Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal

TOPEKA–With Halloween coming upon us, families will soon start visiting haunted houses, ghost walks and other spooky amusements.

The Kansas State Fire Marshal, Doug Jorgensen, would like to remind everyone that even though these amusements are intended for family Halloween entertainment, these structures present an increased risk with regards to fire and life safety.

Kansas has adopted the 2006 International Fire Code which requires these types of facilities to comply with major components of fire and life safety. History has shown that complying with life safety requirements is vital. The tragic May 11, 1984 fire in the “Haunted Castle” at the Six Flags Great Adventure Park in New Jersey resulted in the deaths of eight visitors due to their inability to immediately exit the amusement struc­ture.

Those operating these types of amusements should give special attention to the following requirements:

· Automatic Sprinkler System in accordance with NFPA 13
· Automatic Fire Alarm System in accordance with NFPA 72
· Number of exits
· Exit signs, illumination and emergency lighting
· Travel distance to exits
· Use of flammable liquids
· Use of combustible interior finish
· Location of extinguishing equipment
· Adequate staff trained in evacuation and equipped with flashlights
· Established emergency procedures
· Readily available means to notify local fire, police and emergency medical services

For added safety, it may be necessary to limit occupant load, add additional emergency exits or establish other special precautions to minimize a potential risk due to some unique circumstance. In any event, every effort should be made to provide an enjoyable but safe environment as determined by the local fire inspec­tion authority.

*The specific requirements may be modified by the state fire marshal to allow alternative measures to obtain an equivalency to the code. K.S.A.31-136 provides procedures for exemptions of these requirements upon written request. The written request must demonstrate that the specific requirement causes unneces­sary hardship.”

Haunted House operators should download our handy checklist to help create a safe and enjoyable Haunt­ed House experience for their patrons.

Kansas Water Authority

TOPEKA–Recently in Hutchinson the Kansas Water Authority (KWA) adopted the final water supply goals for each of the 14 regions. The KWA also appointed Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) members to serve and represent various water users in their regions.

As part of the process for the Long Term Vision for the Future of Water in Kansas call to action, local stakeholders have been working for the past eight months to help develop water supply goals based on public input and available resource condition information for each of the 14 regions. Since being approved by the KWA, the priority goals will guide the newly selected RACs as they implement the priority goals for each region.

“The KWA and I want to commend the stakeholders in each of the 14 regions who put in so much time and effort to produce water supply goals to help ensure their area’s water future,” said KWA Chairman Gary Harshberger. “With Governor Brownback’s leadership on Kansas water priorities this will enable the KWA and KWO to change the way water planning will be done in Kansas going forward. I encourage all citizens to continue with this momentum and have an active role in implementing the strategies of the Water Vision for future generations to come.”

The newly appointed RACs main task will be to work with the KWA to ensure water supply priorities and goals of each region are implemented.

“As citizens of Kansas the time is now to start planning for a viable source of quality water for our future. Although most of us take our water for granted, we must realize water is not an unlimited resource,” said Verdigris RAC Chair Doug Blex. “I was honored to serve as chair of a talented team of volunteers who recommended a “grassroots” solution to the Authority to help solve Kansas water issues and look forward to helping lead the Verdigris region in now implementing those solutions as well.”

The KWA will encourage the RAC members to help implement the following Vision statement for each region:

Kansans act on a shared commitment to have the water resources necessary to support the state’s social, economic and natural resource needs for current and future generations.

“This aquifer is a finite, nonrenewable resource that we must manage to prevent the total collapse of our economy that would ensue with its depletion,” said Upper Smoky Hill Chair Shane Mann. “This whole process has highlighted the water issues all across our state. It is important that each region implement the goals to ensure the water supply can meet their needs now and in the future.”

In the coming months the Vision will be coordinated with other aspects of the Kansas Water Plan (KWP). The KWP is used by the state of Kansas to coordinate the management, conservation and development of the water resources of the state. It contains recommendations on how the state can best achieve the proper use and control of water resources. KWP implementation may be through legislation, funding, or focus on existing agency (ies)’ programs.

