web1_TTL110918WilkesVets4.jpg

Veterans Day parade set for Sunday, will mark WWI armistice

web1_planes.jpg

Pocono Raceway Air Show will feature Pearl Harbor re-enactment

<p>EDWARDSVILLE &#8212; Employees of an area fitness center were among those honored Thursday for their part in saving a woman&#8217;s life this summer.</p><p>Planet Fitness club manager Kari Schwarz, trainer Danny Fuertes and shift manager Bryan Taskalos were provided with honorary plaques during the borough&#8217;s monthly council meeting for their roles in assisting Kingston resident Carol Centrella when she went into cardiac arrest at the gym Aug. 8.</p><p>According to Fuertes, he realized something was amiss when he noticed fellow gym member Gail Brennan struggling to stop Centrella&#8217;s treadmill.</p><p>&#8220;Right off the bat I knew something was wrong,&#8221; he explained of the incident.</p><p>Once he discovered Centrella was unable to respond, Fuertes told employees to call 911 while he stabilized her with the assistance of an off-duty nurse who belongs to the gym.</p><p>Manager Schwarz said Centrella is a regular at Planet Fitness.</p><p>She was just happy her employees knew how to act in a time of distress.</p><p>Although the fitness center has seen varying degrees of medical emergencies over the years, she said they hadn&#8217;t dealt with anything life-threatening.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just happy we strive to make sure the team is always trained and certified,&#8221; Schwarz said.</p><p>Along with employees of the fitness center, paramedics from TransMed, a responding officer and others were honored for helping save the woman.</p><p>Paramedic Dave Prohaska also awarded the group with plaques on behalf of TransMed.</p><p>Sitting front and center at the council meeting, an emotional Centrella thanked first responders while urging attendees to visit the fitness center. She&#8217;s sure she wouldn&#8217;t be here today if it wasn&#8217;t for the efforts of staff and fellow gym members.</p><p>&#8220;Had I been home by myself I would have been dead,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s nice to know that there are people there that can do that.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers3_faa-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carol Centrella sits in the audience at Thursday&#8217;s Edwardsville council meeting, where the borough honored first responders and Planet Fitness staffers who helped save her life. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers3_faa-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Carol Centrella sits in the audience at Thursday&#8217;s Edwardsville council meeting, where the borough honored first responders and Planet Fitness staffers who helped save her life. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers2_faa-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dave Prohaska, a paramedic from Trans-Med Ambulance Services, says a few words before he gave awards Thursday to Kari Schwarz and Danny Fuertes of Planet Fitness and Bruce Richards, a Planet Fitness member. They were all honored for helping save Kingston&#8217;s Carol Centrella, who went into cardiac arrest while at Planet Fitness in Edwardsville this summer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers2_faa-1-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dave Prohaska, a paramedic from Trans-Med Ambulance Services, says a few words before he gave awards Thursday to Kari Schwarz and Danny Fuertes of Planet Fitness and Bruce Richards, a Planet Fitness member. They were all honored for helping save Kingston&#8217;s Carol Centrella, who went into cardiac arrest while at Planet Fitness in Edwardsville this summer. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers1_faa-2-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Carol Centrella, of Kingston, talks with the paramedics who helped save her life, Jamie Souder, left, and Dave Prohaska, of Trans-Med Ambulance Services. The paramedics and staffers from Planet Fitness gym were honored by Edwardsville council on Thursday night for their efforts to help Centrella, who went into cardiac arrest at the gym. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_life_savers1_faa-2-.jpg</photo2><caption2>Carol Centrella, of Kingston, talks with the paramedics who helped save her life, Jamie Souder, left, and Dave Prohaska, of Trans-Med Ambulance Services. The paramedics and staffers from Planet Fitness gym were honored by Edwardsville council on Thursday night for their efforts to help Centrella, who went into cardiac arrest at the gym. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Edwardsville recognizes those who helped woman in cardiac arrest</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Marcella Kester</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Edwardsville gym staffers, paramedics honored by council for helping save woman