A phone being pulled out of a white and red AED cabinet made to look like a phone booth

Managing AEDs Across Multiple Locations: Program, Servicing, and Monthly AED Inspection Checklist

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) fleets can fall out of readiness without anyone noticing. Managing AEDs across multiple locations means tracking separate expiry dates, status checks, and site contacts at every location. Pads and batteries can expire on different cycles at different sites, recalls can miss units nobody registered, and inspection schedules can disappear the moment a trained staff member leaves. 

Here, you'll learn how our AED Management Program can simplify your maintenance schedule. Plus, we’ve included a monthly AED inspection checklist any site contact can run in five minutes, and guidance on when the job calls for a specialist instead. With more than 20 years of experience managing AED fleets for organizations across Canada, our specialists know how to keep a fleet rescue-ready at every site, no matter how many locations you're responsible for. 

Read on, or contact a specialist about enrolling your fleet.

Updated September 2026

What Causes AED Fleets to Fall Out of Readiness

AED fleets fall out of readiness for one main reason: nobody has written down what to check, how often, and whose job it is. Without a documented process, upkeep depends on someone remembering, and memory typically doesn't hold up across multiple sites.

That gap shows up in a few predictable ways. Every AED model has its own pad and battery lifespan, so without a tracking schedule, consumables at different sites can expire months apart. The same problem occurs with staff turnover: the person who ran monthly checks carried the process in their head, and when they leave, the process leaves with them. Recalls are also an issue, since notices only reach devices the manufacturer has on record, and unregistered units never get notified at all. 

In our experience, expired consumables are the most common failure across mixed fleets, and we've also found entire sites carrying AEDs well past the point they should have been traded in. Without a logged history of inspections, there's also no way to show what was checked and when, which is exactly what Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) auditors and post-incident reviews ask for first.

What the AED Management Program Does

Our AED Management Program tracks every device in your fleet, so pads, batteries, and recalls stay current without your team manually monitoring each site.

Every device is tracked by location

Each AED in your fleet is logged by site, model, and serial number, so you always know what's installed where. If a device needs attention, whether that's a recall or scheduled service, you know exactly which location to call.

Expiry reminders are sent before anything lapses

You get a heads-up before any pad or battery in your fleet expires, sent per device or rolled into one fleet-wide report, whichever fits how your team works.

Consumables are shipped on your schedule

Replacement pads and batteries ship to the right site before the old ones expire. We work around your purchase order and billing process, however your organization runs procurement.

Recall monitoring is built in

As a Health Canada-licensed distributor, we monitor and act on device recalls. We automatically check every device we manage against active recalls.

Audit readiness documentation is quick and easy to access

You get a report showing every device's status across every site, ready to hand to an auditor or a leadership team.

Pricing for a multi-location program is based on your fleet size, and larger fleets get preferred pricing on new units and consumables. Ready to move forward? Start with our bulk order form or talk to a specialist about enrolling your locations.

The Monthly AED Inspection Checklist

A monthly AED inspection takes about five minutes per device and covers five checks: physical setup, status indicator, consumables, paperwork, and what to do if something fails.

1. Visual and Physical Check

  • AED is in its designated location
  • Cabinet or case is clean, undamaged, and opens freely
  • Cabinet alarm sounds when opened, if your unit has one
  • AED signage is visible and unobstructed
  • Nothing is stored in front of or against the cabinet
  • Device exterior shows no cracks, damage, or moisture

2. Status Indicator Check

Every AED shows a ready state on its display or status window. Check it against your model below.

AED status indicators by brand: ready state, fault state, and first action
Brand Ready state Fault state First action
ZOLL (AED Plus, AED 3) Green check mark in status window Red X in status window Note code, call specialist
Philips (OnSite, FRx) Blinking green Ready light Chirping, flashing i-button Press i-button, note prompt
HeartSine (350P/360P/500P) Green status light flashing Red flash or no light Check Pad-Pak, call specialist
LIFEPAK (CR2) Green readiness LED blinking No blink, alert tone Note display, call specialist
Cardiac Science (G5) Rescue Ready indicator green Indicator red Call specialist
Defibtech (Lifeline) Status light flashing green Red flash with beep Call specialist

3. Consumables Check

Every fleet needs a steady supply of replacement pads and batteries on hand, and this is where most inspections can catch a problem.

