Boone County emergency director urges Florence to consider opt‑in to new Kentucky mutual aid agreement

Boone County Emergency Management Director Kevin Vogelpool briefed Florence City Council on a statewide mutual aid agreement first signed in July 2025 designed to streamline disaster response across Kentucky, reduce paperwork and create clear rules for reimbursement.

"It cuts out the time, and it establishes parameters for being able to recoup costs," Vogelpool told the council, describing how the agreement lets participating jurisdictions request and provide resources more quickly than ad hoc arrangements. He said the agreement clarifies operational issues such as whether law enforcement, fire and EMS can operate under their home protocols when deployed to a different Kentucky jurisdiction.

Vogelpool said the agreement covers insurance, workers' compensation and wear‑and‑tear on equipment, and it sets who is authorized to request mutual aid. He emphasized that participation is voluntary and that a city can decline individual requests if it lacks manpower or other resources.

The agreement applies only within Kentucky, Vogelpool said, distinguishing it from EMAC deployments that permit interstate assistance. He reported that Boone County has already opted in, two fire districts have opted in and the sheriff's office is preparing to adopt it, while other districts are considering the change at their own board meetings.

Council members asked whether public works and other non‑public‑safety functions are covered; Vogelpool said strike teams for public works (dump trucks, crews, skid steers for debris removal) as well as finance and human resources assistance can be requested under the agreement.

On cost, Vogelpool said deployed personnel continue to receive normal pay and associated employment costs and that the requesting agency is required to reimburse true costs (including overtime, benefits and backfill). There was no council vote on the item; Vogelpool left the council to consider opt‑in procedures.