Douglas County Emergency Management Memo
Date: November 3, 2004
To: Douglas County Commission
CC: Craig Weinaug, Mike Yanez, Mike Wildgen, Jeff Dingman
Chief Olin, Sheriff Trapp, Chief McKenna, Chief Dahlem
Chief McSwain
From: Paula Phillips
RE: 2003 Homeland Security Grant
The 2003 Homeland Security Equipment Grant program equipment orders have been submitted and approved. This process started in late May 2004 when grant administrator Kansas Highway Patrol notified the county emergency managers of the process for using the 2003 funds. All ordering of equipment was completed during October. The grant recipients (local first responder agencies) are to be commended for their efforts at a cooperative, coordinated process. They met in functional groups and together to develop prioritized equipment needs lists. They met again to collaborate on the final decisions of equipment purchases. The Douglas County Commission also participated in the process, as did the city managers of Lawrence, Eudora, and Baldwin.
Using the developed prioritized needs list the following items/projects have been ordered or already acquired with the grant funds:
o Building security system for Baldwin Police Department
o Building security system for Eudora Police Department
o Mobile Data Communications for Mobile Command Center
o Interoperability communications equipment
o Mobile Command Center
o Personal protective gear, detection equipment and decontamination equipment.
We utilized all except $5.25 of the $241,475 of Part I funds, and all except $6.01 of the $80,473 of the Part II funds.
Prior to the FFY2003 allocations, Douglas County had received $396,706.65 in federal funding for Homeland Security response and preparedness programs. The break down of funding from federal allocations for FFY99 through FFY02 is as follows:
Dept. of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness $75,965.65
Funds allocated to Douglas County first responder agencies –
o 16.35% spent on decontamination equipment
o 16.70% spent on general support equipment
o 13.54% spent on interoperable communications equipment
o 50.27% spent on personal protective equipment
o 3.11% spent on detection equipment
o .03% spent on misc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention $111,004
Direct grant to Lawrence/Douglas County Health Department to build public health emergency preparedness and response capacity.
Dept. of Homeland Security – Fire Administration $164,623
o $48,510 to Baldwin City Fire Department
o $32,535 to Clinton Township Fire Department
o $63,468 to Palmyra Township Fire Department
o $20,110 to Kanwaka Township Fire Department
Dept. of Homeland Security – FEMA $45,114
o $15,125 to start the Community Emergency Response Team initiative which supplements the disaster response capabilities
o $29,989 Emergency Management Performance Grants to assist local emergency management program develop, maintain and enhance capabilities for an all hazard emergency management system.
The result of these grants is a greater capacity to prepare, respond and recover in an effective, coordinated, cooperative manner. Not only are recipient agencies gaining resources for response, but they are also gaining opportunities to discuss and plan for coordination of resources and talents to ensure that needs are met and duplication of efforts is avoided.
The Department of Homeland Security, Office of Domestic Preparedness is conducting a process management audit of the Kansas State & Local Preparedness Grant program. On November 15, 2004 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm, an auditor will be meeting with me to discuss the following:
o Interaction of county point of contact with Kansas Highway Patrol
§ Program parameters and program management
§ Program communication
§ Staff communications, problem solving and responsiveness
o Interaction of county point of contact with grant recipients (local first responder agencies)
§ Inclusiveness of all eligible grant recipients
§ Efforts at coordinated, collaborative process
§ Communication with first responder agencies
If you would like to provide comments to the auditor either in person or in writing regarding either of the above topics, please let me know. The auditor did request that I make this opportunity available to you.
I still do not know when the FFY2004 grant allocations will be available. The Kansas Highway Patrol is indicating it will be January 2005 before they allow us to access funds for the projects we submitted in June 2004. We will again have a short window of opportunity and I have requested at least a month advance notice to give us time to review & renew bids that are now 6 months old. I will keep you updated.
If you have questions regarding any of the Homeland Security Grant programs, please don’t hesitate to contact me.