HEN MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT AIRPORTS, THEY picture movement — hundreds of thousands of travelers passing through concourses each day, flights taking off and landing in synchronized rhythm and teams of airport professionals working tirelessly to keep the system running smoothly. But I see something even more powerful: a nationwide network with the capacity to create meaningful, measurable change well beyond the boundaries of travel.
That belief sits at the heart of our new initiative and the campaign guiding it: Be Ready in a Heartbeat. Because in a cardiac emergency, readiness isn’t abstract, it’s the difference between life lost and life saved.
As AAAE chair, one of my key priorities is to encourage every airport in our network to take a fresh look at one of the most critical components of life safety: ensuring that AEDs are accessible, clearly marked, properly maintained, and, most importantly, supported by a comprehensive Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP).
With millions of people traveling each day, often under stressful, tiring, or unfamiliar conditions, airports are precisely the kind of environment where preparedness makes a difference.
A LOSS THAT STILL RESONATES
This initiative didn’t stem from policy conversations; it was born from a profound loss that struck our airport family. In 2022, one of our employees suffered a sudden cardiac event while traveling. Although people around him responded immediately, the nearest AED was too far away to help. We lost not just a team member, but a friend, a colleague and someone who had dedicated his career to serving this industry.
I have never forgotten that loss and I never will. His passing is a reminder that cardiac events do not discriminate by age, place or purpose. They happen in hotel lobbies, conference halls, parking garages, airplanes, terminals and everywhere in between. But when they happen in airports, we have the unique opportunity, and I would argue obligation, to be ready in a heartbeat.
THE POWER OF BEING PREPARED
If there was ever a question of whether AED access matters in airports, 2025 answered it for me. At my home airport in Boise, we experienced two cardiac incidents within this past year. Thanks to the immediate response of nearby staff and the availability of AEDs, both of those individuals survived. That is the difference we are talking about. Not statistics. Not hypotheticals. Parents, spouses, coworkers and loved ones who are still here today because the right equipment was available in moments that mattered.
WHY AIRPORTS ARE IDEAL FOR THIS CHANGE
Airports are more than transportation hubs; they are small cities. Every day, they bring together people of all ages, health conditions and stress levels. They are staffed by professionals who are trained to communicate swiftly, collaborate seamlessly and operate under pressure. This environment, dense crowds, structured operations and a culture of coordination, makes airports ideal leaders in public-health and life-safety initiatives. Airports set the gold standard for serving our communities. And for many airports, that begins with reevaluating existing CERPs or creating them for the first time.
BUILDING A STRONGER NETWORK THROUGH PARTNERSHIP
To help airports take this critical step, we are proud to partner with the American Heart Association (AHA) to provide guidance, training and support for building or strengthening CERPs. Through this partnership, you’ll have access to:
• Guidance on AED placement and accessibility
• Training resources tailored for airport environments
• Best practices for response coordination
• Support for staff certifications
• Tools to help airports communicate emergency protocols clearly
Through the AHA, we are connecting our airports to the best available science, the most up-to-date recommendations, and a support system that ensures our focus is not only on devices but on the people trained to use them.
A TANGIBLE, MEANINGFUL LEGACY
As I reflect on my time as AAAE chair, I’ve come to appreciate that leadership is not only about guiding the industry forward, but also about leaving behind initiatives that protect people long after our terms end. Many of the projects we pursue each year are important and necessary. But few are as universally meaningful as the commitment to saving lives. Whether someone is a business traveler rushing to make a connection, a family beginning a long-awaited vacation, an airport employee finishing their shift, or a pilot preparing for departure, every person deserves to know that if the unthinkable happens, help is nearby. This is the legacy I want our association to embrace: that we strengthened our airports not just in operations and infrastructure, but in humanity.
In the coming months, we will continue rolling out resources, toolkits, and best-practice templates for all airport members who wish to enhance their AED programs or implement new ones. We will highlight success stories, share lessons learned and celebrate airports that commit to improving their cardiac-emergency readiness. Most importantly, we will continue encouraging conversation because awareness is the first step toward action. Every airport has the power to save a life. And every life saved becomes part of our industry’s story.
A Call to Our Community
My hope is that every airport leader reading this takes a moment to look around their terminal with a new lens. Ask yourself:
If a cardiac event happened here today, how quickly could we respond?
Are AEDs easy to locate, easy to access and regularly inspected?
Do our employees know exactly what to do in the first critical minutes?
Does our CERP truly reflect our airport’s unique layout and operations?
If the answer to any of these is “I’m not sure,” then this initiative is for you. Together, we can build a safer national airport system. One that’s prepared, proactive, and always ready when it matters most.
Together, we can be ready in a heartbeat.