To read the final version of the Long-Term Vision for the Future of Water Supply in Kansas, view the approved water supply goals for each region or see the RAC meeting schedule, visit www.kwo.org.

Office of the Governor

TOPEKA–The Office of the State Fire Marshal, Safe Kids Kansas, and Governor Brownback are joining with the National Fire Prevention Association and fire service agencies throughout the State and U.S. to dedicate the week of October 4-10, 2015, as Fire Prevention Week.

The theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Hear the Beep Where you Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!”, reminding residents about the importance of hav­ing working smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.

“In a fire, seconds count,” said Doug Jorgensen, State Fire Marshal. “In Kansas, nearly two-thirds of home fire deaths result from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Home smoke alarms can alert people to a fire before it spreads, giving everyone enough time to get out.”

According to statistics gathered through the National Fire Incident Reporting System, 64% of Kansas home fire deaths during 2014 resulted from fires reported at night between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Meanwhile, nationally three out of five fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

“Children need to know how to respond to the sound of a smoke alarm,” said Cherie Sage, Safe Kids Kansas. “Teach them to get low and get out when they hear it. A child who is coached properly ahead of time will have a better chance to get out of danger safely, so practice your escape plan regularly as a family. “

This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign includes the following messages about smoke alarms:

· Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, in­cluding the basement.
· Interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. This way, when one sounds, they all do.
· Test alarms at least monthly by pushing the test button.
· Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or sooner if they don’t respond properly.
· Make sure everyone in the home knows the sound of the smoke alarm and understands what to do when they hear it.
· If the smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside. Go to your outside meeting place.
· Call the fire department from outside the home.

Fire departments throughout Kansas will be hosting activities during Fire Prevention Week to promote “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!” Through these educational, family-oriented activities, residents can learn more about the importance of having a working smoke alarm in every bedroom.

In 2014, Kansas fire departments responded to 2,933 residential fires, and these fires resulted in 109 civilian injuries and 25 civilian deaths, 66 firefighter injuries and $58 million in direct damage.

Kansas Department for Children and Families

TOPEKA–Of the 178,000 working-age Kansans with disabilities, approximately 30 percent are considered engaged in the labor market, and 10 percent of those are currently unemployed.

To raise awareness of disability employment issues, the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) joined Governor Sam Brownback as he signed a proclamation on Sept. 30, in Topeka, to designate October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

DCF’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program helped 1,440 Kansans join the workforce in fiscal year 2014. Over the past decade, the program has assisted more than 16,000 Kansans with disabilities become successfully employed, working an average of 30 hours per week.

DCF’s Director of Rehabilitation Services Michael Donnelly says employment opportunities and the employment rate of people with disabilities has improved over the years, but additional progress is needed.

“We face a continual challenge to overcome barriers for employment, which include attitudinal barriers both on the part of the employer and the employee, as well as accessibility issues and preparedness of potential employees,” Donnelly said. “I’m excited to see the tremendous changes that have come about, but I also am aware of the work still to be done.”

Representing other interested organizations in the proclamation signing were Robert Cooper, Director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Steve Gieber, Director of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities; Keirsten Hale, Vocational Rehabilitation Manager for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; and Carrie Greenwood, Program Coordinator for the Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy, which equips young Kansans with disabilities for the future.

“Disability Employment Awareness Month is an especially important opportunity for youth to see successful adults with disabilities out in the community working and contributing to society,” Greenwood said.

KDOC Secretary Ray Roberts said preparing offenders with disabilities to reintegrate into the State’s general population with employment is a high priority for his agency.

“Those with disabilities who leave our correctional facilities can go directly into our workforce development programs that teach them how to get a job and keep a job, and it connects them with the resources they need to be successful,” Secretary Roberts said.

