BoCC Establishes Emergency Communications Community Advisory Board

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – At the Feb. 7, 2024, Sedgwick County Board of County Commission Meeting, The Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) approved the establishment of an Emergency Communications Community Advisory Board. The Emergency Communications team believed that a Community Advisory Board (CAB) would be beneficial and the idea was solidified through final recommendations of the Community Taskforce to Review Youth Corrections Systems Standards in 2022. Today’s action fulfills the Department’s goal and the Task Force’s recommendation.

The Emergency Communications Community Advisory Board will serve as a conduit for community engagement and education, and give the community a voice in their 911 services relative to policy, procedures, training, recruitment and retention. The board will have 13 voting members comprised of representatives appointed from each Commission District, the City of Wichita, the City of Derby, a city of the second class and a city of the third class, a youth position, and 3 at large positions, which are all ratified by the BoCC.

The CAB’s purpose is to make recommendations at the request of the Board of County Commissioners:

• On matters of policy and procedures related to the operation of the Emergency Communications Department.
• Review and make recommendations on specific emergency communications programs or initiatives.
• Study and make recommendations on codes or resolutions proposed by the Emergency Communications Department.

Currently, Emergency Communications has two active advisory boards:

• Wichita – Sedgwick County Emergency Communications Advisory Board is made up of First Responder partner agencies in Sedgwick County that represent the dispatching portion of the 911 equation. This board was established in 1977, at the inception of 911, which consolidated City and County communications services.
• The Employee Advisory Board, which has been in place since 2022, provides a conduit for employees to be involved in policy decisions and give general input to the Director regarding the course and culture of the department.

The establishment of this board will help Emergency Communications close the feedback loop between first-response agencies, Emergency Communications and the community on 911 primary answering point matters. 

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