  • Pad expiry date is readable and in the future
  • Pads are sealed in original packaging, with the cable connected where applicable
  • Battery expiry date is in the future (determined from install date, typically 4-5 years depending on the model)
  • A spare pad set is on hand, if your policy requires one
  • Rescue prep kit is present and complete: razor, shears, gloves, and mask

4. Documentation

  • Log the date, your initials, and the result of the inspection
  • Report any expiry date within 90 days so a replacement can be ordered

5. If Anything Fails

  • Tag the device "Not in service" if it can't deliver a rescue
  • Report the failure the same day to your specialist or through your program portal
  • Don't remount a failed or used device until it's inspected

Using the same format at every site makes your records comparable across locations, whether you print one per device or log digitally through your AED Management Program.

A printable PDF version of this AED maintenance checklist is available below, if you'd rather post a physical copy at each site.

Beyond the Monthly Check: What Should Be Professionally Serviced

Monthly inspections keep a healthy fleet ready, while the following situations call for special attention instead.

  • After any use: A used AED doesn't need to go back to the manufacturer. It does need a full inspection and a fresh set of consumables before it's remounted and ready again.
  • Any active recall: A recalled device gets pulled from service and assessed before it returns to its site.
  • Aging units: As a device nears the end of its warranty, it's worth a health check to see whether it still belongs in your fleet. Visit our LIFEPAK CR Plus discontinuation guide for an example of what to do when a model in your fleet is no longer supported and when it makes sense to trade it in for something newer.
  • Program-level audits: Larger organizations sometimes need a documented, third-party review of the whole fleet, not just a single device. We build that service into the AED Management Program for accounts that need it.

Talk to one of our specialists about enrolling in the AED Management Program if any of these situations sound familiar.

How It Works Across Your Locations

This is what AED program management looks like. 

  1. You enroll every device at every site, with serials and locations logged in one place. 
  2. You assign one inspection contact per site to run the monthly checklist above. That person becomes the one who knows if something's off before it becomes a problem.
  3. In the background, our program tracks expiries, ships consumables to each site, and monitors recalls across your fleet. None of this depends on any one staff member remembering to check.
  4. Any failure or recall escalates straight to a specialist, so nothing waits for one person to notice it. You get a clear next step. 
  5. An annual fleet review assesses aging units across every site and cycles them into a trade-in where it makes sense.

How the AED Management Program Caught What a Manual Process Missed

A national grocery retailer brought AED Advantage in to manage a mixed fleet of AEDs across its store locations. Before enrollment, expired accessories were present across multiple sites, and several units had aged well past the point they should have been traded in.

The deeper issue was in the records. Many of the retailer's battery replacement dates were tracked from the install-by date rather than the actual install date, and battery lifespan only starts counting once a battery is in the device. One fleet of ZOLL AED 3 units, with a 5-year battery lifespan, had replacement dates logged for January 2032, a date that would only make sense if the batteries had been installed in 2027. Once the program switched tracking to actual install dates, the fleet's real expiry schedule came into focus.

Today, that fleet runs on the same monthly checklist and program-level tracking used across every AED Advantage client enrolled in our AED Management Program, with expiries, recalls, and inspections logged in one place. Talk to a specialist about bringing your own fleet under one program.

Frequently Asked Questions

AEDs need a monthly visual and functional check, including the cabinet, status indicator, and pad and battery expiry dates. Most inspections take about five minutes per device. Check and restock devices after every use, and pull them from service immediately if a recall notice arrives.

A monthly AED inspection covers five checks: the device and cabinet, the status indicator light or display, pad and battery expiry dates, a logged record of the inspection, and a plan for what to do if any check fails. AED Advantage's checklist walks through all five for any AED model.

Yes. Every inspection should be logged with the date, the inspector's initials, and the result, whether the device passed or something needs attention. This record matters most when an OHS auditor or a post-incident review asks for proof that a fleet was maintained on schedule.

Not for routine monthly checks; any trained site contact can do those. Call a specialist after a device has been used, during an active recall, when a unit is aging toward the end of its warranty, or for a documented audit across a larger fleet.

Pricing depends on your fleet's size and needs, since a five-location fleet and a fifty-location fleet need different levels of support. Larger fleets get preferred pricing on new units and consumables. Contact a specialist for a quote based on how many devices and sites your organization manages.

Yes. AED Advantage manages fleets across multiple provinces under one program, with device tracking, expiry reminders, and recall monitoring handled centrally regardless of where each site is located. Health Canada requirements apply consistently across Canada, so the same monthly checklist and program standards work at every location.