The Kansas 911 Coordinating Council and the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department have selected Scott Ekberg as the Kansas 911 liaison. Ekberg will begin his duties May 13th.
The 911 liaison position was created in collaboration between the 911 Coordinating Council and the Adjutant General’s Department to enhance the provision of guidance and technical support by the council to the 118 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in Kansas, to assist PSAPs and regional groups of local jurisdictions with planning and implementation of Next Generation 911 services, and to provide technical support services to the council and its subcommittees.  This position is administratively located in the Adjutant General’s Department, which will further the collaboration between the council and the Office of Emergency Communications in the provision of public safety communications services to PSAPs.
Ekberg, of Great Bend, has served as an interoperable communications training specialist with the Kansas Office of Emergency Communications during the past four years. He has more than 32 years of experience in law enforcement and emergency communications dispatch. Ekberg is a past president of the Kansas Chapter of APCO and was a co-project manager in the development of the South Central Regional 911 Backup Center. He has been training Kansas first responders statewide on land mobile radio interoperability for the past 4 years.
911 Coordinating Council members created this position in 2013 to address the growing number of requests for information and assistance by PSAPs as they plan for migration to NG911 service in their communities. Council Chair Walt Way said council members have been very willing to donate their time and energy to fulfillment of the council’s statutory duties over the past two years, which has resulted in a number of significant accomplishments including the recent adoption of the Kansas NG911 Strategic Plan. Way said it is time for the council to add the 911 liaison position to increase its level of communication and assistance provided to Kansas PSAPs, and that Mr. Ekberg brings both expertise and great experience to achieve those outcomes.
For more information on the 911 liaison position, contact 911 Coordinating Council Chair Walt Way at 913-826-1010 or Col. Chris Stratmann at 785-274-1031.