Stretch of Shawnee Mission Parkway to close briefly Thursday morning

Posted: August 28, 2019 - 4:30 p.m.

The City of Shawnee says the intersection of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Long Avenue will be closed for a short time Thursday morning.
The closure is expected to begin at 11:00 a.m. and will remain in place for approximately 15 minutes as KCP&L crews run an overhead line across the intersection.

Due to this work, the city says southbound Long Avenue will be closed starting at 9 a.m.

There will not be a marked detour. Drivers are being asked to use alternate routes to get around the closing.

Shawnee Transportation Manager Kevin Manning is encouraging drivers to use Pflumm Road or Quivira Road to access Johnson Drive or 67th Street as alternate routes.

Road closure barricades will be in place between 50ft and 300ft from the closed intersection. The Shawnee Police Department along with Shawnee Public Works will be helping to slow and block traffic.

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Shawnee Fire Department debuts new fire truck to public

Posted: November 26, 2018 - 6:00 a.m.
Updated: November 26, 2018 - 8:23 p.m.

A custom built 2018 Pierce Velocity recently ran its first calls as Engine 71 out of the John B. Glaser Fire Station.

After months of planning, designing and anticipation, the Shawnee Fire Department is debuting its newest addition to the fleet. The custom built 2018 Pierce Velocity ran its first calls as Engine 71 out of the John B. Glaser Fire Station this week.

The  John B. Glaser Fire Station, also known as Station 71, is one of the busiest fire stations in the state of Kansas and home to the second busiest Johnson County Med-Act ambulance in the county.

At the direction of Fire Chief John Mattox, the department’s apparatus committee designed the new engine to be the first to display an updated gray over red color scheme.

Shawnee Fire Marshal Corey Sands and Firefighter Duffy Muehlberger gave Operation 100 News a sneak peek of the new engine last week.

The Shawnee Fire Department's brand new 2018 Pierce Velocity is running its first calls as Engine 71 this week.

The color scheme is a subtle nod to the history of the Shawnee Fire Department, Sands said.

The burgundy of the new engine resembles the burgundy of the 1930 REO Speed Wagon.

From a small compartment behind the driver’s door for that firefighter to store their equipment to leather seats embroidered with the department’s logo,  the engine was built from the ground up with functionality and cleanliness in mind. The leather seats, which can easily be wiped down when dirty, are an example of another proactive step the department has taken to help firefighters keep their equipment and living quarters free of cancer-causing contaminants.

The new Engine 71 features full LED lighting for increased visibility.

The five-year-old fire engine that previously served as Engine 71 will be reassigned to Fire Station 74 where it will become Engine 74 when the new station opens in January.

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Shawnee Fire Department trains for mass casualty crash

Posted: October 29, 2018 - 9:35 p.m.

For three consecutive days last week, all 66 Shawnee Firefighters worked their way through a mock mass casualty crash. Each day the scenario involved a school bus, several vehicles, and volunteers playing the role of injured and hysterical people at the scene.

Shawnee firefighters peel back the roof of a vehicle to remove a dummy that was trapped in the simulated crash with a school bus.

Last Wednesday’s scenario involved 17 victims with varying levels of injury spread among three passenger vehicles and the school bus. 11 volunteers filled the school bus, which in the drill had been rear-ended in as part of a chain-reaction crash. One car was partially under the rear of the bus. A second car was on its roof and partly on top of the first car. A third car was rolled onto its side near the front of the bus and was blocking all access to the door of the bus.

Firefighters arrived on the scene of the simulation to find a school bus involved in a crash with three other vehicles and multiple victims trapped.

Firefighters had to use struts, straps, and large chains to stabilize all involved vehicles before they could begin the work of safely removing all of the injured. A firefighter and a Johnson County Med-Act paramedic were lifted through the emergency window of the bus to start evaluating injuries inside as other firefighters worked to cut a hole in the wall of the bus.

One-by-one the injured passengers of the bus were lifted off and then moved across the scene to Johnson County Med-Act’s triage area where their injuries would be evaluated further.

After all of the victims had been removed from the vehicles, firefighters and paramedics gathered to discuss the drill and assess their response and handling of the various aspects.

Shawnee Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Pyle addressed everyone who participated in the exercise after its conclusion.

Deputy Fire Chief Sal Scarpa told Operation 100 News this drill was the first time they had the opportunity to use a school bus.

“On a three or four vehicle crash we may see five or six people with injuries,” Scarpa said. “The school bus changes everything, and we have to be prepared for that.”

The school bus was donated to the department for use in the scenario by the Kincaid Group which operates school buses for the Shawnee Mission School District as DS Bus Lines. Several Kansas City area towing companies donated the passenger vehicles.

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Alert Police Officer likely saves woman's life

Posted: November 15, 2012 - 2:10pm

A Shawnee Police Officer on routine patrol likely saved a woman's life last week.

The department says, at 11:30 p.m. Friday, November 9th, Officer Justin Cobb was patrolling the area of the 7400 block of Martindale Road, in western Shawnee, when he noticed what he believed to be an unoccupied SUV on the side of the roadway.

Officer Cobb approached the blue SUV on foot. While looking at the stopped vehicle he noticed a woman in the backseat who appeared to be asleep. When attempts to wake the woman were unsuccessful, Officer Cobb opened the car door and found the female was unresponsive.

Johnson County Med-Act was called to the scene and through further investigation determined the woman was suffering from a suspected drug overdose. The woman was transported to a local medical center for treatment.

A statement released by the department says, "Officer Cobb's attentiveness to duty and quick action surely saved the victim's life. Needless to say, the Shawnee Police Department is very proud of Officer Cobb."

Information provided by the Shawnee Police Department.

April 3rd - Spring General Elections in Johnson County

Posted: April 3, 2012 - 2:30am

Today is the Spring General election in several cities in Johnson County. Cities of Leawood, Mission, Prairie Village and Westwood will all go to the polls today. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m..

Leawood and Mission voters will elect four Council Members to four year terms. Prairie Village voters will elect six Council Members to four year terms. Shawnee voters will elect a Mayor and four Council Members to three year terms due to an ongoing transition to an odd year election cycle. Westwood voters will elect a Mayor and two Council Members At-Large to four year terms.

For more information regarding candidates and to view your sample ballot visit the Johnson County Election Office's website.


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Tidy Town 2012 dates announced for Shawnee residents

Posted: April 1, 2012 - 4:06am

The city of Shawnee recently announced that their annual large item pick up will take place on Saturday, April 28th for residents east of Pflumm Road and on Saturday, May 5th for those who live west of Pflumm Road.

Individual trash haulers are responsible for picking up all items and the service is included in your basic rate. Hazardous materials such as; car batteries, paints, solvents, or liquid waste will not be picked up. Call the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment for disposal of these items at (913)715-6900.

Trash haulers will pick up all items that they accept and that look like they are out for collection. The city reminds residents to remove items that you want to keep, basketball goals, containers you intend on keeping, etc. from the curb during your collection day.

Deffenbaugh customers are reminded that you will need to set one of your Deffenbaugh carts curbside so they know to pick up your items. Deffenbaugh customers without a cart curbside will not have their items collected

Contact your trash hauler for any specific instructions that they might have and a list of items that they will pick up.


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