Summary Partnership includes joint exercises between city/county/state and local electric utility (KCP&L). Also includes regular communication meetings, plan updates, etc. Background Partnership started in 2006 when KCP&L approached the City of Kansas City to do a joint exercise testing communication and team building. KCP&L funded the exercise and hosted the design team meetings. In 2008, another drill was conducted with Johnson County EM, City of Overland Park, KS, City of Olathe, KS and WaterOne (local water utility). KCP&L again took the lead and funded the exercise. Numerous related projects, opportunities and meetings have come out of these exercises. Goals and Objectives 1) Testing and developing communication channels. 2) Regional overview of City and County EOPs and how KCP&L's plan fits. 3) Developing long-term relationships in the region. 4) Build relationships with key Emergency Management personnel. Description KCP&L covers an 18,000 square mile, 47 county region in Eastern Kansas (250,000 customers) and Western Missouri (600,000 customers). The Public/Private partnership isn't a formal organization with defined leaders, bylaws, rules, etc. As the Emergency Manager for KCP&L, I have been seeking out community partners to work with in an attempt to make our restoration plan stronger and improve our partner's plans and capabilities. I routinely attend LEPC, EM meetings, training subcommittee meetings, RHSOC meetings, etc. I also participate in local/regional exercises and serve on the design teams when possible. I am planning 2 more exercises with different areas of our service territory in 2011. Each year, KCP&L conducts internal training and exercises--city/county/state representatives are invited to participate. These efforts help the region in learning what we do during incidents to restore power. In addition, we give secure access to EMs into our outage management system. This "as requested" service really helps the local EMs see where the outages are in their areas. If they have questions, I am also their contact during incidents. I am also a board member for PEP -- Partnership for Emergency Planning. Requirements for Success Requirements for success are simple -- keeping focused on the desire to improve response to a major incident. Funding is always a concern, but we have found ways to conduct high level exercises and projects and not focus as much on the funding. Resources KCP&L has the following resources available through its partnership- A seat in the Emergency Operations Center; resources to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters; and web resources Training and Exercises KCP&L hosts and participates in joint training and exercises with the public and private sector. Communication Tools KCP&L uses the following methods of communication—email alerts; text message; in-person meetings; conferences and other events; website; and media outreach. Links PowerWatch Map -- http://www.kcpl.com/ (24x7 outage map) Contact Information Les Boatright Emergency Response Manager, KCP&L les.boatright@kcpl.com 816-654-1269 DISCLAIMER FEMA’s Private Sector Division of the Office of External Affairs facilitates information sharing and good practices for developing effective public-private partnerships. This Web site and its contents are provided for informational purposes only, without warranty or guarantee of any kind, and do not represent the official positions of the US Department of Homeland Security. For more information on the Private Sector Division, please email FEMA-privatesector@dhs.gov or visit www.FEMA.gov/privatesector Regional Partnership-KCP&L