McKinney Fire Department puts 102 AEDs in the hands of trained Neighborhood Heroes

More McKinney residents now carry a lifesaving tool. The McKinney Fire Department has given 102 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to trained community members through its Neighborhood Heroes program.

Battalion Chief Ben Jones shared the update at an Oct. 5 McKinney City Council work session. The program is part of the department's "Four-Minute City" initiative, which aims to put more than 400 AEDs in the community. Those devices would be added to the AEDs the city already has in public places.

"This is in addition to the 198 AEDs that we currently have that are public access whether they're at the libraries and the parks and the police cars," Jones said. "Overall, our goal is to have close to 600 around the city."

Neighborhood Heroes gives AEDs to trained residents so they can respond to cardiac arrests near them. When a cardiac arrest is reported close by, volunteers get an alert on a smartphone app, and they can choose to accept or decline the call. Jones said the aim is for anyone in the city to be "no more than four minutes away from a trained neighborhood hero" who can do CPR and use an AED until paramedics get there.

The program is building on progress. Cardiac arrest survival rates in McKinney have gone up by more than 35 percentage points since 2023, when the fire department set a goal to improve response times. The department handed out its first 10 AEDs to community members in May and has since bought 150 more with donated funds. Residents who want to learn the basics can also take the department's free one-hour Ready to React class, which covers hands-only CPR, AED use and Stop the Bleed.

This story is based on reporting by Community Impact, with more information from the City of McKinney.