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Emergency management: county sees rise in fires, plans training and to pursue EMPG grant
Summary
Geary County Emergency Management and fire officials reported 90 year-to-date fires versus 72 in the same period last year, described ongoing and planned training including use of a donated burn house, and requested authority to apply for the 2025 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG).
Gary Burgess, Geary County Emergency Management bureau chief and fire chief, reported that year-to-date fires stood at 90 compared with 72 for the same period in 2024. He said the department recorded eight fires in August, including a motor home and trailer fire on the interstate that destroyed household goods and required about two hours of response time.
Burgess described training activity this month, including use of a burn house slated for demolition and scenario training sessions that will employ straw and burn barrels to create heat and smoke for live drills. He noted the department completed training on a combi tool purchased from WiseFire and that that tool is assigned to the primary engine at Station 1.
Burgess also discussed re-certification requirements: he and his assistant, Kurt Yockey, must complete 28 hours of EMT recertification training by year-end, much of which is online. He said the department plans to attend the KYMA conference in Manhattan for training and will be gone for portions of the week.
On grants, Burgess reported that the EMPG program nationwide took a 9% cut for fiscal year 2024 and that guidance for 2025 suggests a possible base increase of about 10 percent; last year the county received roughly $29,000. He asked the commission to authorize staff to submit an application for the 2025 EMPG and to provide the commission chair's signature if required; the commission approved the request and Burgess said he would pursue the application.
No personnel changes were proposed in the report; Burgess asked for the commission's signature authority to apply for the grant and confirmed operational plans for upcoming training.
