Four men, including an Olympian, from a north-east gym have been given awards after saving a man’s life earlier this year.
Staff at the Unit, a gym in Banchory, were given certificates from the ambulance service for their help in saving a man’s life, who collapsed with after suffering a heart attack, last March
Snowboarder Ben Kilner, who represented Team GB at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, rushed to the aid of the man along with his father Stephen, Richie Batho and Craig Scott after the man took ill.
The men all work for the gym and fitness centre owned by Stephen and Ben Kilner and their family.
The Unit is based within the grounds of the Tor-Na-Coille Hotel in Banchory.
The men were alerted by a gardener who had witnessed his colleague – believed to be in his 30s – collapse.
Realising that the patient was unconscious and in cardiac arrest they commenced CPR by taking turns and gave four shocks with the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED).
They continued until emergency services, a paramedic car and an emergency ambulance, arrived.
‘Asked if we had a defib on site’
Mr Scott said: “Once we got in contact with the call handler for the situation, once they realised that the time between breaths was a lot more extensive than it should be they asked if we had a defib on site.
“So at that point Steve started CPR.
“I ran back over to the gym to get a defib machine.
“Between the two of us at that point, I started doing the CPR, whilst the defib was also kind-of doing its job as well.”
The man has since recovered at home.
The ambulance service said that the efforts of the men, along with staff saved his life.
A couple of weeks after the incident took place, the man’s family came into the gym to thank them for their efforts.
All four men were awarded certificates, which were presented by Alan McGee, clinical team leader at Aberdeen Ambulance Station.
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