The Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce held a luncheon honoring Lowe's in Whitehall Feb. 12.

The luncheon focused on CPR tips.

"We wanted to honor Lowe's for its quick response," said Laura Long, chamber executive, in a phone call with The Press.

Long told The Press a Lowe's employee, Frank Kloiber, had a heart attack while working, and store Manager Bob Pretorius administered CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Larry Wiersch, president and CEO of Cetronia Ambulance Corps, spoke to The Press about the incident but, due to HIPAA laws, could not release the names of those involved.

"There was an event at the store, and an individual went unconscious," Wiersch said. "The store manager that responded in house knows CPR and basically saved his life."

The individual who was unconscious was evaluated at a local hospital and was discharged safely and is now home, according to Wiersch.

The luncheon featured the Cetronia Ambulance Corps, which provided tips to the community on the importance of CPR.

"The whole thing is teamwork," Long said. "Bob (Pretorius) stabilized [Kloiber] before the EMS arrived."

Long said one tip to remember is using the beat of the Bee Gee's song "Staying Alive" for the chest compressions.

"Teaching our community the importance of CPR was the focus of the luncheon," Wiersch said. "Had someone not known what to do, the outcome could have been different, significantly different."

"When the heart stops, you need to act quickly," he added. "If you don't want to do the mouth-to-mouth, that's okay. But do the chest compressions.

"The folks from Lowe's were humble and don't want to be looked on as heroes," Wiersch added. "They said they did what anyone would do."

Wiersch said Pennsylvania is a state that offers legal immunity to people who are first responders. He also said that citizen CPR serves as a major life-saving tool.

The Cetronia Ambulance Corps offers courses for the public to learn CPR.

Kloiber and Pretorius were unable to be reached before this Press deadline.