A RESTAURANT manager has highlighted the necessity of first aid training after coming to the rescue of a man choking on his food.

Liam Lopez runs The Forager in Dollar and noticed one of his customers appeared to be in difficulty at his table.

Wasting no time at all, Liam approached the man and used the Heimlich manoeuvre to clear the customer's windpipe and save his life.

"It was a Sunday service," Liam told the Advertiser. "There was a lot of commotion going on in the restaurant.

"People I was speaking to were looking past me and obviously the guy was choking – his hands were at his throat and he was really purple in the face.

"I went over and did the Heimlich manoeuvre, but he was obviously fighting it at the table and everyone was a bit panicked, he had been fighting it for quite a bit of time."

Liam explained that the customer fully recovered after that and was quite relieved the manager had been there to assist.

"He was very shaken, very faint," Liam added. "He was light on his feet.

"He sat down for the next half hour or so and just sipped water.

"He was very relieved, but he seemed quite shaken that that could have been the end."

The Heimlich manoeuvre is a first aid technique in which one performs abdominal thrusts on the person choking.

Abdominal thrusts lift your diaphragm and forces air from the lungs, which causes the foreign object to be expelled from the person's airway.

Before trying abdominal thrusts, back blows are recommended first.

Those who need to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre would stand behind the choking person and wrap their hands around the patient's waist.

They would make a fist and position it just above the belly button, thumb side in, before grabbing the fist with their other hand and pushing it inward and upward at the same time.

It is advised that this thrust is repeated five times and repeat until the object is expelled and the person can breathe on their own.

Bystanders should also call 999 for emergency help.

Should the patient lose consciousness, CPR with chest compressions should be employed until help arrives.

Liam added: "It's my responsibility and I'm accountable for everything that goes on in the restaurant, I need to look after everyone's wellbeing.

"If I see somebody in distress, I'll immediately go over and see if I can help."