Firefighters saved the life of a pensioner who suffered a heart attack in a rare use of state-of-the-art medical kit issued to fire engines.

The crew from Bradford fire station had gone to deal with a blazing car in Mark Street, West Bowling, Bradford, when the drama unfolded.

As the crew from Red Watch were about to tackle the fire the 76-year-old father of the vehicle's owner collapsed.

Firefighters turned their attention away from the car, which they later said had been targeted in an arson attack, and rushed to help the man with a defibrillator - a machine that re-starts the heart.

The use of defibrillators by fire crews has been controversial since the procedure was initiated some years ago, when unions attacked the idea that firefighters should re-train as paramedics for no extra pay.

But, in this instance, fire chiefs said the man would have died without the timely intervention of the firefighters using the defibrillators their engine was kitted out with.

Steve Atkinson, Red Watch manager for Bradford fire station, went out on the fire call. He said the man they helped had gone inside his house to call his daughter to tell her about the car and, within a couple of minutes, had collapsed.

Mr Atkinson said: "We forgot about the car and turned our attention to the man. He had no pulse and wasn't breathing. We believe he had had a heart attack."

All the fire crew are trained in first aid, he said, and a fireman who was also a first aid casualty care instructor used an automated external defibrillator to kick-start the man's heart.

Paramedics arrived and stabilised the man, who was then taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary just before midnight on Wednesday.

Mr Atkinson said: "It was a team effort, with the crew pulling together. He would have died if we had not had the AED defibrillator on the engine."

When firefighters checked out the car fire, they found that the window had been smashed, petrol poured inside and deliberately set on fire.

Police investigated the car and a West Yorkshire police spokesman said inquiries were continuing.

John Blyth, Green Watch manager for Bradford fire station, said: "AEDs are used very rarely. I have been working in the service for 25 years and I can only remember them being used on one or two occasions."