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Emergency management signs KDOT radio access agreement, reviews exercises and training
Summary
Emergency management asked the board to sign a Kansas Department of Transportation mutual‑aid agreement to enable access to statewide talk groups through a mobile radio app; the director also reviewed second‑quarter training and grant activity.
The commission approved a mutual‑aid agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation that allows county portable and mobile radios and the county's radio mobile app to access state talk groups on the 800 MHz system.
Michelle Wise, Saline County emergency management director, said the county moved to the 800 system and needs the additional agreement to enable access to state talk groups via the mobile radio application used on portable devices. Commissioners approved the agreement (RFA 20‑25‑94) by voice vote.
Wise also provided a quarterly report for April–June, describing exercises, training and grant work. Highlights included:
- A regional swift‑water rescue task force deployment to assist flood operations in Ottawa, Kansas, and a deployment of one team member for a 15‑day assignment in Texas. - Submission of the county damage assessment to the state for the June 18 Smoky Hill River flooding (see separate item). - Intern projects at the office: a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) exercise with 55 participants and 23 businesses; a planned active‑shooter tabletop and a full‑scale active‑shooter exercise in August in partnership with Central Kansas Mental Health. - Four classes offered this quarter including lithium‑ion battery fire training and an animal decontamination training; the director noted a continuing focus on livestock decontamination planning. - Work on three rural fire grant requests: bunker gear for District 2, headset grants for District 6, and AED compatibility requests across rural districts.
Wise said the mobile incident command post project is nearly complete and thanked district and fire leaders for assistance on cost savings.
Why it matters: the radio agreement improves interoperability with state resources; training and grant work support emergency response capacity across county fire districts and critical infrastructure partners.
