Posted by Bob Trenkamp on 03/09/2013

The city of Costa Mesa, CA, will honor members of the staff of a 24 Hour Fitness who helped save the life of a 67-year-old man who collapsed at the club but was revived with the aid of an automated external defibrillator (AED).

The ceremony to honor the staff will take place at an upcoming city council meeting, the date of which has yet to be determined.

The incident took place during the afternoon of Feb. 21 at the 24 Hour Costa Mesa Newport Super Sport club. The man, whose name was not released, collapsed while working out on a stationary bike.

Staff member Shayne Fleming-Travers was alerted and immediately called 911. At the same time, service manager Barbara Davis alerted other staff of the medical emergency, and they rushed to the cardio area where the man had collapsed.

A member of the club, Rick Palombo, began to administer CPR while 24 Hour personal trainer Isaiah Nixon administered chest compressions. 24 Hour fitness manager Josh Graves administered the AED one time. Upon their arrival, paramedics with the Costa Mesa Fire Department administered the AED a second time. Nixon continued to assist the paramedics with CPR, compressions and the AED.

"I was always curious how I would respond in this kind of situation, and after the training I got, I'm glad I reacted the way I did," Nixon told the Orange County Register.

After 20 minutes, the man was conscious, in stable condition and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The paramedics returned to the club from the hospital and thanked the 24 Hour staff, saying their work prior to their initial arrival saved the member's life.

"I can't tell you how glad we all are that he pulled through," Graves told the newspaper. "If you follow the instincts you were trained on, it works."

24 Hour Fitness says all of its clubs have an AED.

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