A Welshpool pub manager is thanking fast-acting bystanders for saving his life when he suffered a cardiac arrest at work.

Brian Evans, 57, felt as though he had “a bit of a cold”, when he suddenly slumped off his chair at the Welshpool Hotel Motel in April.

“I was talking to some bar staff and all of a sudden I heard a crash, and Brian had fallen from a stool onto the ground,” his partner, Leanne Stockdale, said.

“I thought he must have hit his head but he hadn’t, he was just grey on the ground. As soon as I reached him, I knew something wasn’t right.”

Ms Stockdale and a couple of customers immediately rushed to Mr Evans’ aid, applying the pub’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and commencing CPR.

“As soon as we said ‘he’s got no pulse’, there were people lining up to do CPR to try to help,” she said.

“One person phoned Triple Zero (000) and we knew we had to get the defibrillator because he didn’t have a heartbeat.

“We’ve had to pull the AED out once or twice before because we’ve had a sick patient in the pub, but we’ve never had to use it.

“I was terrified. You know your CPR and first aid, but when it’s a loved one, it goes from your head.”

The bystanders delivered three shocks with the defibrillator and managed to achieve the return of spontaneous circulation before paramedics arrived.

Mr Evans was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he spent five days before being able to return home.

“I want to say a big thank you to Leanne and everybody else that helped,” he said.

“They still don’t know what caused it but I’m feeling fine again – I’m back to normal.

“It’s a reminder that we should all learn CPR.”

Ambulance Victoria (AV) Foster Branch Acting Team Manager Tiana Daniels attended the case and said the actions of the bystanders were heroic.

“Minutes matter in cardiac arrests and the time while paramedics are on their way is crucial for bystanders to act,” she said.

“When a patient receives CPR and a shock, or multiple shocks as in this case, from an AED before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival increases by more than 70 per cent.

“If Brian’s partner and other bystanders hadn’t acted so quickly, it could have been a very different outcome.”

Ms Daniels is encouraging those in the community to sign up to the GoodSAM app to give locals the best chance of survival.

“GoodSAM is a life-saving smartphone app that connects Victorians in cardiac arrest with nearby volunteers who are willing to start CPR and use an AED while paramedics are on their way,” she said.

“GoodSAM is linked to the 000 communications centre, so as soon as an ambulance is dispatched, a GoodSAM alert will notify responders in the area. The app directs responders to the patient as well as the nearest registered AED.

“You don’t need to have a first aid qualification to join GoodSAM. If you know CPR, it’s as simple as signing up to save a life.”

Ms Stockdale said it’s incredible to have Brian back home and well.

“It was the worst day of my life but now seeing him recover, it’s the best,” she said.

“Everybody that helped that day isn’t just a friend, they’re family now.”

Mr Evans was reunited with the people who saved his life in Welshpool on Thursday, August 3.