Roughly 75 percent of those who have achieved employment through the VR program report their wages as the primary source of income, an indicator of the decrease of reliance on public assistance and/or Social Security dependency.

In February 2015, the Governor issued Executive Order 15-02, reaffirming the State’s commitment to hiring people with disabilities. The Order directed that State agencies have employment practices which include outreach recruitment and hiring of military veterans and “individuals with physical, cognitive and mental disabilities.”

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

PRATT–The 2015 Kansas duck season is about to kick off – are you ready for the marsh madness? Before you throw on your waders and start unraveling decoys, there are a few things you need to know. iSportsman, the free and convenient electronic check-in system, is now offered at 23 locations throughout the state. If you have yet to create an account, consider signing up at kdwpt.isportsman.net. Federal Waterfowl Stamps, required of all waterfowl hunters age 16 and older, have increased in price and can be purchased for $26.50.

All hunters who are required to have a hunting license must also have a State Waterfowl Permit, $7, and a Kansas Harvest Information Program (HIP) Permit, $2.50, before hunting ducks, geese, or mergansers. Licenses, stamps and permits, except for Federal Waterfowl Stamps, may be obtained wherever licenses are sold and online at ksoutdoors.com. Apart from post offices, Federal Waterfowl Stamps may also be obtained online from www.duckstamp.com and www.usps.com.

Federal and state waterfowl permits are not required to hunt coots, doves, rails, snipe, woodcock, or sandhill cranes; however a HIP Permit is required.

2015 DUCK SEASONS

YOUTH WATERFOWL SEASONS

High Plains Unit: Oct. 3-4, 2015

Low Plains Early Zone: Oct. 3-4, 2015

Low Plains Late Zone: Oct. 24-25, 2015

Southeast Zone: Nov. 7-8, 2015

(Bag limits for the youth seasons are the same as during the regular seasons and include ducks, geese, coots and mergansers.)

HIGH PLAINS UNIT

Oct. 10, 2015-Jan. 4, 2016 and Jan. 23-31, 2016

LOW PLAINS EARLY ZONE

Oct. 10-Dec. 6, 2015 and Dec. 19, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016

LOW PLAINS LATE ZONE

Season: Oct. 31, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016 and Jan. 23-31, 2016

LOW PLAINS SOUTHEAST ZONE

Nov. 14, 2015-Jan. 3, 2016 and Jan. 9-31, 2016

Hunters may take six ducks daily, including no more than, 5 mallards, of which only 2 may be hens; 3 wood ducks; 3 scaup; 2 pintails; 2 redheads; and 2 canvasbacks. Possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

Hunters taking mergansers may possess up to five a day, only two of which may be hooded mergansers. Possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

For more information on Kansas duck hunting, visit ksoutdoors.com and click “Hunting,” “Seasons and Limits,” then “Migratory Bird Seasons,” or pick up a copy of the 2015 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary wherever licenses are sold.

Kansas Department of Commerce

TOPEKA–Kansas has been awarded a $5,597,365 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor as part of the third round of Workforce Innovation Fund awards. The Kansas Department of Commerce will oversee the implementation of the grant to provide job seekers with seamless access to multiple workforce development programs. The grant will expand and enhance strong workforce development partner collaboration and improve the employment outcomes of job seekers with multiple barriers to employment. In addition, funding will integrate workforce service delivery.

“The Workforce Innovation Fund grant will allow us to reach more job seekers efficiently and help them transition into training and employment,” Kansas Commerce Interim Secretary Michael Copeland said in a news release. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with our partners to implement this grant and help more Kansans find rewarding career opportunities.”

The Department will join forces with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, the Kansas Board of Regents, Wagner-Peyser partners and the Registered Apprenticeship program to develop and implement a comprehensive staff training program to be delivered by Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Partners to all partner staff members who provide workforce development services.

