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The Liberty City Council unanimously approved a fire mutual aid plan with Kansas City on Aug. 24, 2009.

Mutual aid is already in use by several adjoining cities and is used any time an emergency exists that Liberty doesn’t have the resources to cover. The standard agreement for mutual aid usually states that it is given if a significant emergency exists and personnel from the requesting city is available. Automatic mutual aid is used under certain circumstances in which Liberty firefighters or EMTs would be asked to be the first-responders on calls into Kansas City’s Highway 152 and 291 corridors. Because Liberty has agreed to cover this area for Kansas City, KCFD Chief Smokey Dyer has stated that, “Kansas City would not have to build a new fire station in the northeast area.” In return Kansas City would agree to dispatch all Liberty fire and EMT equipment for free.

I haven’t spoken with one Liberty citizen who thinks this is a good idea. Some registered horror at the thought of calling 911 only to be told their call would be put on hold and transferred to Kansas City fire dispatch.

Liberty police would have to report from an accident with injuries that needed an ambulance only to have response delayed while the call went through KCFD dispatchers. When the new Kansas City fire radio system is put in place, Liberty police would not even be able to monitor the fire and rescue in their own town. Liberty police are now able to help Liberty fire with traffic and other calls before they are even requested to be on the scene.

Liberty has put on hold building a fourth fire station because of a lack of resources but yet is able to give Kansas City assistance so they won’t have to build a new station of their own. Chief Dyer said, “Liberty would be first response for the most extensive service any city has given to Kansas City.” Sounds like a good deal for Kansas City at the least.

Liberty fire has already made several runs into the Kansas City area to handle carbon monoxide alarms and minor car wrecks. One mutual aid emergency in recent days was to retrieve a set of car keys tossed on top of a K.C. gas station by an irate boyfriend.

Since Liberty ambulances are in part paid for by Liberty Hospital and are covering an ambulance district, the hospital should also have a say in covering Kansas City through an automatic mutual aid agreement. Liberty citizens and ambulance district patrons should let their councilmen know how they feel about this plan. Liberty can cancel the agreement with 60 days’ notice to Kansas City after the upcoming review.

Doug Bratcher is a

resident of Liberty.

Comments (2)

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written by Roger, July 01, 2010

You know, it works both ways. I have a scanner. I remember hearing MAST, which is now part of KCFD, running transfers out of Liberty Hospital late at night so the Liberty fire crews didn't get woke up to do them. I know they run a lot of mutual aid in Liberty. Remember the horrible school bus wreck up there a few years ago? KCFD and MAST helped out on that.

There's very a much a "get off my lawn" attitude here. This is a great way for two cities to work together and help each other out. Mutual aid and automatic aid are reciprocal arrangement, not a one-sided thing. Liberty has as much to gain from this as KCMO.

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written by Liberty Citizen, July 02, 2010

Amen Doug. I can see mutual aid in the case of major accidents or events that overwhelm a cities resources but to be routinely responding to calls across the highway is taking resources away from Liberty citizens. I believe the cities response times are predicated on the responders being in the fire stations. If they are across the highway dealing with Kansas City business it will probably take them longer to respond to a call within Liberty.

Also what is with rolling a fire truck and an ambulance for every little fender bender there is. I realize the firemen get bored and like to get out of the stations but every mile put on the trucks costs the taxpayers money.

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