Fireworks (except bottle rockets) are legal within the city limits of De Soto on private property on July 2nd and 3rd from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and July 4th from 10 a.m. to Midnight.
The City of De Soto is having the July 4th Celebration at Riverfest Park, beginning at 6 p.m. The fireworks display begins at 9:45 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.desotoks.us/.
NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING
The governing body of the Northwest Consolidated Fire District (Johnson County, Kansas) will meet on the 21st day of July, 2009 at 7 p.m. at 9745 Kill Creek Rd. (De Soto, Kansas) for the purpose of hearing and answering objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed use of all funds and the amount of tax to be levied.Detailed budget information is available at 9745 Kill Creek Rd. (De Soto, Kansas) and will be available at this hearing.
Motor Vehicle Accident Sends 5 Patients To Hospitals
6/27/09 - An accident involving three vehicles at 135th St. and Gardner Rd. sent five patients to local hospitals today. JCFD3 and Johnson County Med-Act units responded to the scene at approximately 3:30 p.m. Injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Barn Destroyed By Fire
6/24/09 - A barn in the area of 95th St. and Corliss Rd. was destroyed by fire this evening. JCFD3 and De Soto Fire units responded to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. The fire occurred during a thunderstorm that swept through the area and the building ignited after being struck by lightning. No one was injured in the blaze.
5/21/09 - Johnson County BOCC Approves Resolution To Consolidate Fire Departments
A new fire district, serving Northwest Johnson County and the City of De Soto, was formed Thursday, May 21, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.
The Board unanimously approved a resolution to create the Northwest Consolidated Fire District with the merger of the De Soto Fire Department, which serves the city, and Johnson County Fire District No. 3, which provides fire protection in the area surrounding De Soto.
The De Soto City Council and the Johnson County Fire District No. 3 governing board also have approved resolutions in support of the consolidation.
"Consolidation of these two fire departments is a win-win situation. It provides better quality fire protection service with cost savings by serving a larger geographic area," Annabeth Surbaugh, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, said.
"I commend and thank the representatives from both the city and county fire districts for their hard work to consolidate. What we have done is simply to put two good departments together to make a great one."
Approval of the resolution by the Board was needed by July 1 to meet county budget and property valuation deadlines. In addition, the Board's action will set a transition plan into motion to address administrative and operational details of the consolidation, such as employee transition and benefits, equipment and staffing, payment of outstanding bonds, and command structure.
The consolidation of the two fire departments has been in the works for more than two years, but required approval of legislation to amend certain state fire district statutes. The Kansas Legislature approved legislation in 2008 to make the necessary statutory changes.
The new fire district will be governed by a five-member board. The Board of County Commissioners and the De Soto City Council will each appoint two members of the advisory committee. The fifth member will be appointed alternatively by the county and the city with the Board of County Commissioners making the first appointment.
Appointments to the new fire district governing board are expected to take place within the next few weeks in order to finalize a proposed budget and supporting property tax levy for next year. The Northwest Consolidated Fire District's financial plan must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners as part of its overall budget process. The Board plans to review budgets of the county's four fire districts on August 6 with approval of the county's FY 2010 Budget scheduled on August 13. By state law, the county must adopt its new budget by August 25.
The Northwest Consolidated Fire District will be operational and fully functional on January 1, 2010. Once that occurs, the De Soto Fire Department and Johnson County Fire District No. 3 will be dissolved.
Propane and charcoal BBQ grills must only be used outdoors. If used indoors, or in any enclosed spaces, such as tents, they pose both a fire hazard and the risk of exposing occupants to toxic gases and potential asphyxiation.
Position the grill well away from siding, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
Place the grill a safe distance from lawn games, play areas and foot traffic.
In 2003-2006, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7,900 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues per year, including an average of 2,900 structure fires and 5,000 outside fires. These 7,900 fires caused annual average of 10 civilian deaths (to the nearest ten), 120 reported injuries and $80 million in direct property damage.