The partners will also work to recruit job seekers with multiple barriers to employment, assess them for training participation and place them in on-the-job training. Commerce and WIOA Core Partners will implement a web-based intake and registration portal that will provide job seekers with convenient access to services from providers of all WIOA Core programs. The portal, which will be called START HERE, will gather intake and initial program eligibility data and will also connect users with performance data of the programs for which they may be eligible.

Office of the State Fire Marshal

TOPEKA–The Office of the State Fire Marshal is conducting its second annual Visualize graphic design contest to provide creative college students in Kansas the opportunity to help communicate the importance of fire safety.

The contest, Visualize Kansas Fire Safety, is open to all Kansans currently enrolled in any university, college or technical school.

Entries must use data available on the Kansas Fire Marshal website, all of which has been collected from fire departments throughout the state through the Kansas Fire Incident Reporting System (KFIRS). This data is highly useful for both public safety and the Fire Service. By allowing access to raw data, the contest participants will form their own conclusions and present that information visually in infographic format.

“The information we collect through KFIRS from fire departments across the state help us to ‘fight fire with facts,’ says Doug Jorgensen, Kansas Fire Marshal. “This contest is a great way for college students in Kansas to look at raw numbers, draw conclusions, and create a visual message that will help the citizens of our state visualize a fireproof Kansas.”

Participants will be able to find the data to use for their entries at www.firemarshal.ks.gov/visualize, or they can look through the 2014 KFIRS Annual Report to get more numbers for their contest entry.

Innovative topics and conclusions are encouraged. In addition to $200, $100, and $50 for first, second, and third place respectively, winners may be featured on the OSFM website, receive a certificate, and a letter for their professional portfolio. The winning graphic will be used by the Office of the State Fire Marshal to promote the importance of fire safety.

Entries must be submitted by December 1, 2015 and winners will be announced on December 15, 2015.

Kansas Department of Agriculture

MANHATTAN–Governor Sam Brownback recently proclaimed Sept. 24, 2015, as Kansas Teach Ag Day in recognition of the more than 13,000 Kansas students enrolled in agriculture education and the 210 educators in 179 schools teaching agriculture courses.

Kansas Teach Ag Day, in conjunction with National Teach Ag Day, celebrates agriculture teachers and encourages students to focus on the opportunities and potential of agriculture education as a highly rewarding and extremely valuable career choice. According to a study jointly conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Purdue University, between 2015 and 2020, it is projected that there will be nearly 58,000 average annual openings for graduates with expertise in food, agriculture, renewable natural resources or the environment, with a projected average of 35,400 new U.S. graduates with degrees in those areas.

Agriculture education programs serve approximately one million students nationwide. Realistic, hands-on classroom experience, opportunity for membership and participation in the National FFA Organization, and supervised agriculture experiences help prepare high school students to pursue higher education and career opportunities in the high-demand agriculture-related fields.

“Pursuing agriculture education as a field of study and professional career is highly rewarding for both the teacher and students,” said Kurt Dillon in a news release.  Dillon is the  Kansas State Department of Education Agriculture Education Program Consultant and Kansas FFA Advisor. “We need and encourage passionate and dedicated teachers to prepare today’s youth to work in the highly technical and continually evolving agriculture industry.”

The Kansas Department of Agriculture advocates for and promotes the agriculture industry in Kansas in part by supporting education and training programs to help prepare and strengthen the agricultural workforce. Through agricultural education programs, Kansas students receive essential knowledge and skills that prepare them for future careers serving the state’s largest industry and economic driver.

For more information about agriculture education in Kansas, visit www.agriculture.ks.gov/ageducation.

Kansas State Treasurer

State Treasurer Ron Estes announced today that the state treasurer’s unclaimed property booth had another successful year at the 2015 Kansas State Fair.

