A TRAINEE fireman has been hailed a hero after he saved the life of a baby girl who had stopped breathing.

Firefighter, Ian Nicholson, a probationer at Bolton Central fire station, was cycling to work when he spotted a distraught woman holding a baby on Newbrook Road, Over Hulton, yesterday afternoon Firefighter Nicholson, aged 29, from Atherton, who has been with the fire service for only four months, pulled over to see if he could help. He quickly realised the eight-month-old baby, who had been with her grandmother, had stopped breathing.

As the grandmother and a gathering crowd watched on helplessly, Firefighter Nicholson's training kicked into gear.

He gave the baby cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and managed to get the infant breathing again.

After making sure an ambulance had been called and that the child was breathing properly, firefighter Nicholson got back on his bike and arrived at work in time to start his shift.

Firefighter Nicholson, who served in the Royal Navy for seven years before joining the fire service and is the father of a four-year-old daughter, said: "The baby was foaming at the mouth and had started to turn blue. "The lady handed the baby to me and I just went into automatic pilot. It was the first time I've ever had to apply CPR in a real life situation so I think I surprised myself. Within minutes the baby was smiling and gurgling again.

"In the heat of the moment I'm not sure if I exchanged phone numbers with the baby's relative but I would love to be able to get in touch with them to check to see if everything is all right."

Bolton Central watch manager Kevin O'Connor, said he would be recommending his new recruit for a commendation. He said: "Ian's only been in the job for four months and he's still got 18 more months training to do so I just think it shows the calibre of the recruits we're getting these days. He managed to keep his head and just dealt with the situation."