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Where Should I Keep My AED?
January 7, 2022
We know that AEDs should be everywhere, but it is more important than when purchasing an AED, you take the time to answer the question, “Where should I keep my AED?” The placement of your AED can be crucial especially when the AED is needed to help save a life.
The most important thing to remember is to store your Lifeline AED where people can see it and access it as quickly as possible if needed in an emergency. Here are some different scenarios to consider when deciding where to keep your AED.
Indoor AED
The most common place to put an AED inside a building is in an Alarmed Wall Cabinet. The Wall Cabinet should always remain unlocked so it can be easily accessed at any time. Make sure you have plenty of signage in your building so people are always aware of where the AED is in case someone tells them to go get it.
Opening the cabinet door will set off an alarm, alerting people around that the AED has been deployed. This is important because others that hear the alarm can come help.
It is also important to place your Lifeline VIEW AED near landmarks within the building so you can tell someone to go get the AED “near the front door” or “next to the front desk.” This way, if someone is told to go get the AED, but doesn’t know where it is, they can easily find it.
Be sure to follow the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Guidelines and place the AED so it is unobstructed and at a height of no more than 48 inches from the floor (it can be lower) so anyone can access the machine.
Finally, your AED should always be in a location where it can deliver a shock within 3 minutes of someone suffering sudden cardiac arrest. If this is not possible with one AED in your building, it is time to start looking into adding more AEDs.
Portable AED
There are situations where an AED needs to be portable and carried to different locations. A couple examples of this include an AED that an athletic trainer has to bring from the office out to a field or someone who has an AED at home with them.
If your AED is portable, it is good to keep it in a Soft AED Carry Case. This way it can easily be brought from location to location. Just like an indoor AED, a portable AED should be very accessible and easy to find. If an emergency happens, you should not have to search for the AED. It should be visible and be able to be retrieved quickly and deployed.
When transporting the AED, do not place the Soft Carry Case in a larger bag. This could possibly cause a delay if the AED is needed.
If you have an AED in your home, it is good to keep it in an AED Soft Carry Case as well so it can come with you. One of the benefits of having an AED at home is that it not only keeps your family safe, but you can bring it with you wherever you go.
The most important keys to remember about where to keep your AED is to keep it visible and easily accessible! The quicker an AED is deployed during a cardiac arrest, the higher the chances are for survival.
To learn more about Defibtech and to join us on our quest to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest, visit www.Defibtech.com.
Source: https://parentheartwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Guidelines-for-AED-Installation.pdf