duty police officer, Stefan laid Keith on the floor to assess him.

Keith was in cardiac arrest so Stefan immediately began performing CPR and asked passengers to call an ambulance, for someone to run and tell platform staff to stop the train and for someone to run and get the defibrillator at the station. Two shocks were administered on Keith before he gained consciousness.

As he came round, Keith was agitated and confused. Other clinicians from London Ambulance Service (LAS) arrived at the scene at Tottenham Hale station within a matter of minutes. Once LAS were on scene, Stefan stepped back to allow the on-duty crews to take over and says it’s a moment he will never forget.

Stefan said: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, especially given it led to such a good outcome for Keith and his family, and happened at that time of year when we’re all coming together with our loved ones.”

The day’s circumstances brought back memories of when Stefan saw his own grandpa having a heart attack – the event that inspired him to become a paramedic.

He said: “I found my grandpa and called for help. The ambulance crew revived him and he lived for another 20 years or so. In that moment I remember feeling it was amazing how they had come and saved him – and I thought maybe one day I’d like to do that.

"That’s why I chose to pursue this career. So now it really is amazing to have this full circle moment – I get to be that clinician for someone else. It’s a very emotional experience.”

Keith’s daughters Amy and Kathryn met Stefan and Incident Response Officer (IRO) Peter Fisher at LAS HQ in Waterloo. Keith was unable to join them because he is still recovering from heart surgery just a few weeks ago.

Amy said: “It’s crazy to think how differently it might have ended. We’re so grateful to Stefan, the off-duty police officer, two off-duty nurses and the other emergency responders who all helped save our dad’s life.”

The sisters stressed how clearly it had shown to them the importance of learning how to do CPR.

Kathryn said: “Dad is an optimist but we can tell he realises how incredibly lucky he is to be here now and we cannot thank Stefan and the others enough for helping to save his life. It also makes us realise how important it is for everyone to know how to do CPR – even my daughters have been speaking about how to ‘pump, pump, pump’ a heart.

"They are too young to know how to do it properly but it shows how important it is.”

Peter said: “As clinicians we talk about the chain of survival – early recognition, early CPR, early defibrillator usage and early advanced care. In Keith’s case the stars really aligned and it proves how successful an outcome can be when CPR is started within seconds of cardiac arrest.”

Amy, Kathryn and Stefan were able to meet after a post was shared on the Tottenham Hotspur Facebook page. Hundreds of fans shared the post and eventually it was seen by IRO Peter Fisher who then asked Stefan if he would be happy to meet with them.

Pauline Cranmer, Chief Paramedic at London Ambulance Service, said: “This amazing display of expertise and skill under trying circumstances shows how our paramedics are never really off-duty. Paramedics like Stefan join the Service because they have a drive to save lives – and that is not always confined to the times they are working.

“This positive outcome also shows how important it is to equip yourself with the life-saving skill of CPR. Early intervention can more than double someone’s chances of survival and both of these can be done by a member of the public before the ambulance service arrives.

“All you need to do is simply complete the online training on a smartphone or laptop and then you’re ready to help rescue someone in a life-threatening emergency.”

Find out more about how you equip yourself with these life-saving skills or undertake our London Lifesaver training here. If you would like to support the work of London Ambulance, or like Stefan and Keith, are a Spurs fan – London Ambulance Charity is inviting members of the public to take part in an adrenaline-pumped challenge and abseil 42 metres off one of the famous stadium.

Money raised for this initiative will be used to help provide further life-saving defibrillators, CPR training and support our hard-working staff and volunteers. You can find out more about this heart-racing challenge here.