MO Department of Public Safety adds $1.25 million to budget for Task Force One

State Sen. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, visited the Boone County Fire Protection District Tuesday morning to hold a press conference on the new funding for Missouri Task Force One.

The Missouri Legislature has added new lines to House Bill 8, which outlines the Department of Public Safety’s budget. Under the new lines, $1.25 million has been added to the budget specifically for Missouri Task Force One. Of that $1.25 million, $750,000 is for engagement in the state of Missouri and $500,000 is for additional training.

Up until this year, there was no state funding for Missouri Task Force One. During the tornado in Joplin, the fire department had to shoulder the burden of a lot of the costs and then personnel could not get reimbursed.

This money allows the fire department to get reimbursed for the cost while allowing the state to then apply to the federal government for further reimbursement. Essentially, the money set aside should help Missouri’s Task Force One respond to an emergency faster, as they will not have to directly go through the federal government.