Sedgwick County Chosen for FEMA Preparedness Exercise

(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – Each year, FEMA’s National Exercise Program helps dozens of government entities conduct emergency preparedness exercises to gauge their disaster readiness, and this year, for the first time, Sedgwick County Emergency Management (SCEM) applied for this technical assistance. FEMA recently announced it has chosen SCEM from Region 7 (Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska) and will help Sedgwick County design and conduct a full-scale active shooter simulation to be held March 11, 2025.

“These exercises are so important for us to assess our preparedness planning, resources and capabilities to work with community partners in times of crisis,” said Julie Stimson, SCEM Director. “Having FEMA support us through this process will fine-tune the training even more, at no cost to our community.”

Sedgwick County’s exercise is one of 43 selected across the country that FEMA will support for 38 government entities. A well-designed simulation provides a low-risk environment to familiarize personnel with emergency roles and responsibilities. After the exercise, SCEM can reevaluate its preparedness plans and identify strengths and areas for improvement. 

“I already know that our Emergency Management team is top-notch because they’ve proven it in the field countless times, but there is always room for improvement in our plans,” said Commissioner Ryan Baty, Chairman of the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC). “A large, complex exercise like this is an objective way to test our policies and procedures and enhance our response, before Sedgwick County has to deal with a real-life disaster.”

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