Frank Hoffman has been working on the London Underground (LUL) for over 26 years, 21 of them as a driver. Together with his partner, Mandy, Frank arrived at the RailStaff Awards and later in the evening was astounded to win the Driver of the Year accolade.
āIām absolutely stunned,ā said Frank speaking back stage after receiving the award. āI never expected this. It was nice to be nominated, but to be recognised…Itās the pinnacle of my career.ā
Delighted friends and colleaguesĀ will be rather less surprised. LUL duty manager Andy Bamber explains.
āOn Tuesday, 2 June, train operator Hoffman was working Train T22 as part of his duty. As his train approached West Acton, east bound, an emergency handle was operated and he was informed a passenger had collapsed.ā
Frank stopped his train in the platform and after informing the line controller what was happening went to the passenger. The man had collapsed and stopped breathing. Frank Hoffman reassured the other passengers in the carriage and started administeringĀ full CPR. As he did so, he gave concise information on what was happening to the station staff and line controller.
āHe continued to administer CPR until the paramedics arrived and took over. He then returned to the cab to continue his duties,ā says Andy. āThroughout the incident he acted calmly in a professional manor. The paramedics who attended said his swift actions saved the passengerās life. Train operator Hoffman displayed exceptional professionalism inĀ managing and dealing with the extremely serious situation he was placed in.ā
Colleague Kerry Phillips, also a duty manager at LUL, emphasised Frankās calm and professional manner. āWhen Frank arrived on the scene, he could immediately see the severity of the situation. In the middle of the crowded carriage, a male customer had collapsed and was not breathing. The customerās wife was also present and obviously highly emotional, panicking uncontrollably.ā
Not only did Frank Hoffman set about saving a manās life but was able to reassure other passengers and comfort the manās partner whilst all the time briefing control and the emergency services.
Kerry Phillips adds, āAfter the paramedics took over rather than taking time to himself, Frank explained to the casualtyās wife exactly whatĀ had happened and provided her with the reassurance she needed. UsingĀ his experience as a member of the Trauma Support Group, he provided support to other customers who had witnessed the event – portraying a perfect example of what a valuable and responsible employee Frank is. He truly is an asset to LUL.ā
As if all that wasnāt enough, Frank Hoffman quickly moved his trainĀ to get the service back up andĀ running, mindful of the thousandsĀ of commuters stuck on busy trains behind him. The man made a complete recovery.
āTrain operator Hoffman took no time off following the incident and did not expect any thanks for it.ā says Kerry. āI and my colleagues are extremely proud to have Frank on our team, not only Ā did he set a perfect example to the traveling public but also to his fellow train operators.ā
Quietly spoken Frank Hoffman is based at Loughton DepotĀ in Essex and lives in aĀ small village near Saffron
Walden. Said Frank, āIād like to thank Andy Bamber, Kerry Phillips and Kieran Dimelow, train operations manager, and my partner, Mandy,Ā who has been very supportive.ā
This year, Train Driver of theĀ Year was sponsored by Cordant Services, which provides a wide range of cleaning services to the public transport sector.
The award was presented by Jamie Reynolds, group commercial director.
Says Jamie, āTheyāre the unsung heroes, theyāre the people at the front of the trains in the cabins that not many people see. They moan when the trainās late, but they donāt thank them when they get home every day.
Referring to Frank directly, he added, āHis safety recordās impeccable, heāsĀ a well-liked individual and heās won against tough competition tonight. He should be very proud.ā
Highly commended
- Stuart Creed, Great Western Railway
- Jim Finnie, Train Manager, GB Railfreight