On December 30, Clive Pattie went into cardiac arrest and suffered a stroke. His wife, Cheryl, performed CPR for the first time in her life while waiting for help to arrive.

"I brought him back [from the dead] twice and then the [firefighters] and paramedics came and took over from me," she said.

Altona firefighters were at her side in just over six minutes, ahead of paramedics dispatched from Footscray and Sunshine.

David Hillbrick said the patient's address was in the same street as the brigade's favourite bakery.

"When I was driving, we knew straight away where to go."

Last Thursday, Mr Pattie visited Altona fire station bearing two bottles of whisky for his "heroes".

"I wouldn't be here without them," he said.

"It's a gift, that's how I look at it. It's something I'll never forget and I'll always be grateful for. And it makes me feel very humble."

Mr Pattie, a member of Footscray Cycling Club, later discovered he had raced with two of the firefighters' fathers.

Sunshine paramedic Naomi Walton said the feedback made her job worthwhile.

"It's a good feeling. It makes you realise why we go to work."

Firefighters have been treating cardiac arrest and non-breathing patients since 2001.

Russell Magowan, now stationed at Spotswood, said firefighters were trained in emergency medical procedures to get patients breathing.

"We maintain life with what we've got until the ambulance comes," he said. "We're happy to do our role and then support the ambulance when they get there."

Altona station officer Ken Pannell said many people were unaware of firefighters' medical role.

"We turn up in a red truck and start grabbing our gear and they say, 'What are you doing here, we called for an ambulance'," he said.

Western zone commander David Youssef said a quick response time was crucial for survival in cardiac arrest.

"That can be everything from people self-harming, attempted suicide, drug overdose, elderly people getting ill and sudden infant death [syndrome]," he said. "We do around 32,000 calls annually and around 4000 of those are medical emergencies."

The Altona firefighters will raffle the whisky to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital.