News Releases

The entire change out project, including new equipment and installation, was paid for by Sprint/Nextel. Tooele County decided to upgrade some additional equipment not covered by the FCC agreement at a cost of $61,000.00.

The equipment change out has had an added benefit. Tooele County Emergency Management (TCEM) Communications Manager Dave Williams said, “The users say they like the new Motorola radios better and they can talk in places they couldn’t before. So the coverage seems to be improved.”

The second phase of the radio system upgrade involves replacing some of the 800 MHz infrastructure in Tooele County, such as repeaters and other equipment at the mountaintop sites. However, that work will be seamless to the users. They won’t notice any shutdowns. The infrastructure upgrade will begin in February and be completed in about a year.

About the radio exchange Williams said, “It’s been a long process but just about everybody involved in the change out has been patient and courteous with the contracted radio installers.”

One of those installers, Andy Tanner, was since hired by Tooele County as a Communications Technician and Logistics Coordinator. He will work with Williams and other employees of Tooele County Emergency Management.

Tanner owned his own communications business for five years and worked for MG Telecomm for about 12 years. He said, “I’m excited to be working for Tooele County now. I’ve known the people at Emergency Management for a long time, and I’m proud to be a part of their team.”

Tanner’s duties include assisting Williams in maintaining the microwave and 800 MHz communications systems, backup power generators, and communication towers and buildings. He’ll also continue handling all mobile and base station radio installations in new vehicles and buildings. As the Logistics Coordinator Tanner will liaison with fire and police departments for maintaining county-issued vehicles, decontamination trailers, and personal protective equipment.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: July 3, 2007 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

County Contingent Contributes to National Emergency Preparedness Workshop

Tooele County Commissioners and Emergency Managers participated in the annual Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) National Workshop. Commissioners Colleen Johnson and Bruce Clegg joined Tooele County Emergency Management's Director Kari Sagers, Deputy Director Marilyn Candelaria, Planner Marianne Rutishauser Andrus, Logistics Coordinator Tony Crites, Network Administrator and Hazard Analyst Stephen Smith, and Public Information Officer Wade Mathews at the workshop last week in Chicago.

The workshop provided interactive training, program updates, counterpart and community caucuses, and networking opportunities for people from the seven remaining chemical stockpile sites around the country. Facilitation of the annual workshops is handled jointly by the U.S. Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Both Sagers and Candelaria were on the Workshop Planning Committee this year.

Commissioner Clegg said the workshop was a great learning and teaching opportunity for the attendees from Tooele County. "I noticed that people from the other CSEPP sites around the country recognize the leadership, expertise and professionalism of Tooele County’s and Deseret Chemical Depot's employees. They've been setting the pace for chemical weapons destruction and emergency preparedness," Clegg said. "I could see the pain of departure as the program starts to wind down with all of our GB and VX nerve agent destroyed and 99 percent of the risk gone."

Senior managers from the Army marked the completion of 45 percent destruction of the national chemical weapons stockpile in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Thanks to Deseret Chemical Depot demilitarization operations which contributed more than 60 percent of the total required, the U.S. reached that milestone ahead of the December 31, 2007 deadline. Chemical weapons demilitarization sites in Edgewood, Maryland; Pine Bluff, Arkansas; Anniston, Alabama; Newport, Indiana; Umatilla, Oregon; and Johnston Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean also contributed to the 45 percent destruction total.

Commissioner Clegg recognized the value CSEPP has provided Tooele County and the nation. "America had a stockpile of the worst chemicals known to man and this program was put into place to keep its citizens safe during the storage and destruction of those chemicals. Tooele County workers have done a great job, as their patriotic duty, eliminating the weapons stockpile," Clegg said. "They need to be congratulated for a job well done."

Workshop participants benefited from a keynote presentation titled "Ground Truth: The Importance of Evidence-based Disaster Management" by Dr. Erik Auf der Heide. Dr. Aufder Heide discussed his observations from studies following several major disasters. He offered seven incorrect assumptions often made in emergency management planning.

First, emergency responders, local and distant, will often come without being requested or needed. Second, most initial search and rescue operations are conducted by survivors and witnesses, rather than professional responders. Third, disaster victims are likely to bypass field triage, treatment and decontamination points and go straight to hospitals for care. Fourth, most injured people are transported by means other than ambulances.

