Where Should an AED Be Placed?

An AED's value is measured in minutes: the faster it reaches the person, the better the odds. So placement isn't a facilities detail — it is the response plan. The question to ask about any spot: from the farthest place people regularly gather, how long does the round trip take at a brisk walk?

Placement principles that hold up

• Central and visible — along a main route people already walk, at eye level, with signage
• Do the walk test: from your busiest and farthest areas, a responder should complete the round trip in roughly the first minutes of an emergency — walk it and time it, then move the unit if the number disappoints
• Never behind a locked door during operating hours — reception desks beat back offices, hallways beat storage rooms
• Near known-risk areas: gym floors, pools, athletic fields, high-exertion work zones
• Large or multi-floor sites usually need more than one unit — one AED per quick-reach zone beats one perfect location
• Outdoor and vehicle-stored units need protection from Florida heat and weather
• Tell everyone: an AED nobody can find might as well not exist

Common placement mistakes

• Locked in a manager's office 'so it doesn't walk off'
• Mounted where it was convenient to install, not where people are
• Purchased, mounted, and never mentioned again — no orientation, no signage
• In-date on installation day, expired pads two years later with nobody assigned to check

Notice the pattern: placement failures are really planning failures. The fix is the same either way — treat the AED as part of a practiced response, not a wall decoration.