Spartanburg County demonstrates innovation, compassion with 2025 SCAC award-winning project
October 27, 2025
The South Carolina Association of Counties announced Spartanburg County has won this year’s J. Mitchell Graham Memorial Award for their project, “CERT as the First Responder.”
Launched in 2024, Spartanburg County’s CERT91 program uses trained volunteers as a dedicated 911 response team for lower-acuity calls like lift assists and welfare checks. This allows EMS, fire and law enforcement to focus on life-threatening emergencies. Since its inception, the county’s CERT91 team has responded to more than 2,100 calls and contributed more than 11,000 volunteer hours, reducing system congestion and improving response times.
“Just being able to lift someone off the floor, get them back in their bed, make their day a little bit better, and to see that cumulatively over thousands of different calls, that’s just extraordinarily rewarding,” said Spartanburg County CERT91 Director Tyler Golbus.
The J. Mitchel Graham Memorial Award was established in 1972 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.
“This award highlights innovation and ingenuity in solving problems facing communities in our counties,” said SCAC President Mary D. Anderson. “Public safety challenges are common throughout our state, but the solution is not always more equipment or more personnel. Spartanburg County’s out-of-the-box thinking demonstrates how powerful the people in our communities are when they work together to solve a problem.”
In addition to Spartanburg County’s recognition, SCAC awarded honorable mentions to:
- Dorchester County (population over 150,000) – 2025 Hurricane Preparedness Campaign
- Georgetown County (population between 50,000-150,000) – Georgetown Outdoor Adventure Trails
- Edgefield County (population under 50,000) – Edgefield County Law Enforcement Center
Summaries of this year’s award entries can be found on the SCAC website.
SCAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving county government in South Carolina. It is governed by a board of directors composed of county officials from across the state and works to empower its members through advocacy, education and collaboration. Learn more at SCCounties.org.