Fifth, most victims are taken to the closest or most familiar hospitals, rather than the most capable. Sixth, hospitals are often first notified of a disaster by arriving casualties and the media rather than by emergency responders. Seventh, people with minor injuries often arrive at hospitals first, before the more seriously injured victims. Emergency managers discussed the implications of those observations and incorrect assumptions in relation to local plans, procedures, and protocols in an effort to better respond in large-scale disasters.

Commissioner Clegg said he doesn't think it's a fallacy that Tooele County is in the forefront of preparedness. "We have gained a lot from being a part of CSEPP. It has taught us great lessons on handling tremendous problems; so as far as handling major disasters in the future, we have the equipment, the training, the know-how, and the people with a get-it-done attitude to keep people in our county safer," he said.

Several training breakout sessions were offered during the workshop. The Commissioners and local emergency managers attended as many as they could, as well as presented information in others. Crites and Mathews offered a session on incorporating the National Incident Management System components in disaster drills and exercises. Rutishauser Andrus, who chairs a national protective action work group, conducted a session which trained workshop participants when to evacuate and the proper way to shelter-in-place for chemical or hazardous materials incidents. Mathews contributed to a session for public affairs outreach efforts during chemical stockpile closeout procedures.

Other breakout sessions includedresource training and best practices, automation for hazard analysis, new technologies in crisis communication, disaster mortuary operations, emergency medical response to disaster and recovery, Joint Information Center training, and financial training for emergency management budgets and cost estimates.

Another highlight of the workshop was hearing from Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Allen James Lynch. Mr. Lynch, a Vietnam War veteran, spoke on the importance of recognizing the sacrifice of our troops and their families, and of offering continued support throughout their deployments.

This was the last annual CSEPP workshop. Beginning in 2009, the workshops will be bi-annual due to the reduced risk at each of the chemical stockpile sites, and the complete destruction of the stockpiles and resultant closure of sites in Edgewood, Maryland and Newport, Indiana. The 2009 Bi-annual CSEPP National Workshop will be held in Salt Lake City.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 11, 2005 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Spring Flooding Volunteers Sought

Tooele County, Tooele City, Stockton Town, and the Tooele County School District are seeking a response from anyone who volunteered their time and efforts during the spring runoff and flooding incidents. People who filled sandbags, deployed sandbags, cleaned up flood damaged public property, or helped local government in any way during the disaster situation are urged to contact that government jurisdiction for recording purposes.
Local governmental jurisdictions are applying for financial reimbursement from FEMA to repair public infrastructure damaged during the spring flooding. Part of that application process includes meeting a 25 percent cost match. FEMA allows disaster relief applicants to include all volunteer hours towards the required match.
Volunteers will be asked to provide their names, the dates worked, the approximate number of hours worked, and the work performed. The volunteer work must have been performed during the period April 28 - June 29, 2005.
Those people who volunteered for Tooele County are urged to contact Cindy or Mary at 843-3160 or send an email with the required information to ccoombs@co.tooele.ut.us. Anyone who volunteered for Tooele City should contact Shannon Wimmer at 843-2156 or by email at shannonw@tooelecity.org. Volunteers for Stockton Town are asked to contact the Stockton Town Hall at 882-3877. Tooele County School District volunteers please contact Steve West at 833-1900.
Government leaders wish to thank the many volunteers who assisted during the flooding and other spring incidents. Their efforts helped to alleviate the damage and inconvenience caused by the flooding disasters. Local governments recognize that volunteers are a great asset that helps stretch tax dollars and preserves limited budgets during times of emergencies. The cooperation of those volunteers during this FEMA application process is greatly appreciated.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: August 8, 2005 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Lightning hit causes siren malfunction

