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Weber County to form chiefsad advisory committee for paramedic, HAZMAT and heavy-rescue programs
Summary
County staff told commissioners a draft resolution would create an advisory committee of fire chiefs to coordinate paramedic, HAZMAT and urban-search-and-rescue programs; commissioners asked for a heavy-rescue equipment audit and stressed the committee must present unified budget requests.
Weber County commissioners discussed creating an advisory committee of the county—s fire chiefs to guide the paramedic program, HAZMAT and heavy-rescue / urban search-and-rescue operations and were told a draft resolution creating the group will be presented at an upcoming meeting.
Commissioner Sharon Bolos said the proposal follows the transfer of emergency management from the sheriff—s office back to the commission—s office and the county—s decision to keep paramedic staffing under county administration. The committee would be advisory to county staff and would include subcommittees for paramedics, HAZMAT and heavy rescue, staff said.
County emergency-management staff member Lisa Bonsai said, "I am very excited about doing this committee," and described the structure she and chiefs prefer: subcommittees reporting to a countywide chiefs committee to provide transparency, engagement and coordinated oversight. "It allows all of us to get on the same page," she said.
County staff member Ryan (last name not specified in the transcript) told commissioners, "I've drafted up a resolution, and I forwarded it to the group and they're looking it over. Resolution would create the committee and kind of give them some foundational operational guidelines," and said the draft would return to the commission after edits.
Commissioner Jim Harvey supported a chiefs-led advisory approach but told staff he wants Weber County—s emergency-management team to remain involved in budgeting and oversight. "I still want our emergency management team involved, especially with the budget," Harvey said, and he requested an audit of the county—s heavy-rescue capabilities and equipment before new equipment requests are considered.
Other chiefs and frontline staff told commissioners they back the proposal and emphasized that the committee should produce consensus recommendations and present unified budget requests rather than having individual chiefs appear separately. Jason Horner, a field representative, said he—s "for it" and stressed the need to ensure county staff receive timely information and responses from the chiefs.
No formal action was taken at the work session. Staff said the draft resolution will be revised to reflect chiefs— feedback and presented for the commission—s consideration at an upcoming public meeting. Commissioners directed staff to bring budget and equipment details — including a requested heavy-rescue audit — to the budget process so that any equipment purchases or program changes can be evaluated in that context.
Next steps: staff will finalize the draft resolution with chiefs— input, circulate a revised draft to the commission and place the item on a future agenda for formal consideration.
