KC Scout Shout!

  With each day that passes, the anticipation leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup grows. As preparations ramp up, some challenges have begun to emerge. “The unknowns. Without the experience of what to expect, it’s so difficult to plan for what you don’t know. Are we doing enough?” said Motorists Assistance Operator Supervisor, Scott Banes.   Due to those unknowns, KC Scout has gone above and beyond to prepare for anything and everything. “Over the past several months, we have been providing traffic incident management SHRPII classes to the local maintenance areas, outlying districts and to other agencies,” Banes said. “We have also been preparing our fleet of ER trucks with maintenance needs and updated equipment, as well as building up an inventory of parts for the truck-mounted message boards in case there are any issues.”   Even with the uncertainties, Scout anticipates and is preparing for heavy congestion and abandoned vehicles on the roadways. “With the ...

  It is important to be aware that with new opportunities constantly arising, our team here at KC Scout is ever-changing. It is even more important to get to know your new team members and make them feel welcome and part of the team. With that being said… meet the new Kansas City Scout Locator, Josh Stark! Josh joined the team at the top of the year, and from the very start he fit right in and got along with everyone. His easygoing nature is matched with a wealth of experience. Throughout his years in the workforce, Josh has worn many hats. He has worked in Security and Debt Collection to being a Medical Courier and driving a school bus, Josh is excited to step into the role of a KC Scout Locator. “I’m excited to learn a new job and to step into a role that needs me both in the office and in the field,” Stark said. “That’s a strange combo that I haven’t necessarily dealt with, however I’m more excited to be out in the field and less in the office when spring and summer hit.” Outsid...

When it comes to keeping people safe on the road, the smallest details can make the biggest difference. That is exactly what Emergency Response Operators, Kennith Robinson and Hector Ortiz set out to prove in their Fox 4 feature on how to properly inspect and install car seats. On Thursday, Dec. 18, Robinson and Ortiz spent their morning walking parents/caregivers through the importance of a properly installed car seat – and showing them how to do it right. “We had to get height and weight measurements for each child, plus their ages to make sure they were in the right seat,” Robinson explained. “Once we did that, the parents or caretakers had to fill out the form provided by us to register and at that time we were able to match the child with the proper seat and adjust to fit.” When used correctly, car seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers, while booster seats reduce serious injury risk by 45% for children ages 4-8 compared to seat belts alone. ...

  Work Zone inspections are a very vital part in keeping crew members safe while working in the field. They may seem tedious and even extreme at times, but these inspections could be standing between a crew member making it home safe or not. The Kansas City District takes these reviews very seriously, and this year it paid off. Work Zone Inspections are comprised of multiple different categories. A few of these categories include advanced warning area, transition area, activity area, termination area, and additional inspection area. Each work zone is evaluated based off the Work Zone Inspection Grading Sheet and although crews do not receive a final “letter grade,” this sheet showed that the KC District improved quite a bit in comparison to the previous district inspection. Preparation for these evaluations takes lots of time and coordination. KC Work Zone Coordinator, Doneisha Wigfall served as the Work Zone Coordinator for the KC District this year. “I compiled the list of ...

Each year, MoDOT selects a small group of candidates to participate in the Operations Academy. This year, Traffic Systems Supervisor at Gateway Guide, Tawanda Bryant and Traffic Systems Supervisor at KC Scout in the Kansas City District, Kelly Alvarez, were nominated for this exciting opportunity. The Operations Academy is a professional development program focused on Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO). Throughout the virtual portion and in-person portion of this academy, individuals learned about topics such as performance management, systems engineering fundamentals, managing disruptions and corridor operations, capability maturity models, and workforce leadership development. Not only is it a huge accomplishment to be nominated for this program, but it is an even bigger accomplishment to be selected for the final presentations. “Out of 45 submissions, only six were selected for group presentations – including mine, which focused on the 2024 cyberattack on ...

  Our KC Scout team is always eager to expand their knowledge and to grow as a team. This fall, York Morlan did his part by attending Texas 811 Summit, a damage prevention conference, held in Galveston, Texas. While Morlan has previously attended the Missouri Summit twice, this was his first year attending the event in Texas. “The Texas Summit and MO Summit are very similarly organized. The biggest difference is that there are different presenters, topics, and viewpoints of the same issues,” Morlan noted.   Although his time at the Summit was brief, Morlan made the most of his time with a schedule full of different classes and workshops. Examples of these classes include the “Damage Investigation Workshop,” “Rethinking Trench Safety,” “Emergency Response After a Line Strike,” and “Mindset Matters,” among others.   In between classes Morlan took advantage of his downtime and spent it speaking to different vendors and exploring new innovations. “I spoke with the CEO o...