KC Scout Shout!

An unexpected bi-state and agency collaboration occurred in late February in the Kansas City metro. What started  as a normal rush hour suddenly turned into an incident  when temperatures dropped rapidly  and unexpectedly  and drizzle began to freeze.  According to Traffic Systems Supervisor, Kelly Alvarez, there was a crash along the Lewis and Clark viaduct resulting in a full closure of the westbound Interstate 70 lanes.  When fire and EMS responded to the incident, they became stuck due to the rapidly changing road conditions.  "There were patients in the EMS from the original incident that needed to go to the hospital.  Time was of the essence to clear the incident quickly," explained Alvarez.  In order to treat the roadways, KC Scout's Traffic Management Center (TMC) contacted MoDOT maintenance crews out of Jackson County. "We sent out crews to help treat the roadway for the EMS vehicles and other motorists but unfortunately befo...

In late October, KHP's Motorist Assist Operators and MoDOT's Emergency Response Operators met for a bi-state Traffic Incident Management training at MoDOT's Emergency Response building in downtown Kansas City.  These types of training help responders learn to tackle various incidents on KC metro roadways both safely and efficiently. The attendees covered a variety of tasks including responder safety, safe and quick clearance procedures, and interoperable communications. Additionally, they discussed best traffic incident management practices, innovations such as JAWS, and general sharing of ideas.   According to KC Scout's Incident Coordinator,  Marcus Slaughter, this bi-state training was the first of its kind but they plan to make it an annual event. "We are hoping to have these trainings two to three times a year," explains Slaughter.   These types of trainings are important for a number of reasons, specifically for teamwork and peer exchange. Accordin...

Recently KC Scout installed new computers and TV screens in the Olathe KDOT office, as well as a new KC Scout computer in the KHP Troop A office. These new additions will provide a safe alternative to perform a variety of work related tasks for both organizations. The computers have the software to run multiple KC Scout camera feeds through Genetec Security Center. "It's really all about safety," explains KC Scout's KDOT Liaison Michael Flory. "This will give each organization the ability to monitor operations remotely," he explained. Presently, most KC Scout operations are monitored and handled from the Traffic Management Center located at the MoDOT Kansas City district office. "These new additions will be especially helpful when KC Scout calls either KDOT or KHP to let them know of a situation. They'll be able to quickly look at it and assess how they'll handle whatever the incident may be," says Flory. For example, KDOT's Olathe offi...