American Heart Association

Don’t just sit there: learn CPR at these airports

Hands-only CPR training unit at Chicago O’Hare Airport

As helpful airport amenities go, Hands-Only CPR training kiosks can be lifesavers.

The American Heart Association already has these machines at six airports:

  • O’Hare International Airport (ORD): Terminal 2 by Gates E1, E2 and E3
  • Indianapolis International Airport (IND): Terminal A, Gate 8
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): Concourse A between Gates A11 and A15
  • Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI): Concourse B, Gate B7
  • Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW): Terminal E between E21 and E31
  • Harrisburg International Airport (MDT): Concourse B

Now three more machines are coming online:

  • Cleveland Hopkins International: behind the Central Checkpoint – starting July 24
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International: Concourse A, Gates A6-A22 – starting Aug 1
  • Orlando International Airport: entrance to the Main Food Court.

The machines offer a five-minute course in the Hands-Only CPR technique and can really help save lives: more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside the hospital each year and about 20 percent occur in public places such as airports. Performing CPR right away can double or triple a victim’s chance of surviving.

Each kiosk has a touch screen with a short video that provides an overview of Hands-Only CPR, followed by a practice session on a rubber torso and a 30-second test.  The kiosk gives feedback on hand placement and the depth and rate of  compresssions.

Not sure this works? In 2016 Matt Lickebrock spent 5 minutes learning the CPR technique on a machine at DFW International Airport in 2015 and few days later learned his new skill to save the life of his buddy, Sean Ferguson after he was struck by lightning in a parking lot at the University of Dayton. That’s Ferguson in the pic below learning the technique too.

Photos courtesy American Heart Association

 

Airports with walking paths

Although the American Heart Association celebrated National Walking Day on April 3rd this year, it’s a good idea to spend at least part of everyday walking.

And, with long, carpeted concourses and little-used stairways alongside most escalators, airports offer a great place to do some of that walking.

Here’s a list of some U.S. airports that have gone the extra step and mapped out cardio trails inside the terminals. Some airports, such as BWI, list the walking path info on their websites; paths for others, such as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, can be found on the American Heart Association website.

BWI CARDIO TRAIL

The newest cardio trail is at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, which last week introduced two marked walking paths inside the Airport terminal.

The Terminal Loop is a 1K round-trip walk along the public side of the terminal’s upper level (the area with white tile floor prior to security checkpoints). Start anywhere along the upper level of the terminal and walk to the end of Concourse A, circle back to the end of Concourse E and return to your starting point.

The Concourse A/B Loop is a 1K round-trip walk inside the secured area of Concourse A and B. Start anywhere along either A or B Concourse. Walk to the end of Concourse A, circle back to the end of Concourse B and return to your starting point.

It takes about 20 minutes to walk each loop. Look for the BWI Cardio Trail logos on the walls, get a map from the information desk or download a copy of the trail map here.

Other airports with cardio trails include:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: The walk from Concourse A to Concourse E is .79 miles. See a map here.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport: The path measures seven-tenths of a mile and follow the DFW Art Program floor medallions in International Terminal D. There are markings/signage between each of the twelve medallions between gates D6 and D40. To stretch the walk, there are two 55-foot high staircases that lead up to the Skylink stations.

Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport has a 2 mile Health Walk mapped out for passengers.

Indianapolis International Airport has a map with five walking paths marked on it.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has a 1.4 mile walking path and a downloadable brochure to lead the way.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
has also paced off the mileage inside the airport: It’s a half-mile from the Central Terminal to the end of Concourse A. Walk the full length of Concourses A, B, C, and D and you’ll have traveled over two miles.

If you know of some other airports that have official walking paths through the terminals, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.