Praise for lifesaving fitness instructor Lee

A Stone fitness instructor has been praised after he saved the life of a 55-year-old man who collapsed at Westbridge Park Fitness Centre.

Russell Follows from Stone suffered a cardiac arrest in the changing rooms of the borough council-run centre on Westbridge Park on 19th February. Instructor Lee Nicklin used CPR and an on-site defibrillator to keep the man alive until an ambulance took him to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire. The hospital and Russell’s family say Lee’s actions had almost certainly saved his life.

Speaking about the incident, Lee, who has worked at Westbridge Park for three years, said: “I was told a man had collapsed in the changing rooms and when I got there I could see he was unconscious. I could tell from the colour in his face, it had turned dark purple, that he had probably had a cardiac arrest. I checked for a pulse but there was none so knew I had to be quick. I rolled him on to his back, ripped open his shirt and used the defibrillator. I then continued to perform CPR until the ambulance arrived. Both the hospital and members of Mr Follows’ family have said if it were not for my quick actions it is unlikely he would be alive today.”

But the 39-year-old instructor doesn’t think his actions were anything special. He added: “It was all part of the job. We are trained to use the defibrillators and knowing that it saved this man’s life demonstrates how important the machine and our regular training is.”

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Councillor Mike Smith, cabinet member for leisure, said: “Well done to Lee. He deserves all the praise he has been given. It is so important we have our staff trained to cope in this type of situation and Lee is a great example of how you have to keep a cool head in what must have been a worrying experience for all concerned.”

The borough council provides defibrillators at a number of its premises including all leisure centres, the Civic Centre, Gatehouse Theatre and the crematorium on Tixall Road, Stafford, with around 70 members of staff trained to use them.