Kerplop

So, what would you do if you were lying in a sauna, happily sweating, and you hear a thud and look out the sauna window to see a woman on the floor?

Yes, get up and ask if she's ok. But her head is kinda blocking the door and you only have one arm because the other is keeping the towel in place on your body.

So, you forcibly open the door pushing her body across the floor.

OK, well maybe not. There was enough space to get out.

She was conscious. Very dizzy. I didn't want her to sit up but she did. Asked her some of the right questions: her name, on any medications, had anything to drink / eat this morning, how long were you working out, etc. She only had tea and water for breakfast and worked out for an hour, without drinking anything. DUH. She had been in the disability bathroom and felt like she was going to pass out, and the door was locked, so she got up and opened the door.

An employee from the gym came in and asked what was up. I told her to get water and an ice pack. She picked up the woman's glasses from across the floor, and handed them to her. The woman refused an ambulance and asked her to call her husband. And when the employee was out, the woman said she had to use the bathroom still. So I thought, ok, she has to pee. I helped her to the toilet (no way was she walking without assistance!!!). But no, she had to dump. Oh well. When she got out she couldn't remember what happened.  !

In any event, a quicker overview. The female employee had to be told what to do - like help her walk, sit with her, get her some juice, etc. The manager refused to give it because didn't want to give her food. I went out and said she needed juice or something like gatorade. The manager of the gym said he couldn't go into the women's area to help because it was the women's area. When I get him in there, he puts on his 'first responder' alter ego and does a few simple tests/questions. He also says he can't call an ambulance because she refused it.

Rather than continue a bad overview of what happened because it would take all day and I have to go to the gym, here are some rants and lessons:
- How passive can you get as employees??? Can you not take control??
- If you are a true first responder, you will not be stopped by the simple matter of it being in a women's room.
- As a gym, you do not NOT call an ambulance because the person says he/she doesn't want one. You call it and let the person refuse it directly. If you do not call the ambulance you are taking responsibility for the person.
- If a person has passed out and fallen onto a tile floor, you must assume that there might be a head/neck injury so you should not let the person move.  (glasses flying away were an indicator)
- Most people will automatically refuse an ambulance - even people with arterial bleeding will!

 Let me just say I did not do everything right. I learned a few things by calling my friend who is a volunteer firefighter after the fact to rant. Always room for improvement.