REMSA HONORS DOUBLE DIAMOND ATHLETIC CLUB OWNER FOR LIFE-SAVING ACTIONS PERFORMED ON CLUB MEMBER

April 3, 2003 – Today, REMSA (Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority) will honor a local hero in our community, Double Diamond Athletic Club Owner, Mike Shirley. REMSA staff will present Mr. Shirley with REMSA’s Life Saver Award for the valiant life-saving actions he performed with the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) to 62 year-old club member, Ron Gould.

Mr. Gould was playing racquetball on Wednesday, January 8, when he dropped to the ground and went into full cardiac arrest. Mr. Shirley immediately advised his staff to call 9-1-1 and applied the AED to the patient. With one electronic fire from the AED, Shirley jump-started the patient’s heart. When REMSA critical care nurses Alan Dobrowolski and Alison Hudson arrived on the scene, they monitored the patient and performed a full patient assessment, transporting Mr. Gould to Washoe Medical Center. Today, Mr. Gould is alive and well thanks to the quick actions of Mr. Shirley.

Since 1998, REMSA has proactively provided education and training for AEDs throughout northern Nevada and approximately 58 devices have been placed throughout Washoe County. REMSA has placed or contributed to approximately 21 of the AEDs in businesses, schools and public access areas. “The save I performed is just one of many important reasons why businesses should support AEDs on site at their place of business. I’m just glad we were proactive in placing the AED at our gym and provided the training to our staff so we were prepared to address this emergency,” said Mike Shirley, Owner of Double Diamond Athletic Club.

REMSA is currently working with the City of Reno to gather more support for the recently launched “Queen of Hearts Campaign” promoting placement of AEDs in public access areas. REMSA and the City of Reno are encouraging local businesses to purchase AEDs for public access areas and once an AED is purchased, REMSA is available to provide all the AED training to employees of the public access area.

REMSA is a private, not-for-profit emergency medical services system serving northern Nevada. REMSA’s state-of-the art 9-1-1 dispatch communications center is fully accredited and also provides lifesaving pre-arrival instructions for those in need when calling 9-1-1. REMSA provides high quality patient care with no taxpayer support or other subsidies.