Some Tooele City residents heard an unusual message over one of the sirens Sunday evening. The siren located at West Elementary School malfunctioned, sending out an evacuation message rather than the intended firefighter alert. While investigating the anomaly, the Tooele County Emergency Management Alert and Notification Technician discovered today that a lightning bolt had struck the school grounds near the siren one week ago. TCEM suspects the lightning strike damaged the siren's circuitry.
At about 5:00 p.m. yesterday Tooele County Sheriff's Dispatchers activated the sirens located in Tooele City with the firefighter alert. Residents living near West Elementary instead heard instructions to evacuate west towards Dugway. The Tooele County Emergency Management (TCEM) Public Information Officer, Wade Mathews, heard the evacuation message and immediately contacted dispatch to verify its authenticity. Upon learning that it was a false alarm, Mathews and TCEMs computer technician responded to the Tooele County Emergency Operations Center to correct the false message.
The emergency managers used a live voice capability on the errant siren to send out a new message letting residents know they didn't need to evacuate. The live voice message said, The previous siren message was a false alarm. Please disregard. The message was repeated twice. During the time it took to program the siren for live voice, a Tooele City Police Officer drove through the affected neighborhoods alerting the residents that the siren message had been a false alarm.
We apologize for the undue fear and panic the malfunctioning siren may have caused people who heard the evacuation message, said Tooele County Emergency Management Director, Kari Sagers. In spite of our daily silent tests and our weekly audible tests, we had no way of detecting the damage from the lightning strike.
Whelen, the siren's manufacturer, is coming to Tooele County later in August to analyze the siren system. TCEM has instructed dispatchers to discontinue use of the firefighter alert on the sirens at this time. Tooele City volunteer firefighters will still be activated with their voice pagers and response time will remain the same as if the sirens were used.

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Date: July 6, 2005 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Public Awareness Survey Scheduled for the County

Tooele County Emergency managers are measuring the awareness and preparedness levels of residents with an upcoming telephone survey. The areas to be surveyed are Tooele County's Tooele and Rush Valleys, and Utah County's Cedar Valley. The survey will start on Monday, July 11th and last about one week. The topics of focus will be the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) and Deseret Chemical Depot (DCD).
"We know that during this time of war against terrorism and with the various military installations in the county, people are vigilant about things that might seem suspicious, but this upcoming survey is a legitimate effort to find out how knowledgeable and prepared our citizens are," says Wade Mathews, TCEM's Public Information Officer. "We hope that people will cooperate and give honest answers if they get a survey call."
The information gathered will be used to shape public outreach efforts such as emergency preparedness calendar messages, newspaper ads, brochures, and presentations. Each call will consist of approximately 36 questions and last 10 to15 minutes. At the end of the call, people wanting more information will be given TCEM's phone number and website address.
Anyone aged 18 and older, living within the Immediate Response Zone surrounding DCD or within the Protective Action Zone further out from the Depot, are eligible to take the survey. Participation is purely voluntary. Anyone not interested in taking the survey can decline.
The survey is paid for with Federal funds from the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program. CR Dynamics, a Baltimore, Maryland based company, is contracted to make the telephone calls using databases of randomly selected phone numbers. CR Dynamics has previous experience with government contracts, having done work for the U.S. Census, and for the Maryland Public Service Commission.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: June 9, 2005 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

DCD contributes to county preparedness cause

Deseret Chemical Depot took the initiative to contact Tooele County to offer supplies during the recent flooding. By providing filled sandbags to Tooele City prior to and during the Memorial Day storm, Tooele County had exhausted its supply of filled sandbags and reduced its stockpile of unfilled sandbags.
Officials at Deseret Chemical Depot saw the need and donated approximately 600 filled sandbags, 4000 unfilled sandbags, and a large, steel, hopper with two chutes with which to fill sandbags.
Tooele County Emergency Management Director, Kari Sagers said, "This is just another example of the level of cooperation shared between Deseret Chemical Depot and Tooele County. We appreciate the concern shown by DCD officials and the assistance given us through the donation of sandbag supplies."
Some of the filled sandbags have already been deployed in Tooele City and Tooele County and others will be stockpiled. The unfilled sandbags will be stored until they're needed.
DCD commander, Colonel Raymond Van Pelt authorized the donation to Tooele County. County employees and jail trustees removed the filled sandbags from the Primary Fighting positions at DCD that are scheduled to be dismantled, and the hopper is equipment that was used by military personnel deployed at DCD as part of the Chemical Site Defensive Forces.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: February 16, 2005 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Weekly Siren Test Checks Public Awareness

