BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS APPROVE PURCHASE OF AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS

(Van Nuys, California - December 4, 2001) The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners tonight approved the purchase and installation of 50 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) as part of Los Angeles World Airports' (LAWA's) continued commitment to passenger safety. This action represents Phase I of LAWA's AED program with its implementation set for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for early 2002.

According to the American Heart Association, when a person suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival is decreased by 7 percent to 10 percent for each minute during which defibrillation is not administered. Phase I of the program will assign AEDs to LAX Airport Police at strategically located fixed posts in the passenger terminals beyond passenger screening stations and on bicycle patrol units. Airport Police officers will be trained in the use of this life-saving device so they can become first responders.

An AED is a mechanical/electrical instrument used to apply an electrical shock to a person whose heart is in fibrillation. The shock is intended to cause the heart to defibrillate and return to a more normal rhythm.

At LAX, the program also calls for the AEDs to be housed in metal cabinets built into the walls of the terminals and hard-wired to the LAX Airport Police Dispatch Center so that an automatic alarm would notify police when a device is removed from its cabinet. While funds have yet to be allocated to cover this portion, LAWA intends to complete the entire AED program as originally designed, including its implementation at Ontario, Van Nuys and Palmdale Regional Airports.