McKinney Fire Department officials are working to distribute 400 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) over the next five years, with the goal of becoming a ‘Four-Minute City’. This designation means that no matter where you are within city limits, you’re only four minutes away from an AED.

The Initiative

The ‘Four-Minute City’ initiative is part of the city’s efforts to improve cardiac arrest survival rates. According to Battalion Chief Ben Jones, if a person experiences cardiac arrest, they lose a 10% chance of survivability for every minute that they are not treated.

The fire department has already doubled the number of AEDs in McKinney and cut their dispatch time in half. The city has added AEDs to publicly accessible places like parks, recreation centers, and public libraries. The department has also placed 80 AEDs in police vehicles.

Neighborhood Heroes Program

The Neighborhood Heroes program equips trained citizens with AEDs, enabling them to respond to cardiac arrests within a half-mile radius of their position. Citizens who are trained through the program receive their own device that can be used to respond to cardiac arrests. If a cardiac arrest is reported within a mile of that person’s location, they receive a notification through a smartphone app.

AEDs guide trained citizens through the process of placing pads, performing CPR, and delivering shocks through the placed pads. The McKinney Fire Department has already distributed 12 AEDs to participating citizens after they were trained through the Neighborhood Heroes program.

In 2025, first responders in McKinney saved 17 people from cardiac arrest. Jones said that before this initiative, he had never seen one person saved during his 20-year career.

Getting Involved

The McKinney Fire Department offers training opportunities for community members interested in learning how to perform CPR and use an AED. To get involved, sign up online for the McKinney Fire Department’s ‘Ready to React’ class, apply to be a Neighborhood Hero, complete an in-person evaluation, and collect equipment and begin service.

Original reporting: Community Impact — McKinney — read the source article.