Kansas City and St. Louis are well-known for their fragmentation — and that extends to emergency services like police and fire departments. But emergency response officials note some positive developments, such as the development of an infrastructure to allow agencies to talk during an emergency. Second of two parts.

Continue reading Urban areas making strides toward improved communication but hurdles exist

Interoperability allows emergency responders to talk to each other when emergency strikes. It has been a major component of Homeland Security, especially after 9/11 revealed failures in communication. Since 2005, $23.22 million has been spent in Missouri to upgrade radios, but the Joplin tornado showed that jurisdictions aren’t all on the same wave length. Part one of two parts.

Continue reading Federal program seeks to avoid failure to communicate in emergencies

In federal government terms, SAFER stands for Staffing Adequate Fire and Emergency Response. But does that U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant program necessarily make the country safer from terrorist attacks? Local fire officials say the money helps them deal with homeland security responsibilities that have been added since 9/11. Critics say this is just another example of lawmakers doling out scarce federal dollars for pet projects.

Continue reading Federal funds for hiring firefighters — anti-terrorism program or employment subsidy?

Started in 1982, the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) run by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration exempts selected sites from regular workplace safety reviews. These sites’ safety protocols are thoroughly reviewed before they are accepted into the program. But in Kansas, and elsewhere around the country, workers have died at these VPP sites.

Continue reading Model Workplace Safety Program Includes Site of KS Death

Kansas City and St. Louis have reaped millions of dollars in homeland security funding through the federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Kansas City’s allocation is on the chopping block as Congress looks to save money throughout the budget. The UASI debate highlights philosophical divides over how homeland security money should be spent. This is the first of an ongoing series examining homeland security spending in Missouri as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches.

Continue reading As anti-terrorism funding shrinks, controversy grows over how to spend it

A couple years ago, Missouri’s grain industry was rocked by two business insolvencies that saddled farmers with millions of dollars in losses. Regulators and the farmers themselves share blame for a system that had begun to operate loosely. Both sides say they have learned their lesson and have tightened up their procedures. But is it enough? Two years after the business collapses, reforms are still unimplemented.

Continue reading Business Collapses Expose Shaky Missouri Grain System

Scrutiny of the nation’s mental health system has followed the January shooting rampage that seriously injured U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and killed six others. Click on the logos to the left to read stories published Wednesday that feature contributions from the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Also, find out why Kansas is in poor company in a new report released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI_report

Continue reading Panic State: Mental Health Funding Dropping

BY MIKE SHERRY
Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

Three Kansas communities with a combined population equal to that of Lawrence are at risk of exposure to a chemical that can be 100 times more lethal than carbon monoxide.

The substance is hydrofluoric acid, which is used to make high-octane gasoline, and according to worst-case estimates that oil refiners in El Dorado, McPherson, and Coffeyville have provided to federal regulators, an accidental release could expose more than 92,000 nearby residents to dangerous levels through a toxic cloud. Within range are schools, residences, hospitals, and recreation areas.

Continue reading QUESTIONS ARISE ABOUT KS REFINERIES