On Friday, March 15th at 3:56pm, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to 314 Copley Place/LA Fitness in Gaithersburg’s Downtown Crown neighborhood for a person in cardiac arrest.
An employee and two gym patrons witnessed an adult go unconscious and started CPR while another grabbed the facility’s AED. An AED, or automated external defibrillator, is used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It’s a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart’s rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm (definition by Red Cross).
Per assistant MCFRS Chief David Pazos, “when MCFRS members arrived, the adult male who experienced cardiac arrest was awake after his guardian angels used the AED to shock him. It was their quick action that helped this adult get transported and to this day, is awake and recovering at a local hospital.“