Jo CurnockMEMBERS of St John Ambulance are ready to leap into action at any time, so when an emergency occurred during their Christmas party, one volunteer took it all in her stride.

Jo Curnock was supervising the St John cadet's festive disco when a member of the public rushed in to say a man had collapsed outside.

Dressed in her sparkly party gear, Jo raced to the rescue and found the semi-conscious man lying on the pavement.

She administered first aid and ensured he kept breathing until the ambulance arrived.

After the drama, Jo returned to the bash and modestly said it was all in a night's work for St John volunteers, who deal with emergencies at any time of year.

"The member of the public who spotted him luckily remembered that our headquarters are on Roman Road," she said.

"He came running in asking if any members of St John Ambulance were present, so I just checked the cadets were alright and ran up the hill to where someone was lying."

The man had collapsed after suffering a bad reaction between tablets and alcohol and clearly needed urgent help.

"We are trained to deal with all sorts of situations," said the 40-year-old, of Barford St Martin.

"I didn't have any equipment with me but I just made sure his airway was clear and kept him safe until back-up came.

"An ambulance arrived in about five minutes to take him to hospital and I went back to the disco.

"I'm just glad I was nearby and able to help out."

Jo, who works in administration at Salisbury police station, has been on call throughout the festive period as part of the organisation's First Responder scheme, which cares for patients before an ambulance arrives.

"It's wonderful to be able to help people - St John Ambulance members deal with all sorts of situations and emergencies all the time.

"It's what we are trained to do," she said.

"You never know what will happen and you can be called to help at any time, even during a Christmas disco."