Several Tooele City residents were taken by surprise when they heard a different message during the weekly siren test Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Officials received a total of five calls from people questioning the emergency message they heard in place of the first of two test messages. Two people called Tooele City Hall, two people called Tooele County Dispatch and one person called Tooele County Emergency Management (TCEM).
Based on the information from callers, TCEM determined that one siren located at Tooele City?s Dow James Complex, 350 West 400 North, began the test sequence with an emergency message rather than the test message. The sequence continued with the "whoop-whoop" siren tone and ended with the correct test message. In a real emergency, the sequence begins with the "whoop-whoop" tone, followed by emergency instructions, repeated twice.
There was never any threat to the public. Tooele County emergency officials apologize for any undue concern caused by the malfunction. TCEM's Alert and Notification Technician is investigating the anomaly. The siren will be turned off until the problem is isolated and corrected.
The outdoor warning system consists of 62 sirens which are tested silently twice each day by establishing and verifying radio communications between the sirens and activation point. The system is tested audibly every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. by broadcasting a test sequence consisting of the This is a test" message, followed by the "whoop-whoop" tone, and concluding with the "This is a test" message. The sirens are preprogrammed with 14 emergency messages, a volunteer firefighter alert, and a test message.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Sept. 14, 2004 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Emergency activities part of annual drill

Emergency responders around Tooele County will soon be putting their skills and equipment to the test. They will participate in the annual Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program's (CSEPP) full-scale exercise scheduled for Wed, Sept. 15. The exercise will run most of the day.
People may see police, fire and emergency medical personnel practicing their response capabilities at different locations in the county including: outside the Mountain West Medical Center, SR 36 near the Stockton LDS Church, and SR 36 near Lake Point's Flying J Truck Stop. The sirens located at Deseret Chemical Depot will also be activated.
The activities scheduled for the day are no cause for concern. The exercise is a federal requirement to ensure the safety of the people living near the Deseret Chemical Depot's chemical agent stockpile.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: November 25, 2003 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Tooele County Conducting Public Awareness Survey

People living within Tooele County’s Tooele and Rush Valleys, and Utah County’s Cedar Valley may receive a telephone call about the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) and Deseret Chemical Depot (DCD).

Tooele County Emergency Management (TCEM) is conducting an annual survey that will begin Friday, December 5, and last about one week. During that time, Tooele County hopes to get enough respondents to determine its citizens’ average level of awareness of the chemical demilitarization operations at DCD and average level of emergency preparedness.

“We want people who might get a call to know that this is an official survey. They don’t need to be suspicious that it’s some illegitimate organization trying to gather information about the military bases in our county,” says Wade Mathews, TCEM’s Public Information Officer. “It will really help us out if people will accept the call and participate in the survey.”

The information gathered will be used to shape public outreach efforts such as emergency preparedness calendar messages, newspaper ads, brochures, and presentations. Each call will consist of approximately 36 questions and last 10 to15 minutes. At the end of the call, people wanting more information will be given TCEM’s phone number and website address.
Anyone aged 18 and older, living within the Immediate Response Zone surrounding DCD or within the Protective Action Zone further out from the Depot, are eligible to take the survey. Participation is purely voluntary. Anyone not interested in taking the survey can decline.
CR Dynamics, a Baltimore, Maryland based company, will make the telephone calls using databases of randomly selected phone numbers. CR Dynamics has previous experience with government contracts, having done work for the U.S. Census, and for the Maryland Public Service Commission.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: Sept. 4, 2003 Contact: Wade Mathews
(435) 843-3269

Annual Exercise Just Around the Corner

Tooele emergency responders will soon be pulling out the decontamination trailers and putting on their personal protective equipment. They’ll be participating in the annual Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program’s (CSEPP) full-scale exercise scheduled for Wed, Sept. 10. The exercise will run most of the day.
People may see police, fire and emergency medical personnel practicing their response capabilities outside the Mountain West Medical Center, at the Flying J in Lake Point, and on Faust Road and S.R. 36 in Rush Valley. The sirens located at Deseret Chemical Depot will also be activated.
The activities scheduled for the day are no cause for concern. The exercise is a federal requirement to ensure the safety of the people living near the Deseret Chemical Depot’s chemical agent stockpile.

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TOOELE COUNTY UTAH EARNS STORMREADY TITLE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 2, 2003

Contact: David Toronto 801-524-4377
Larry Dunn 801-524-4377
Marilu Trainor 801-524-5692 Ext.226

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City, Utah, have designated Tooele County as a StormReady county. During a presentation in the Tooele County Courthouse today representatives from the National Weather Service commended the county’s efforts to enhance its hazardous weather operations. NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce.

