Title
An Ordinance authorizing participation in the Kansas City Regional Resource Sharing Agreement with the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee (RHSCC) in coordination with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to strengthen current working relationships and emergency preparedness between jurisdictions within the region especially during times of disaster, and further authorizing the City Manager to Execute the same by and on behalf of the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri.
(Note: First read by Council on February 14, 2023. Passed by unanimous vote.)
Body
Issue/Request:
The Regional Resource Sharing Agreement was developed by a work group of Emergency Managers, approved by the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Council and the MARC Board of Directors to provide a document intended for all jurisdictions in the MARC region willing to share resources with other jurisdictions and it was developed to serve as a safety net mutual aid agreement to fill in the gaps between the various, typical mutual aid agreements which serve law enforcement, fire service etc
The Regional Resource Sharing Agreement will strengthen the current mutual aid agreements by establishing a basic understanding regarding liability issues and procedures and clarify in writing the typical handshake agreement that jurisdictions have often relied upon when requesting and sharing resources.
The Regional Resource Sharing Agreement provides an understanding of which jurisdictions are willing to participate in a sharing agreement to support the requests of other jurisdictions to meet their needs and is considered a best practice by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Proposed City Council Motion:
I move for adoption of an Ordinance authorizing participation in the Kansas City Regional Resource Sharing Agreement with the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee (RHSCC) in coordination with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) to strengthen current working relationships and emergency preparedness between jurisdictions within the region especially during times of disaster and further authorizing the City Manager to Execute the same by and on behalf of the City of Lee's Summit, Missouri.
Background:
The Kansas City Regional Resource Sharing Agreement (RSA) is intended to strengthen resource sharing across the bistate area during times of disaster or emergency. The RSA will help the Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee identify cities and counties willing to share resources prior to an incident, promote unity of effort, and expedite mutual aid efforts. While mutual aid agreements currently exist that cover some separate and discreet response disciplines, the region identified the need for a more in-depth, comprehensive understanding of how certain resources could be shared and assistance offered.
Developed and approved by the RHSCC though extensive work by a multi-disciplinary group of emergency services professionals from across the region, the RSA serves as a “safety net” helping communities to access a wide range of potentially needed resources and achieve economic and logistical efficiencies to support gaps in resources and capability. The agreement will also help ensure that many disciplines, such as public information officers, medical examiners, public health, public works volunteers and others, can be quickly mobilized and deployed.
The RSA is not intended to supersede or replace any existing agreements, but to provide a basic understanding between participating jurisdictions regarding the sharing of resources not covered by other agreements The RSA assists to clarify the liability issues related to resource sharing. There are some circumstances where resource sharing may not be explicitly or implicitly permitted, such as jurisdictions required to adopt resolutions or ordinances to participate in resource sharing or making formal declarations which may delay response. The implementation of this agreement provides a means to address this issue.
Presenter
Donna Lake, Assistant City Manager
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval.