1.0 CIMCITY COMMISSION INFORMATION MEMORANDUM
December 12, 2022
ADMINISTRATIVE BRIEF FROM BRAD ANDERSON
ARTS AND HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
Smoky Hill River Festival Emergency Planning
On December 6, twenty-eight persons participated in a three-hour series of tabletop
exercises designed to measure how stakeholders would deal with emergencies during the
Festival. Participants included Arts & Humanities staff, committee chairs, technical staff,
police, fire, parks, Salina Regional Health Center representatives, and a few regional
emergency management leaders to review and evaluate the process. The exercise was
designed and facilitated by Saline County Emergency Management.
The scenarios included severe weather, an automobile accident involving the driver and
festival attendees, and an active shooter situation. The group reviewed roles, responsibilities,
communication procedures, coordination of personnel, and command structures.
A formal review of the exercise will occur between emergency management and Festival staff
once all of the participant evaluations are complete. Salina Arts & Humanities staff will then
take the final recommendations and prioritize their implementation as they work with police,
fire, parks, and other community partners to prepare better for the 2023 River Festival.
New Smoky Hill Museum Central Gallery Exhibition:
Fire: Embers of Discovery. This display will truly
blaze a trail toward discovery. Guests will encounter
major fires in our Nation's history and stories from
Salina's past. These incidents helped shape our
understanding of fire and what it takes to keep us safe
from its terrible destruction. Have you heard of the Sad
Yule or the Great Chicago Fire? Do you know the fiery
history of the
Local H.D. Lee
buildings? What
about the huge prairie fire that left a path of
destruction in Saline County in 1982? These stories
and many more await you at the Smoky Hill Museum
this winter. Fire: Embers of Discovery opens to the
public on December 15, 2022, and remains on exhibit
through October 7, 2023.
As a reminder, all Commissioners are invited to
the Friends of the Museum exhibit opening on
December 14, 2022, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Brad Anderson, Executive Director