Our Impact
We are a non-profit organization, born of a community wide movement to make Augusta, GA and the surrounding communities the safest in America, particularly safe and secure for ASHER and Targeted Violence events. We have moved beyond geographical limitations, fueled by strong relationships and a shared desire for excellence! We work with all community partners to make Active Shooter Hostile Event and Targeted Violence Prevention program development and sustainment a reality. We are currently comprised of over 60 different entities and organizations all with one common goal --- safer communities.
The city of Augusta, Georgia is best known for hosting one of the four major championships in professional golf. And that’s what the city’s emergency services, civic and business groups, hospitals, and educators fervently hope Augusta will always be known for.
But consider Uvalde, Texas, or Parkland, Florida, or Newtown, Connecticut, just a few of the hundreds of communities across the country inextricably linked with horrific incidents of violence, most of them mass shootings. As the frequency of these events increases in the United States, so too does the growing list of afflicted communities. The number of mass shootings in the United States has increased from 273 in 2014 to 646 in 2022, with a high of 690 in 2021.
Although no one can predict where or when the next incident of mass violence will occur, Augusta is preparing for something its citizens hope will never happen. A coalition of first responders, civic and faith leaders, medical professionals, educators, and citizens has formed in an effort to make the city one of the first in the country to implement NFPA 3000, Standard for an Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) Program, a standard designed to give communities a framework to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an array of hostile events. The effort has been tagged with the moniker #strongaugusta to emphasize its focus on being prepared for such an event.
To Join Us or for Additional Information:
info@strongaugusta.org
#strongaugusta has matured from grassroots community safety initiative led by a diverse group of multidisciplinary stakeholders to a reproducible model for like minded communities interested in building and sustaining a community-wide framework for ASHER and Targeted Violence Prevention efforts available to the whole community. Ongoing collaboration of a diverse cadre of local, state and national architects and delegates includes partners such as:
Augusta University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPaR)
US Federal Bureau of Investigation – Augusta Office
Augusta University Center of Operational Medicine
Augusta University Police Department
Richmond County Sheriff’s Office
Richmond County Marshal’s Office
Augusta Richmond County Fire and EMA
Richmond County Board of Education Police Department
Columbia County Board of Education Police Department
Columbia County Fire Rescue
Columbia County EMA
Paine College
East Georgia State College
Augusta Technical College Law Enforcement Academy
Doctors Hospital of Augusta
Piedmont Hospital of Augusta
WellStar MCG Health
East Central Georgia Healthcare Coalition
Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce
Morgan Advanced Materials- Thermal Ceramics
ADP, Inc.
Good Shepherd Baptist Church
Destiny Worship Center
National Fire Protection Association
US Department of Homeland Security-CISA; CP3
US Department of Homeland Security Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT)
Sandy Hook Promise