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By Jim Buice

For the Clemmons Courier

CLEMMONS — After Clemmons was chosen by Forsyth County as the first choice for a Drone as First Responder Program to respond to emergency calls in 2022, another initiative involving the first drone delivery of an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) is next to make its debut in the village.

Representatives from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Forsyth County Emergency Services were on hand in Monday night’s village council meeting to offer more details on the first drone delivery of an AED to assist with cardiac arrest in Clemmons.

Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said that the launching of this “first of its kind” event will be coming to the village in less than 45 days. A simulated event cardiac arrest scenario took place last year at Agape Faith Church in Clemmons.

“You all were gracious and kind enough to allow us to launch (the first drone program) here,” Kimbrough said. “There are only nine in the United States, and this is the only one in the state. This has caught on with not only state attention but also national attention.”

He said that Dr. Monique Starks, a Harvard graduate and researcher at Duke University, saw what was going on, “and she had the idea of doing research about delivering drones and AED and meshing them together. So she reached out to us and we met and sat down and listened to her — not to mention that she brought the checkbook in the amount of $5 million. So she had our attention.

“And we started exploring with the idea of being the first in the United States to deliver AED heart defibrillators via drones. So a crew of us went to Sweden and Denmark to look at how they were doing these things. We were out of the country for four or five days.”

So the result is the upcoming launch here.

“It’s caught a lot of attention — the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal,” Kimbrough said. “We will have NBC Nightly News here in the upcoming months with Lester Holt on what’s taking place. The question that comes up all of the time is why we chose Clemmons. And my answer is always the same. It’s because we started the Drone as First Responder Program here. Needless to say, I love Clemmons. I live here. I’m excited about it.”

Chief Joey Hundley, the director of Forsyth County Emergency Services, said that the local contingent was fortunate to be able to partner with Duke, AeroX, the American Heart Association, which is the grant provider, and others on how to improve cardiac arrest survival rates in the community.

“That’s what this whole program is about,” he said. “So we’re fortunate because of the Drone as First Responder Program in Clemmons to start here before we look at other places in the county. What is comes down to is the cardiac arrest survival rate is around 10 percent, and it’s been that way for about four decades. We’re trying to figure out next steps in how to move the needle.”

Every minute counts when it comes to cardiac arrest, and Hundley said that the AED Drone Delivery Program can save lives.

“We know from a cardiac arrest perspective, it’s a 10 percent less chance of survival after every minute goes by,” he said. “So in six minutes, you have a 40 percent chance of surviving and coming out of that cardiac arrest with your life being intact.”

Also in Monday night’s meeting, the council heard from Amy Flyte, assistant village manager, about an opportunity to receive substantial grant money for a possible farmers’ market structure that could be added to the property acquired last year along the Village Point Greenway.

“Our wonderful farmers’ market manager, Lynette Fox, found a potential funding source, so I’m working on an application for the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission,” Flyte said. “The grant window is open. It says March 7, but I really need to get in by Feb. 14 because if I get it before then they will provide feedback on changes we can make to it and meet with us about it. So that’s why I asked to have it put on the agenda.”

Flyte said that the grant request is for $800,000 and that the village would need to commit a 20 percent match of $200,000, which would be a million-dollar project, and that she was asking for consensus, which she received.

“They do support farmers’ markets,” she added. “In the last five years, they have funded nine new market structures. Current market vendors are from Davie, Davidson, Stokes, Yadkin and Forsyth counties. That will help us build a strong case. This is like the third time we’ve applied for funding for a farmers’ market structure, so I hope this is the lucky time.”

In other highlights from Monday night’s meeting, the council:
• Heard from Flyte regarding a resolution authorizing enforcement of the Minimum Housing Standards, Abandoned and Unsafe Building Ordinances regarding the property at 2911 Parkhurst Drive with the next step being that a potential new owner now needs to close on the property by the end of January.
• Received from a quarterly update from Emily Harrison, stormwater technician II. She reported that there were a total of 18 projects from October through December — including four minor culvert replacements, one structure repair, five right-of-way ditch projects and seven shoulder repair locations.
• Received presentations from representatives from the Safe Schools and Roads for All Action Plan and the Master Transportation Plan.