A new law requires businesses that make bodies buff to keep a
defibrillator on site, along with staff trained to use it.
Gilroy – A new law requires businesses that make bodies buff to keep a defibrillator on site, along with staff trained to use it.
Assembly Bill 1507, passed in 2005, applies to health clubs, dance studios, martial arts trainers, racquet balls clubs and personal trainers who maintain gyms. The new rule doesn’t faze personal trainer Charlie Cheng, who works at Gilroy Health and Fitness.
“We have them distributed to all our clubs now,” said Cheng, “and we had a workshop to train all our employees to use them. It’s pretty foolproof.”
The Emergency Medical System Agency held two April trainings in Sunnyvale and Campbell to teach fitness studios how to use the device, which jolts cardiac sufferers back into a regular heartbeat. Cheng said Gilroy Health and Fitness has only faced a cardiac emergency once, over a decade ago. Sadly, the incident was fatal.
Otherwise, “we’ve been pretty lucky,” he said.
The law goes into effect Sunday, July 1.
