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Duke Drone AED Program

At a glance

What: The county's research agreement with Duke University for drone-delivered defibrillators (AEDs), with equipment payments and a planned new location.

Where it stands: On 2026-09-17 the board unanimously approved a revised second amendment that cuts the added funding to $88,537 (a $44,739 reduction from the $133,276 approved on June 4, 2026, which Duke never fully executed), for a revised total of $547,737. The amendment covers a fourth base and enhanced drone platforms. A speaker asked the board to request a briefing on the county's personnel costs for the program.

Log

  • 2026-09-17 - Board of County Commissioners - Revised agreement approved unanimously; public comment asked for a personnel-cost briefing.
  • 2026-09-17 - Board of County Commissioners (minutes) - Chris Parker moved the resolution and the matching public safety grant projects ordinance amendment reducing the project budget by $44,739; G. Gray Wilson seconded; unanimous. The original contract was $459,200, and a first amendment on March 30 added data security terms. Marsie West asked for a briefing on personnel costs.
  • 2026-09-14 - Board of County Commissioners Briefing - Briefing on the revised second amendment: added funding reduced to $88,537, revised total $547,737 (from auto-captions).

Sources