Chester County Wins J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award for Innovation in Emergency Response

The South Carolina Association of Counties (SCAC) is pleased to announce Chester County has won the 2024 J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award for their project, “Enhancing Emergency Response: Leveraging Technology for Coordinated Efforts to Protect Our Schools.” The award was given during this year’s SCAC Fall Advocacy Meeting. 

Chester County set out to improve their emergency response to critical incidents like school shootings. To do this, county leaders established a planning group of 10 agencies and entered into mutual aid agreements with neighboring counties.  

In addition, the county developed and implemented an online and mobile app using geographic information system data to enhance operational planning. The app provides real-time situational awareness, supports more than 30 types of incidents and is used by various emergency services. This tool facilitates coordination and optimizes allocation of resources to effectively manage emergencies. 

"We've got a good program here, and it needs to be recognized," said Chester County Emergency Management Director Ed Darby. "The future of our county, our state, our county is our children, and they need a safe place to study, a safe place to go to school." 

The J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award was established in 1973 to recognize counties that address community challenges, implement operational improvements or enhance residents’ quality of life in a unique way. The award was named for past SCAC President J. Mitchell Graham, who served the Association from 1969 to 1970. 

“We had some phenomenal entries this year, and Chester County’s efforts to enhance their crisis response stood out,” said SCAC President William Robinson. “I’m inspired to see all the different ways our counties are working to improve their communities. Chester County’s submission embodies the spirit of the J. Mitchell Graham award by demonstrating innovation that not only improves emergency response operations and protects children but also serves as an example that other counties can follow to improve public safety.” 

SCAC received eight entries for this year’s J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award from counties throughout the state. 

Honorable mentions for the J. Mitchell Graham award are: 

• Beaufort County (population over 150,000) – Emerging Leaders’ Annual Women’s Conference 
• Orangeburg County (population between 50,000-150,000) – Beyond Reading and Resources: MUSC and Orangeburg County Library bring Library Resource Associates to Orangeburg County 
• Georgetown County (population under 50,000) – Development and Implementation of New Firefighter Ability Test 

Summaries of this year’s award entries can be found here.