The StormReady program gives communities the skills and education needed to survive severe weather - before and during the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen their local hazardous weather operations by ensuring that they have the tools needed to receive life saving National Weather Service warnings in the quickest time possible.

“The National Weather Service recognized Tooele County for the wide variety of disaster resistant projects that help prepare their citizens and emergency responders for severe weather and flood threats as well as significant winter weather,” said Salt Lake City NWS Weather Forecast Office Meteorologist in Charge, Larry Dunn. “Tooele County is the first jurisdiction in the state of Utah to receive this formal certification. The StormReady certification for Tooele County will be in effect for three years, until the summer of 2006.”

Dunn said Tooele County gets its share of severe weather and potential flash flooding storms in the summer months, but also gets winter storms that cause problems for the residents of the county, especially when “lake effect”snow moves south into the Tooele Valley impacting travel in and out of the area.

Dunn noted how the StormReady program helped saved dozens of lives recently in Van Wert, Ohio. “The community met StormReady certification requirements just 11 months before a November 10, 2002 tornado devastated parts of the town. A Van Wert movie theater manager ushered 50 moviegoers to safety after hearing a NWS tornado warning over a special StormReady program emergency radio. The tornado destroyed the building, tossing cars into the front seats where kids and parents were seated moments before,” said Dunn. “Without StormReady the story could have been much different,” Dunn added.

“More than 40,000 people live in Tooele County and they, along with those who visit and travel through the county, will benefit from the efforts of the county and the National Weather Service to warn those who might be in harm’s way during any severe or winter weather event,” said David Toronto, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the NWS office in Salt Lake. “StormReady is a great example of federal, state, and local governments working together to prepare counties and communities for all kinds of severe weather” Toronto added.

Thanks to cooperative efforts between Tooele County and the National Weather Service, NOAA Weather Radio covers just about the entire county, and storm warnings are broadcast to receivers throughout the area. NOAA Weather Radio receivers have been placed in public access buildings, emergency communication centers, as well as many individual residences throughout the county. Local broadcasts of storm warnings are broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio as well as commercial radio and television using the Emergency Alert System, to provide storm information that can save lives and protect property. NWS officials said Tooele County is leading the way in Utah, with a commitment to emergency communication, preparedness, and severe weather education.

“The StormReady program provides counties and communities with clear cut weather warning and preparedness advice through a partnership between the National Weather Service and emergency managers,” said Kari Sagers, Tooele County Emergency Management Director. “The StormReady program is a great approach to help communities develop systems and plans to handle local severe weather in any season, and strengthen cooperative ties with the National Weather Service. We are excited to be recognized for our readiness capabilities and proud to be associated with the NWS as StormReady partners.”

NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Internet:
NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov
National Weather Service - http://www.weather.gov
An image of the StormReady sign and more program information is available at - http://www.stormready.noaa.gov.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: July 8, 2003 Contact: Wade Mathews (435) 843-3269

Tooele Emergency Manager Receives National Recognition

Mobile, AL- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acknowledged the efforts of Tooele County Emergency Management Director, Kari Sagers with an award at the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) 2003 Annual Conference. Sagers was privileged to receive her award before a group of other emergency managers and first responders from the eight chemical stockpile sites around the country.

Sagers said, “I was so surprised to receive this award. It means a lot to me to be recognized by my peers for the work involved in running an emergency management department.” The Tooele County Commission appointed Sagers as department director at the inception of Tooele County Emergency Management more than 12 years ago.

Craig Conklin, FEMA, and Dennis Legal, US Army, presented the award to Sagers at the conference in Mobile, Alabama on Tuesday, June 24th. The FEMA award carried the inscription: “Ms. Kari Sagers---In appreciation for outstanding contributions to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Community. Your leadership, professionalism, and advocacy for chemical emergency preparedness with Congress and the media have greatly improved public safety. (Signed) Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary, Emergency Preparedness and Response”
Conklin said, “It is with pleasure that I present this award, which is long overdue, to Kari. She is very deserving of this recognition.”

Carrying responsibility for CSEP Program management in Tooele County, Sagers has been called upon to testify before Congress in chemical demilitarization hearings, has continually sought federal funding to raise the county’s level of preparedness, and has served as a sentinel for the safety of the residents in Tooele County.