Although gas grills are used roughly 1.5 times as often as charcoal grills, they were involved in five times as many fires. Gas grills were involved in 6,400 home fires, including 2,100 structure fires and 4,300 outdoor fires.
One-third (33%) of the home structure fires involving grills started on an exterior balcony or unenclosed porch, 18% started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, and 11% started on an exterior wall surface.
Flammable or combustible gas or liquid was the item first ignited in half of home outdoor grill fires. In 51% of the home outdoor fires in which grills were involved, 56% of the outside gas grills, and 29% of the non-confined gas grill structure fires, the fire started when a flammable or combustible gas or liquid caught fire.
New video! Before you fire up the grill ... In this video, NFPA's Principal Gas Engineer Ted Lemoff provides some key safety tips for both gas and charcoal grills. Watch larger format.
Project Community Alert is a community-wide effort led by the Metropolitan Emergency Managers Committee.
MEMC's goal is to place 100,000 alarm-equipped, programmable emergency weather radios in the eight-county Kansas City metropolitan area. By sounding alarms inside homes, schools and businesses, weather radios can alert people who might not hear outdoor sirens, saving lives and preventing injuries.
Area Price Chopper grocery stores are selling the radios at a special price ($29.95) and helping with the community outreach portion of the PCA program. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radios offered through Project Community Alert use technology that allows owners to program their radios to sound warnings for their specific community. (Visit the National Weather Service site for programming codes.) While they are primarily used for severe weather alerts, authorities can also use these radios to issue warnings about other types of hazards, such as chemical spills or biological hazards.
Weather radios provide constant, useful and up-to-date weather information. They are equipped with a special alarm tone that will sound an alert and give immediate information in a life-threatening situation.
During a natural or man-made emergency, the National Weather Service will interrupt routine weather radio programming and broadcast a special tone that activates weather radios, by county, in the listening areas.
The hearing and visually impaired can also get these warnings by connecting weather radios to other attention-getting devices such as strobe lights, pagers, bed-shakers, personal computers and text printers.
NOAA reports that while between 85 and 95 percent of Americans can receive NOAA weather broadcasts, only 5 to 10 percent actually own a NOAA weather radio.
JCFD3 Awarded Funding To Increase Personnel
February 27, 2009--Johnson County Fire District #3 was awarded $296,217 through a FY2008 Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program award. This award is a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) award. Funds under the SAFER program help fire departments increase the number of frontline firefighters. The goal is for fire departments to increase their staffing and deployment capabilities and ultimately attain 24-hour staffing, thus assuring that their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.
This particular award is for the hiring of three career firefighters to supplement the existing staff of ten full-time, seventeen part-time, and twenty three volunteer firefighters. The selection process will begin with an application process followed by testing and interviewing. The new positions are hoped to be filled by this summer.
SAFER is part of the Assistance to Firefighters Grants and is under the purview of the Office of Grants and Training of the Department of Homeland Security.
JCFD3 RECEIVES $41,158 THROUGH FEMA'S
FY 2008 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM
(De Soto, Kansas)-On December 5th, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded a $41,158 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) to Johnson County (KS) Fire District 3.The award will go towards the purchase of new personal protective clothing for firefighters.
Nationally, the AFG awards, which will be distributed in phases, will ultimately provide approximately $560 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country.
AFG awards aim to enhance response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and other hazards. The grants enable local fire departments and emergency medical services organizations to purchase or receive training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.
"The Assistance to Firefighters Grants program has been instrumental in building capacity and providing needed resources for our nation's firefighters," said FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison."From the purchase of equipment to first responder training, the AFG program has helped improve response capabilities and saved lives and property in communities throughout the United States."
Since 2002, AFG has provided over $3.6 billion in grants to fire departments and first responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, vehicles and fire prevention activities.AFG is administered cooperatively by two FEMA components:the Grants Program Directorate and the United States Fire Administration.
The full list of FY 2008 AFG recipients and other information is posted on the AFG website (www.firegrantsupport.com).
