Title
Consideration of a grant in the amount of $39,200.00 for a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) Project through the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM).
Body
Recommended Action: Approve the application for the grant, and if awarded authorize acceptance of the grant and the establishment of budget authority as provided in the Financial Considerations section of this Request.
In 2008, the Sedgwick County Division of Emergency Management was awarded an HMEP grant from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid to identify special needs populations, and provide training and education services to them on emergency planning and preparedness for hazardous material accidents through workshops and exercises. The original program had positive results. However, less than 10% of the providers were able to receive these workshops and exercises, and the hazardous materials threat has increased each year with increased transportation traffic. With the advent of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Final Rule on Emergency Preparedness mandate, the need for ensuring service providers of the susceptible population's increases in urgency. In addition, schools, the elderly, and other susceptible populations continue to remain with little to no emergency planning and preparedness, and existing plans have not been tested. It is estimated that 27% of the susceptible population is in need of education, training, and testing based on recently developed population maps. Conducting hazardous materials awareness through seminars and workshops will help engage the need for emergency planning, followed by testing those plans with tabletop and full-scale exercises. Having organizations and agencies already involved with emergency planning and response assists with these venues will help minimize the gap that exists, and better prepare susceptible populations in the event of a hazardous materials release. Final results will include emergency plan development and testi...
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