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North Augusta to join CARE volunteer program after MASC grant award
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Summary
Council authorized Resolution No. 2025-42 to enter a contract for a MASC Big Idea Impact Grant-funded "4 Minute Community" CARE program that will recruit volunteers, integrate with dispatch, and deploy 50 AEDs across the city.
The North Augusta City Council approved Resolution No. 2025-42 to authorize a contract for a grant-funded program designed to shorten response times for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
JD McCauley (speaker 10) said the city was selected from roughly 60 applicants for the MASC Big Idea Impact Grant and will enter a contract with the provider of the "4 Minute Community" program. Under the program the city would recruit volunteers and businesses to form a CARE (cardiac arrest rapid engagement) team, train volunteers, integrate the team with the city’s 9-1-1 dispatch system, and deploy 50 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to trained community members. McCauley said the program is volunteer driven and staff identified deployment zones using 2022–2025 Aiken and Edgefield EMS data.
Staff said they plan a 2026 rollout, and councilors asked about the number of volunteers needed; McCauley said the city would need at least 50 volunteers because the program will roll out 50 AEDs. Council unanimously approved entering into the contract.
What happens next: Staff will finalize the contract and begin volunteer recruitment and outreach, including public information campaigns and coordination with Chief Johnson and dispatch.