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
11/20/08 - JohnsonCounty Approves Memorandum of Understanding Between Departments Regarding Merger
Another step toward the unification of two fire departments in northwest JohnsonCounty was taken Thursday, November 20, with approval by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners of a memorandum of understanding between the city of De Soto and Johnson County Fire District No. 3.
The agreement outlines a process to plan and complete a merger between the De Soto Fire Department, which serves the city of De Soto, and Johnson County Fire District No. 3, which provides fire protection for the area surrounding the city. The unification of the two fire departments will lead to the creation of the Northwest Consolidated Fire Department with a target date of Jan. 1, 2010.
The proposed consolidation of the two fire departments has been in the works for more than two years, but required approval of legislation to amend certain state fire district statutes. The Kansas Legislature approved legislation in 2008 to make the necessary statutory changes.
On Thursday, the Board of County Commissioners approved the memorandum of understanding by unanimous vote. The memorandum had been approved by the De Soto City Council and the Fire District No. 3 governing board in October.
Under the agreement, a five-member advisory committee will be established to iron out the details for the consolidation.
The Board of County Commissioners will appoint three members of the advisory committee and two members will be named by the city of De Soto. The Board of County Commissioners is expected to appoint its three members to the committee in the near future.
The advisory committee will focus on administrative and operational details of the consolidation, such as employee transition and benefits, equipment and staffing, real and personal property transfers, payment of outstanding bonds, and command structure. The panel will prepare a proposed transition plan, operations plan, and a draft budget for the newly consolidated fire district with a targeted completion date by February 28, 2009.
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to review and consider a proposed resolution in March of 2009 to create the Northwest Consolidated Fire District. The resolution also must be approved by the De Soto City Council and Fire District No. 3 governing board.
Once Northwest Consolidated Fire District becomes operational and fully functional, the De Soto Fire Department and Johnson County Fire District No. 3 will be dissolved.
The new consolidated fire district will be governed by a five-member board. Two members each will be appointed by JohnsonCounty and the city of De Soto. The fifth member will be appointed alternately by the county and the city with the first appointment being made by JohnsonCounty. It is anticipated that the five-member advisory committee will become the members of the new governing board for the consolidated fire department.
A former firefighter has been arrested on suspicion of starting more than 40 fires in Stephens County.more >>
Board Meetings Board meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at station 1 (9745 Kill Creek Rd.) at 7:30 p.m. and are open to the public.
7/2/09 - Budget Hearing Notice The governing body of the Northwest Consolidated Fire District (Johnson County, Kansas) will meet on the 21st day of July, 2009 at 7 p.m. at 9745 Kill Creek Rd. (De Soto, Kansas) for the purpose of hearing and answering objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed use of all funds and the amount of tax to be levied.Detailed budget information is available at 9745 Kill Creek Rd. (De Soto, Kansas) and will be available at this hearing.
6/27/09 - Motor Vehicle Accident Sends 5 Patients To Hospitals An accident involving three vehicles at 135th St. and Gardner Rd. sent five patients to local hospitals today. JCFD3 and Johnson County Med-Act units responded to the scene at approximately 3:30 p.m. Injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
6/24/09 - Barn Destroyed By Fire A barn in the area of 95th St. and Corliss Rd. was destroyed by fire this evening. JCFD3 and De Soto Fire units responded to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. The fire occurred during a thunderstorm that swept through the area and the building ignited after being struck by lightning. No one was injured in the blaze.
5/21/09 - Johnson County BOCC Approves Resolution To Consolidate Fire Departments A new fire district, serving Northwest Johnson County and the City of De Soto, was formed Thursday, May 21, by the Johnson County Board of Commissioners.
Area Price Chopper grocery stores are selling the radios at a special price ($29.95) and helping with the community outreach portion of the PCA program. The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather radios offered through Project Community Alert use technology that allows owners to program their radios to sound warnings for their specific community. (Visit the National Weather Service site for 