“This year we helped process over 5,000 claims and re-unite more than $945,000 with respective owners,” said Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes. “The state fair continues to be one of our best outreach events every year, providing us with the opportunity to reach thousands of Kansans who may not routinely check for unclaimed property through our website. I’m very pleased with this year’s results and would like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and visit our booth. ”

Fair attendees were able to search for missing money in a computerized database at the fair’s unclaimed property booth. The single largest claim discovered was $24,450.78.

The Kansas Unclaimed Property Program has returned more than $80 million in unclaimed property since Estes took office in 2011. Unclaimed property comes from forgotten bank accounts, stocks, bonds, insurance premium overpayments, refunds, abandoned safe deposit boxes and other property. It is the treasurer’s goal to locate the rightful owners and heirs of unclaimed assets currently being held by the State of Kansas.

People who were unable to attend the fair can search for unclaimed property online at www.kansascash.com or by calling 1-800-432-0386.

Environmental Protection Agency

LENEXA–EPA has designated September 21-25, 2015, as SepticSmart Week. In recognition of this event, EPA and its state, local and industry partners are working around the country to help raise awareness about the need for proper care and maintenance of septic systems and to encourage homeowners to do their part.

By taking small steps to care for and maintain their septic systems, homeowners will not only be helping to protect public health and the environment, they can also save money and protect property values.

Approximately 20 percent of American households and 33 percent of new construction (both domestic and commercial) are served by septic wastewater systems or other types of onsite wastewater systems. Today’s septic systems and onsite wastewater systems feature advanced technologies enabling them to achieve the same level of wastewater treatment provided by the traditional sewer systems.

Septic systems can be designed as “cluster systems,” enabling them to treat large volumes of wastewater from multiple homes, apartment complexes, or businesses. Because treated effluent from septic systems is reused and recharges the local underground aquifer, they are regarded as “Green Infrastructure.”

As the nation’s population continues to grow and cash-strapped rural and small communities look for viable, low-cost and effective methods of wastewater treatment, septic systems will continue to play a critical role in our nation’s wastewater infrastructure.

For septic systems to effectively treat wastewater to levels that provide adequate protection to public health and valuable water resources, proper system care and maintenance is vital. When homeowners “flush and forget” about their septic systems, it can lead to system back-ups and overflows, which can result in costly repairs, pollution of local waterways, and added risks to public health and the environment.

State and local governments, industry professionals, environmental groups and others are urged to use a free online toolkit of EPA resources to promote the proper care and maintenance of septic systems. Visit: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/septic/local-outreach-toolkit.cfm.

Learn more about septic wastewater systems: www.epa.gov/septicsmart

Kansas Department for Children and Families

TOPEKA–The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is offering a reprieve for Kansans who face prosecution for failure to pay child support, as an opportunity to help them get back on track with their payments.

DCF’s Child Support Services (CCS) has slated Sept. 25 as Child Support Bench Warrant Amnesty Day statewide to offer parents the chance to begin making payments without facing prosecution. Parents who have bench warrants on their child support cases involving DCF are invited to report to various locations around the state to have their warrants lifted.

By reporting to one of the designated locations and making a payment either of $500 or two months’ worth of support, whichever is the lesser amount, non-custodial parents will have their warrant lifted.

“By lifting these warrants, it’s our goal to get the money the children deserve and help parents get in the routine of making payments,” DCF CSS Director Trisha Thomas said.

DCF offered amnesty in Wichita last year and more than 50 bench warrants were cleared.

Thomas said warrants are used as an enforcement tool when non-custodial parents fail to appear at contempt hearings. Typically, these are issued after numerous other collections attempts have been made or in cases where self-employed, non-custodial parents are believed to be avoiding payments and attempting to hide assets.

Thomas said approximately 40,000 Kansans’ have failed to make their child support payment within the last 45 days. The effects of missed child support are felt by children and families. But DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore also emphasized the positive result of parental involvement when payments are made.

“We know that when non-custodial parents pay their child support, they are more invested in the lives of their children financially and emotionally,” Secretary Gilmore said. “It is our goal to promote healthy families by encouraging that investment.”

