Getting right to the heart of the matter -- congratulations are in order for the Town of Fountain Hills, Rural/Metro Fountain Hills Fire Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and others responsible over the years for making our community a safer one.

And by a safer one, we mean a community that meets or exceeds certain criteria for cardiac arrest preparedness.

The Save Hearts in Arizona Registry & Education made it official last week by declaring us a “Heart Safe City.” One of the main components of this recognition revolves around the AEDs or automated electronic defibrillators placed in key locations in Fountain Hills.

Citizen Phil Gaziano was the principal driving force behind launching the AED program years ago, and today we see the success of this overall cardiac arrest preparedness in our community. There are more than three dozen AEDs in public locations in town. MCSO has 12 portable units. CPR training is done on a regular basis. Several lives have been “saved” through the years because of AEDs and other programs. We salute all those involved for making our community a better one.