Wally the Green Monster Helps ZOLL Bring AED Awareness to Life at Fenway Park

Wally the Green Monster knows Fenway Park better than almost anyone. He knows the dugouts, the roar of a summer crowd, and the rhythm of game day.

But this July, Wally joined more than 50 Red Sox employees to focus on a different kind of Fenway readiness: what to do when someone nearby suffers sudden cardiac arrest.

As part of ZOLL’s partnership with the Boston Red Sox as the Official AED of Fenway Park, ZOLL led a CPR/AED awareness and training session for employees from security, park operations, and other key non-medical response teams. With baseball season in full swing and Fenway welcoming fans for games and summer concerts, the session focused on a message that matters at every crowded venue: rescue readiness starts before an emergency.

A Monster-Sized Reminder: AEDs Are Designed to Help

The day brought together hands-only CPR awareness, interactive ZOLL AED demonstrations, and one very memorable training participant: Wally the Green Monster.

Alongside the ZOLL AED mascot, Wally helped make the session approachable, visual, and hard to forget. The lighthearted moment carried a serious point. AEDs are not just equipment on the wall. They are designed to guide nearby bystanders with clear, step-by-step instructions so they can feel more confident acting before emergency responders arrive.

More than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the U.S. each year. In those first critical minutes, the person closest to the emergency can play a critical role in saving a life. Immediate CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival, yet fewer than half of Americans know that AEDs are designed to provide guidance on how to give CPR and administer a shock to the heart.

That is the confidence gap ZOLL and the Red Sox aimed to help close at Saturday’s training.

The People Behind the Purpose

The session also included personal perspectives from a ZOLL employee and sudden cardiac arrest advocate whose family has been forever shaped by loss.

Abbie Moyer shared the story of her brother, Greg, who died after collapsing in a gym where people wanted to help but did not have access to an AED.

Her story brought the purpose of the training into sharp focus: people are often willing to help, but they need AED access, awareness, and confidence.

From Fenway Park to Fields, Gyms, and Schools

ZOLL’s “Anything Can Happen. Anyone Can Help.” campaign uses high-profile collaborations, including its work with the Boston Red Sox, to raise AED awareness from Fenway Park to local fields, gyms, and schools.

The campaign has recently focused on youth sports, where many parents mistakenly assume emergency preparedness is already in place. A recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll for ZOLL found that more than half of parents believe AEDs are required at their child’s practice or game facility and that coaches are CPR certified. Neither is universally required.

That gap is a call to action for parents, coaches, athletic directors, facility leaders, and communities: know where the nearest AED is, confirm it is accessible, and make sure there is an emergency plan in place before anyone takes the field.

Rescue Readiness Takes Teamwork

At Fenway, preparedness is a team effort. Security, park operations, guest services, and other non-medical response teams may be among the first people nearby when an emergency happens.

The Fenway session helped reinforce that AEDs are there to help them react. With real-time audio and visual guidance, AEDs can turn hesitation into action when seconds count.

Wally may have brought the ballpark fun, but the message was clear for every venue, school, workplace, and community space: AEDs should be visible, accessible, and familiar before every second counts.

Because when anything can happen, anyone can help.