Emergency Management Report

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah.   December 4, 2013.  Emergency Management Supervisor, Bryce Nielson, reported to the Rich County commission that Homeland Security funds have dried up in the last year as part of the sequestration cuts.  In the past each county received funding but now it is done on a regional basis for regional priorities.  

City Watch, now Code Red, notifies individuals of  emergencies such as snow slides, water or power outages and other natural disasters by phone or text.   Garden City  is already texting people who have given them their cell phone numbers as part of City Watch.  Nielson said “ We were able to notify people about the propane tank overturned in Laketown Canyon and it has been used  in urban search and rescue.  Cox said that a flyer explaining City Watch or Code Red will be going out in county sanitation bills in January.  Nielson said, “We need to have the county commissioners on that list and all of the county officials, fire district people and search and rescue as well as EMT and church leaders.  Garden City will enter the data for the whole county into the telecommunications center.  This will be very helpful for summer citizens  as well as full time residents.

The Emergency Management Performance Grant  of $20,000 pays for half of the Emergency Manager’s salary which is matched by the county.  Since Nielson  only uses one third of the grant for his funding,  it was decided that one third of the Garden City fire chief’s salary be paid from  that grant because the fire chief does emergency management and has funding to make the match for the federal dollars.  

Another grant was used to send the Sheriff to specialized FBI emergency training and was used to strengthen the fire barge and purchase Muscle Wall portable barriers.   The new Garden City fire chief will need emergency management training and these funds can help to fund his training.

The Governor has a public safety conference which contains excellent information.  Neilson would like to send people to that conference and use another  grant to pay their expenses.  He  also wants to train the dispatchers how to respond more effectively and to train the deputies and EMT personnel how to keep the dispatchers informed more about what is happening on the ground during an accident or natural disaster.

Budget Request.  EMP grant is $20,000, LAPC 3,200 and county funds $7,500 of the total budget of $30,700. Neilson has been  in the position for 10 years and it has become more complex each year.