Under Sagers’ direction, Tooele County has come to be known as one of the best prepared counties in the state for a natural or technological disaster. Other municipalities look to Sagers as a good example of an effective emergency management director.

Tooele County Emergency Management, with its Emergency Operations Center, communications capabilities, warning systems, contingency plans, and other emergency preparedness measures, is often the focus of tours and studies by other jurisdiction leaders seeking to set up their own emergency management departments.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: November 18, 2002 Contact: Wade Mathews (435) 843-3269

Tooele County Siren System Gets Upgrade

Tooele- Emergency managers will be able to reach more people with the potentially life-saving “whoop-whoop” tone of the sirens. Tooele County Emergency Management (TCEM) is upgrading its outdoor warning system by adding 23 new sirens. Some of the new sirens will be put in areas not covered by the current system. By this winter people living in or near Grantsville, Stansbury, Erda, and Pine Canyon should be able to hear potential emergency messages sent through the sirens. Siren coverage will also be increased in Tooele City and Rush Valley and in Cedar Valley in Utah County.

Kari Sagers, director of TCEM, said, “The coverage of the original siren system, with 37 sirens, only met minimum requirements at the time it was installed in 1994. With the population growth and increased recreational use in the county, we felt it was necessary to expand our emergency notification capabilities throughout the Tooele and Rush Valleys.”

The sirens are mounted on top of a 45-foot high pole. They consist of the sound speakers, solar panels and radio controls. John Michaelson, one of the technicians leading the siren project, said, “All of the work involved in siren site acquisition has been worth it, knowing that the community will be a safer place.”

The cost of upgrading the warning system is approximately $1.2 million. Sagers said, “Although the notification system is funded through the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP), we are pleased that Tooele County benefits by having an all-hazard warning system for the major population areas.”

Repairing and maintaining the siren system can be very costly. To discourage vandalism, there is a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Tooele County also offers a $1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of anyone causing damage to the equipment.
The outdoor warning system is programmed with 16 pre-recorded emergency messages. In the event of activation of the system, a message would be played, followed by the “whoop-whoop” tone, then the message repeats again. If someone doesn’t understand the message, they should tune to an Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio or TV station for further information. They shouldn’t call 911 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency. The sirens are tested every Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.

For further information regarding the siren system, or if you have other emergency preparedness questions, call TCEM at 843-3260.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: July 8, 2002 Contact: Wade Mathews (435) 843-3269

Tooele County Emergency Planner Honored with Award

Tooele- Marianne Rutishauser, the emergency planner at Tooele County Emergency Management, was recently recognized for her efforts on a national work group. On June 25th, she received an award at the 2002 Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (CSEPP) National Conference held in Lexington, Kentucky.

For the last 2 years Rutishauser has chaired the Shelter-In-Place Work Group, made up of experts, outlining the details of the protective action known as sheltering-in-place. She put in long hours in meetings and on the phone organizing and pushing the work group to accomplish its goals.

Through the Shelter-In-Place Work Group’s efforts, guidelines have been written to help emergency managers in communities around the eight chemical stockpiles know when to begin and end the shelter-in-place protective action in the unlikely event of a chemical emergency.
Kari Sagers, Director of Tooele County Emergency Management said she is proud of Marianne and her accomplishments. “I know Marianne has worked hard and made this project a priority. She is very deserving of this recognition,” said Sagers.

Mr. Craig Conklin, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Technological Division, and Mr. Daniel Civis, FEMA’s Chief of the Chemical Preparedness Branch, presented the award to Rutishauser. She was overwhelmed with surprise, and accepted the award on behalf of all who worked hard on bringing the shelter-in-place project to fruition. Rutishauser said, “The project was a tremendous challenge, but very exciting and personally rewarding.”

The inscription on the award says, “In appreciation for outstanding contributions to the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Community. Your hard work, determination, and selfless service led the way to cutting-edge Shelter-in-Place protective action options.”

Rutishauser has been at Tooele County Emergency Management for 11 1/2 years. Her work includes writing the Tooele County Emergency Operations Plan, a huge book of steps and guidelines for various contingencies that could hit the county, including everything from a chemical accident to an earthquake. It has been applauded by FEMA as one of the most comprehensive and professional All-Hazard Emergency Operations Plans seen in the last 25 years.

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