KC Scout Shout!

KDOT recently hosted the 2022 Castle Rock Summit in Bonner Springs, KS at the KDOT Area Office. Castle Rock is the 511 vendor for several states and municipalities across the country. 511 provides real-time updates about weather-related road conditions, construction, commercial vehicle restrictions, road closures and other events that impact traffic via the phone, internet, or mobile application. The summit brought together multiple organizations to share what is going on within their agency and to educate them on the new features Castle Rock will be rolling out in the coming year. According to KDOT Liaison Michael Flory, the Summit is also a great place for people to network and learn about other technologies and safety tools from other agencies. "During the Summit, you learn about how each state and/or municipality is using 511 to get information out to public," Flory said. Communication with the public from KDOT, MoDOT, and KC Scout is imperative for each of these

When it comes to traffic management and safety, the KC Scout team is a dream team - both inside and outside of the Traffic Management Center. Two KC Scout employees also take their knowledge, experience, and interest in traffic management to another local dream team: The Kansas City Chiefs. KDOT Liaison Michael Flory and TMC Operations Manager Amy Holt are both employees of the Chiefs in a partnership that benefits both organizations. Flory began working with the Chiefs in 2015 and Holt recently joined the team as well working her first home game on September 22. Both of them currently assist the team with parking, monitoring highway traffic, and updating the Chiefs staff on roadway incidents that might impact stadium traffic. He also helps fans get to the stadium and notifies the appropriate authorities to respond in the event of a medical emergency. "Working for KC Scout is an advantage for my job with the Chiefs," explains Flory. "I can view the cameras just l

Motorist Assist and Emergency Response operators attend numerous trainings year round to be sure they're educated and well prepared for the incidents they respond to on KC metro roadways. One training in particular may not be well known to the public, but it could very possibly be one of the most important ones for our responders: Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).  "Due to the nature of the job, responders oftentimes see or experience traumatic incidents. These incidents have the potential to affect them adversely," explained Incident Management Coordinator Marcus Slaughter. "I attended one of these training to learn more about CISM and how I could help others within my work group when faced with these types of events." According to Missouri's Department of Public Safety, Governor Mike Parson signed into law Senate Bill 57 and House Bill 8 directing DPS to establish a CISM Program and provide services to first responders. This program would assist

Emergency Response operator Nabor Madrigal attended the 10th annual Light Up the Sky / Move Over for Blake event on Saturday, Aug. 27, representing KC Scout and MoDOT's Emergency Response team. Emergency response operators know firsthand how important events such as these are as their lives depend on the safe driving of motorists. Every year tow truck drivers and other emergency response groups from across the KC metro gather together in remembrance of Blake Gresham, a tow truck operator who was struck and killed by a motorist in 2012. According to their website, Move Over for Blake is a non-profit entity dedicated to raising public safety awareness for towers and other emergency personnel on roadways. According to Operations Supervisor, Scott Banes, Emergency Response has participated in this event several times. This year, however, was especially important to the team as it was the event's tenth anniversary. "This event is an opportunity for Emergency Response to sh

Ride-alongs with Emergency Response operators have returned to KC Scout after previously being suspended due to the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ride- alongs provide firsthand experience and insight into the challenges and gratification that Emergency Response staff encounter s on a daily basis.  According to Traffic Systems Supervisor, Kelly Alvarez, the ride-alongs are traditionally completed by newer TMC (Traffic Management Center) operators, however, all KC Scout personnel are encouraged to participate. "Ride-alongs provide operators with a rare cross-training experience while also allowing our Emergency Response operators and TMC operators to meet face to face. It's vital that our newer operators gain an understanding of what it is like to be a first responder in order to do their job effectively," Alvarez explains.  While the TMC operators and Emergency Respon der operators share the same end game, the two roles are very different from one anoth er.