Department Overview
The Homeland Security and Emergency Services Program at MARC coordinates regional activities in many areas, including emergency services training, coordination of homeland security and domestic terrorism preparedness efforts, emergency management coordination, emergency medical services (EMS) coordination, hazardous materials planning and regional geographic information systems coordination (GIS) for the Greater Kansas City area.
This work is carried out through a number of committees and subcommittees:
- MARCER, the Mid-America Regional Council Emergency Rescue Committee, promotes regional coordination and cooperation in emergency pre-hospital care for metropolitan Kansas City.
- The Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee (MEMC) works to ensure that emergency planners and emergency managers from area jurisdictions and other community agencies are prepared to respond to floods, tornadoes and other natural or technological disasters.
- The Mid-America Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) brings private industry together with public emergency response agencies in the five Missouri counties of the Kansas City metropolitan region to help reduce risks to local communities from accidents involving hazardous chemicals.
- The Regional Homeland Security Coordinating Committee provides leadership and coordination of the many homeland security and domestic terrorism preparedness efforts in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The committee oversees the work of 13 subcommittees.
Funding for emergency services and homeland security programs comes from a variety of sources, including membership fees and state and federal grants. MARC administers a number of grants that support regional preparedness efforts, including:
- Urban Area Security Initiative Grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Metropolitan Medical Response System Grants
- Missouri Bioterrorism Grant (HRSA)
- Department of Justice COPS Grant
- Missouri Homeland Security Response Teams Funding
Through 2012, these grants represent more than $87 million allocated to regional homeland security preparedness efforts. For more information, please contact Erin Lynch, program director.