Safety agencies are not addressing the fact that thousands of people are dying in high rise and office buildings each year in the US, because EMS simply can’t get to them in time. Arrest victims and rescuers have no access to the only device that can save them – an AED.

Paramedics and firefighters are doing the very best they can – it’s time for our heart advocates and building code engineers to identify this continuing tragedy as a major public health problem – to mandate minimal AED provisions for high rises – and enable the residents and workers in danger to protect themselves.