The Arlington Fire Department recently honored three citizens who helped save the life of a man who collapsed at a gym in April.

On April 18, a 54-year-old man went into cardiac arrest and fell unconscious at a 24-Hour Fitness location in Arlington. A gym employee and two nearby patrons immediately went to the man"s aid, performing CPR and using an AED until first responders could arrive.

The man was transported to Medical Center Arlington and made a full recovery.

On June 20, Bob Reames, Tony Kuligowski and Carolyn Kirk received Life Saving awards from the Arlington Fire Department during a ceremony at Fire Station No. 9, which had responded to the emergency call.

Cardiac arrest an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and disrupts the flow of blood to the brain, lungs and other organs is a leading cause of death, according to the American Heart Association. Each year, more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States.

When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby. Almost 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest, can double or triple a person"s chance of survival.

"Every second counts when someone goes into cardiac arrest. The sooner CPR is started, the better chance the patient has to survive. Learning CPR give you the ability to save the life of a loved one or even a complete stranger," Fire Department spokesman Lt. David Tyler said.

That"s why the City launched its CPaRlington program in 2005, with the goal of training 10 percent of Arlington"s population. Since the program began, more than 40,000 residents have learned how to save a life. http://www.arlington-tx.gov/fire/programs-initiative/cparlington/

Click here to find a CPR or AED class near you: http://www.arlington-tx.gov/fire/programs-initiative/cpr-aed-training/