MEMORANDUM

TO: Pete Sprague, Assembly President

Members of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly

THRU: Dale Bagley, Borough Mayor

Scott Holt, Finance Director

Craig Chapman, Borough Controller

David Gibbs, Emergency Management Coordinator

FROM: Bonnie L. Golden, Grants Manager

DATE: November 6, 2003

SUBJECT: Ordinance No. 2003-19-27: Accepting and appropriating a $206,485 grant from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security for the purchase of interoperable communications equipment, decontamination equipment, and training

The Kenai Peninsula Borough is one of the few places that experiences disasters on a frequent basis and in such a variety - fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, avalanches, and hazardous materials. In fact, two natural disasters within the past year have resulted in Presidential Disaster declarations. As a result, Borough disaster response agencies recognize that communications equipment needs to be uniform, and the communications system must provide borough-wide coverage.

In addition, communities are becoming more aware they need to be able to respond to terrorist attacks and hazardous materials ("Haz-Mat") releases. Hospitals in the borough are capable of decontaminating a single Haz-Mat patient at any one time, but are incapable of decontaminating large numbers of patients in the event of a mass casualty incident.

The Alaska Division of Homeland Security has funding available through its State Homeland Security Grant Program for equipment and training exercises to effectively prevent and respond to a terrorist attack. It encouraged applicants to request funding for dual-purpose equipment - equipment that could be used to enhance our ability to respond to terrorist attacks as well as enhance our ability to respond to other man-made or natural disasters.

The Borough's Office of Emergency Management worked with borough, local, and state response agencies to prepare and submit a borough-wide proposal. The proposal was developed cooperatively by all of the public safety response agencies serving the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Agency representatives representing each of the seventeen entities attended a series of meetings at the Borough's Office of Emergency Management. Their efforts resulted in a request for $5.7 million to construct a radio communications system that would (1) purchase new portable and mobile radios for many of the public safety response agencies, (2) upgrade dispatch center radio consoles, (3) purchase mobile chemical decontamination shelters for borough hospitals, and (4) construct an eight-site VHF radio Simulcast repeater system which would have provided borough-wide communications and coverage. The proposed radio system would have provided a seamless VHF radio connection from Seward to Homer. In addition, the proposed system was to be completely compatible with the Alaska Land Mobile Radio system when it is built to the Peninsula.

The borough's proposal received only partial ADHS funding in the amount of $206,485. Individual grants were awarded to the cities of Homer, Kenai, Seward, and Soldotna, and the borough. The total of all awards was approximately $1.7 million. The borough's communication grant award package includes money for new portable and mobile radios. The grant award does not include the $463,000 requested to upgrade the dispatch center consoles at the Soldotna dispatch center nor does it fund the VHF Simulcast system. The borough also received funding for decontamination equipment and for training exercises. [See attached letter of notification and equipment detail worksheet.] The attached ordinance, if enacted, will allow acceptance of the grant and appropriation of the funds to the proper accounts.

/bg

Attachments: Notification letter, equipment budget detail, ordinance