Awards doled out for 11 who saved man’s life at gym

An article by Angela Niemi    1 Comment

Eleven people were honored with Life Saving Awards at the Commerce Township Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14, after recently saving a man’s life.

The 11 people acknowledged were Fitness 19 employees, local firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).

Around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2011, the Commerce Township Fire Department responded to Fitness 19 on Union Lake Road for a man who had a seizure.

The man, Carl Stock, was exercising on an elliptical machine when he began to have a seizure. Andrew Rambo, Kevin Shaw, and Curtis Tayler, employees at Fitness 19, began performing CPR on the 64-year-old victim until Commerce Township Fire Department personnel arrived.

Meanwhile, two off-duty firefighters in the area, Kevin Newhouse and Kirk Werner, learned of the CPR call and responded to assist Commerce Firefighters Andrew Boring, James Carpenter, Zack Schwartz, and Roger Wilson.

The group worked together administering CPR as Stock continued to have no pulse, until an ambulance arrived.

While being transported to DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, two paramedics with Community EMS, John Bonham and Jaime Allison, had to defibrillation Stock, which re-established his heart beat and respiration.

The effort of all 11 people paid off as they saved Stock’s life.

“Due to the combined efforts from employees at Fitness 19, members of the Fire Department and the crew from Community EMS, Mr. Stock is with us today,” said Commerce Fire Chief Joe Schornack. “I commend the efforts of all the individuals involved in this ‘Life Saving’ incident.”

All 11 honorees were present at the meeting, as well as Stock and his wife, who thanked all involved.

The Stock’s son, Eric, is a new member of the Commerce Fire Department, currently attending the fire academy, according to Schornack.