In addition to Child Support Bench Warrant Amnesty Day, other efforts to collect child support for Kansas families include:

· The State routinely sends postcards to parents after they fail to make a payment for 45 days, as a reminder with information on how to make a payment.

· DCF recently launched an educational campaign to encourage employers to report new hires to the Kansas Department of Labor. After a new hire is reported, an income withholding order can ensure the court-ordered support goes directly to the custodial parent for the child.

Thomas said the agency is trying to make it easier for those without checking accounts to make payments. Ideas under consideration include kiosks that would accept cash or other forms of payment, and arranging for payments to be made at various stores.

A list of the 17 Kansas Child Support offices can be found online at: www.dcf.ks.gov/services/CSS/Pages/Contractor-Information.aspx

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Tourism and Parks

TOPEKA–If it’s been a while since you’ve visited a Kansas state park, consider this you’re formal invitation to come on back. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has teamed up with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) to offer Healthy Fun at the State Parks Day, Sat., Sept. 26, a day when admission to all Kansas state parks will be free.

“We are pleased to once again partner with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and sponsor Healthy Fun at the State Parks Day, Sept. 26. As a home-grown and Kansas-based company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas wants our members – and all Kansans – to lead longer, happier lives by engaging in outdoor activity, like these you can find at our state parks,” Andrew C. Corbin, BCBSKS president/CEO said in a news release. “From one corner of the state to the next, Kansas offers a vast array of landscapes in our parks where we can bike, hike, run, play, horseback ride, hunt, swim, and fish or simply take a relaxing walk in the fresh air of Kansas.”

In recognition of the special day, BCBSKS has produced a coloring book featuring illustrations that highlight outdoor activities in eight of the Kansas state parks and a map of all 26 state park locations. Information about the parks and educational tips are also included. Coloring books will be available across the state at state park locations, rest stops, tourism offices and the Kansas State Fair.

“So many Kansans are unaware of the unique terrain and beautiful landscapes that can be found at Kansas state parks and the fun and healthy outdoor activities that can be enjoyed at each of the parks,” said KDWPT Secretary Robin Jennison. “We appreciate the efforts of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas to promote a healthy lifestyle to their members and all Kansans. We’re pleased that the Kansas state parks have been selected to serve as the centerpiece of this campaign.”

Kansas state parks include 32,200 acres of land; more than 500 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails; more than 280 miles of roads; 10,000 campsites, many with utility hookups; more than 120 rental cabins; and access to more than 130,000 acres of water.

To find a park near you, visit ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks.

Kansas Department of Commerce

TOPEKA–Entrepreneurs understand the importance of making the right connections to start and grow a successful venture. Kansas community leaders also know that in order to keep their local economies strong, helping their own entrepreneurs and small business owners make those connections is vital.

“The resource day is an opportunity to showcase what’s available to entrepreneurs and business owners,” Steve Radley, president and CEO of NetWork Kansas, said in a news release. “Community leaders will learn what education, expertise, and economic resources are currently available to support their local startups and existing businesses. The goal of this day is to increase the connectivity between resources and entrepreneurs across the state.”
When: Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Marriott Hotel, 9100 Corporate Hills Drive, Wichita
Registration is required, but there is no cost to attend.

Penny Lewandowski of the National Center of Economic Gardening and the Edward Lowe Foundation will be the keynote speaker. She is a nationally recognized champion of building strong entrepreneurial cultures and providing high-end technical assistance to 2nd stage growth businesses.

The conference will provide in-depth presentations on:
· Entrepreneurship Communities and the NetWork Kansas Referral Center
· NetWork Kansas matching loan programs including Startup Kansas, the Kansas Capital Multiplier and Capital Multiplier Venture Fund and the Minority and Women Business Capital Multiplier Loan Fund
· Kansas Economic Gardening Network

Go to http://goo.gl/9sb7b7 for registration and agenda information.