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Show Commty Reorganises Emergency Services 9 Pints Sheriff At Head By TOM BUSSELBERG North County Editor FARMINGTON -- Although there's still a lot to do. Sheriff Brant Johnson says emergency emergen-cy services will be "ready like never before" if the expected spring runoff materializes. SPEAKING TO the mayoral council of governments, gov-ernments, he expressed "very, very positive" feelings about the transfer of county emergency emergen-cy services to his agency where former county director John Zippro will continue to function. Chief Deputy Jan Cunningham will oversee the program. The transfer coincides with near completion of the new emergency operations center to be located in the basement of the jail annex adjoining ad-joining the sheriff s dispatch communications center. Indicating that should be completed within the week, he emphasized "we still need to gear up for that (flooding). We still have a lot to do." HE REITERATED the need for all communities com-munities to activate their recently-formed emergency preparedness committees and said hopefully education would be provided through his office to those groups. County Com. Chairman Glen Saunders indicated indi-cated state officials' desire that emergencies involving one city, for example, be handled first by that city's mayor and council with county or state help as needed. Problems of a multi-city nature should go through county channels to the state. "IT WAS DIFFICULT for the state to deal with 200-300 cities. They can deal with 29 counties," he said with Bountiful Mayor Dean Stahle recalling some communication problems prob-lems between even neighboring cities, such as Bountiful and Centerville. over which streets were blocked, for example. Sheriff Johnson said such problems will be addressed. He pinpointed several other problems being studied or needing attention within the next few years ranging from the jail to police communication. com-munication. CITING THE dashing of high hopes for a cooperative jail expansion effort with the state corrections division by legislative action. Sheriff Johnson said "it's still in the planning-still planning-still an issue"-future jail expansion. "We need to make some decisions before too long" although he said it's now on the "back burner" in a "holding pattern." Indicating a feasibility study should be completed com-pleted by a Salt Lake City firm within two months, the sheriff said that would help in projecting pro-jecting when and how many additional calls will be required, for example. "WE HAVE 101 beds and we've 'maxed out'." he told the mayors, referring to average occupancy of 80 or more beds making it difficult diffi-cult to deal with, at times. As the county's population grown, the police communications system largely has lagged lag-ged behind, he explained further, noting it has basically remained unchanged for "25-30 years." "The system is poor. Mayors on the northwest side (Clinton. West Point. Clearfield) Clear-field) have heard some complaints" about poor police radio reception with that problem existing ex-isting in the Farmington "hollow" situation, as well. "There's better coverage in South Weber than West Point," he added. "OUR NEXT ISSUE is to try and solve that. We need a competent system." he continued, indicated that state is testing the county's equipment while a Little Mountain, west Weber We-ber County, site has been studied that would better transmit throughout the county. "Before too many years it will require some very serious decisions. Either it (communications) (communica-tions) will be fragmented more, cities will combine." com-bine." amongbthcr things, he said, adding that while the "service is good" with an all-woman dispatch staff that has "excellent, experienced" experi-enced" personnel, "the facilities are poor." A SOLUTION must also be found for effective effec-tive emergency "91 1 " dialing. Sheriff Johnson said further adding that while it's "very costly it's worth the money to enhance the system. It'll be folly until it comes together." |