2020 Adopt a Family Underway

 

Christmas is coming and with it MoDOT's annual Adopt-A-Family program. This year will be different than in year's past. 

Instead of a physical tree with paper angels in the District Office, we are doing a virtual Angel Tree. 

You can find the signup for donations at the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E044CAAAD2DA6FA7-modots. 

A few things to note this year:

• We have created an Amazon Wish List to reduce direct contact but you are free to go shopping on your own as well (Be sure to mark the item on the signup).
  
  
• It is preferred that the gifts are kept under $30 to assure that the children in each family are receiving gifts equal in value.
  
  
• Monetary/Cash donations are preferred to be made through PayPal using this QR Code: (no fees! but you do need an account; scan the code with your phone’s camera)
  
  
  
  
  
• If you are wanting to make a financial donation outside of PayPal please contact Krystal Jolly via text (816-590-3113) to receive an invoice based on the amount you sign up for or to make other arrangements
• If you are wanting to donate a gift card, it is preferred to be a Visa/MasterCard/AMEX in the increments noted in the sign up and you will need to contact Krystal Jolly for retrieval. 

 

All items must be submitted no later than Friday, December 11, 2020 (unless previously discussed).

Caution encouraged as holidays approach

As the holidays approach, Director Patrick McKenna encourages everyone to stay fervent when it comes to Covid-19 safety.

To date, more than 260 MoDOT employees have contracted Covid-19.

To ensure all employees stay safe, please watch this video to review MoDOT's Covid-19 safety protocols. 

Emergency Response Operator Carlos Campos Saves KCPD Officers from Rolling F-150

There’s never a dull moment for emergency response operators – unfortunately, many of these moments are dangerous and threaten the safety of those involved. But without these brave responders, the outcomes of traffic incidents could be much more severe.

On the evening of Sunday, Oct. 25, Emergency Response Operator Carlos Campos learned this first hand and his quick thinking and swift action was nothing short of life saving.

Carlos came upon a Ford F-150 blocking the northbound Interstate 435 on-ramp from 87^th St. as several Kansas City Police Department officers arrived on scene. As the officers approached the driver of the truck, Carlos remained in his emergency response truck ready to assist as needed.

The driver showed signs of intoxication and was disoriented. As KCPD attempted to pull the driver out of the truck, the vehicle began rolling back pulling the officers with it. Carlos, fearful that the truck would roll over the officers, quickly pulled his own truck up to stop the rolling F-150 and potentially saving the lives of the officers involved.

Carlos says that you have to be aware of all possible situations when working this field.

 “I was just doing what I was trained to do; be a quick responder, be aware of your surroundings, pay attention at all times, never turn your back at the traffic, and look out for each other so that we can all go home safe," he explains.

“Carlos is one of our newer operators, but his quick actions helped affirm to supervisors that we are training our employees to not only be good operators, but good people and citizens,” explains KC Scout Incident Management Coordinator Marcus Slaughter.

 “We emphasize how important it is to have each other’s back, which includes law enforcement, fire, towing, and motorists. Having our heads on a swivel let’s us see things, safety things, that others might miss,” Marcus finishes.

After the truck was stopped, Carlos was also able to translate for the F-150 driver, who did not speak English, allowing him to better communicate with the KCPD officers and clear the scene.

In addition to the numerous in-person thanks Carlos received from the officers at the scene, he also received a letter from the Kansas City Police Department's Major Keith Kirchhoff.

"Your quick thinking and actions prevented injuries and may have saved the lives of our officers working that night. Your actions in this matter did not go unnoticed and I wish to commend you for your actions. On behalf of the Kansas City, MO Police Department, please accept my thank you and appreciation for your assistance in our officer's safety and work." says Kirchhoff.

Emergency Response operators put their own safety on the line every day to help others during traffic incidents. Carlos’ actions are a prime example of what emergency response operators face daily and his quick actions were certainly heroic.

"One thing that I will never forget is how many times the KCPD officers thanked me that evening. No one has ever thanked me that much in my life,” Carlos finishes.

Letter from KCPD to Carlos Campos

 

Emergency Responders Enhance Safety With a Simple Snow Plow

Across the Kansas City metro area, emergency response operators rely on various equipment to keep not only motorists moving safely, but to keep themselves safe as well. One such piece of equipment is a snow plow attached to an emergency response truck.

With winter weather just around the corner, it’s easy to assume that snow plows are exclusively for clearing snow from the roadways. The emergency response employees at MoDOT, however, use the plows to perform a variety of tasks in a much safer way.

Attaching plows to emergency response vehicles allows crews to clean debris from drain tops, remove rock and dirt, and other various anomalies such as tree limbs, debris, and even animals along the interstate all from the safety of their vehicle.

“Ideas to use our resources in a variety of ways are implemented to keep our operators from being on foot in a lane of traffic,” explains KC Scout Incident Management Coordinator, Marcus Slaughter, “This reduces the risk of serious injury or worse to emergency and first responders,” he finishes.

One example of this dates back to July 2019 when a semi-truck carrying a load of pig intestines lost its load and consequently dumped animal parts across Interstate 670. The incident shut down three of the four available lanes. Emergency response crews arrived on scene with a truck with a snow plow attached to help push the mess to the side of the road.

 In 2019, KC Scout responded to more than 35,000 incidents on metro roadways. That’s more than 35,000 times a motorist had a flat tire, a semi overturned during rush hour or debris littered a high-speed lane.

Each time, these incident responders were putting their safety on the line to clear the incident and return traffic to normal as quickly as possible. Keeping these responders off of the roadway when possible is critical to their safety.

Innovations Challenge submissions extended to Dec. 31

 The deadline to submit submissions to the district for the 2020 Innovations Challenge has been extended to Dec. 31. If you have an innovation that improves safety, service or stability you could win money for your contribution. View the flier below to read more about the contest.  

Drive-thru flu shots provides convenience and safety

This year Safety organized drive-thru flu shot clinics at the district maintenance sheds. The efforts proved successful, with 93 flu shots given. There were seven shots at Richmond, 13 at Sedalia, 28 at Belton and 45 at Lee’s Summit East.

If you still need a flu shot, it is not too late. 

There are several convenient ways to receive the flu shot at no cost, such as:

 

• Your Primary Care Physician
• An in-network pharmacy (Walmart, CVS, Hy-Vee, Target, Sam's Club, etc.) 
• Local health department
  
  
  
  
  

Some retail pharmacies are offering incentives for receiving your flu shot with them, such as fuel points or store gift cards. As a bonus, receiving your flu shot even helps you earn the $100 It Pays to be Well Incentive.