The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Duke University are planning to create two additional Automated External Defibrillator or AED Drone launch sites in Walkertown and Pfafftown.

According to a press release sent out by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, the AED Drone Program allows Unmanned Aircraft Systems or UAS pilots to fly a drone with an AED to a patient experiencing cardiac arrest where a bystander will assist them and stay on the line with a telecommunicator until first responders arrive on the scene.

The initiative has the potential to improve treatment times, survival rates of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest patients, and also provide access to AEDs during medical emergencies, particularly in rural areas throughout Forsyth County, the sheriff’s office said.

In partnership with Duke University, the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is hosting two public information sessions about the new launch sites, the sheriff's office said.

The first session will be on Tuesday, July 28, from 6-7 p.m. at the Walkertown Branch Library at 2969 Main Street in Walkertown.

The second information session will be on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Reynolda Manor Branch Library at 2839 Fairlawn Drive in Winston Salem.

At the information session, attendees will hear from Sheriff Bobby F. Kimbrough Jr., members of the FCSO Drone Team, Monique Starks, a cardiologist with Duke University along with other representatives from the university, the sheriff's office said.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn CPR before and after the session, starting at 5 p.m., the sheriff's office said.

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