Commission approves ImageTrend emergency software; several routine measures OK'd

The Duchesne County Commission on March 24 approved the purchase and initial implementation of ImageTrend, a commercial emergency-response and inspection software the county says will centralize fire, EMS and fire-marshal reporting and improve grant reporting.

Emergency Management Director Phillips told the commission the software would replace the county's current mix of JotForm and on-base records with a single system for incident reports, inspections and some payroll-related functions. “It's a one-stop shop for us as a fire department and a fire marshal's office for all inspections, everything fire, everything you could think of,” Phillips said during the presentation.

Phillips described ImageTrend's current county startup cost as $9,505.44, with an annual support/subscription fee of about $4,300. He said the system supports phones, tablets and laptops, can record patient signatures and medication use during transport, and would feed state reporting that the county uses to qualify for federal grants. Phillips said the county and some local hospitals already use or are moving toward the same platform at the state level, which he said eases integration for EMS and fire reporting.

Commission discussion touched on budget treatment of the ongoing subscription cost and on data-access boundaries: Phillips said the state and other agencies were resistant to mixing EMS records across institutional boundaries for privacy and operational reasons. He said the county is purchasing an initial county-wide license configured for multiple departments and that the system can grow to include additional users.

The commission voted to approve the purchase "as presented." The motion recorded in the minutes referenced the initial startup amount and noted the annual subscription would need to be added in future budget planning.

Votes at a glance

- ImageTrend emergency-response platform: Approved. Motion recorded as "accept what's been presented" with an initial contract/license fee of $9,505.44; ongoing annual maintenance/support about $4,300. Motion moved by Commissioner Kagan and seconded by Mr. Chuck (as recorded). Outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Approach approval (residential access to two lots): Approved. Motion to approve the approach as presented was made and seconded on the record; outcome: approved by voice vote.

- Payroll and vendor vouchers: Approved. The commission approved payroll for the period ending March 12 and accepted vouchers, including two invoices added the morning of the meeting to cover two sheriff's office vehicle purchases (two invoices ~ $49,005.79 each).

- Tax adjustment (personal property): Approved. The commission approved a requested tax adjustment related to a vehicle that the DMV had charged as in use in a prior year; vote recorded 2 in favor, 1 opposed.

- Volunteer appointments: Approved. The commission accepted the listed volunteer appointments.

What this means

Officials said the county expects ImageTrend to simplify incident documentation, speed reporting to state and federal systems used for grant qualification, centralize inspection records and provide auditable electronic records. County staff noted the initial cost is substantially higher than the county's current free/form-based tools but argued the improved data and grant-reporting connection could yield administrative efficiencies.

The commission did not adopt a formal, long-term funding source for the recurring subscription during the meeting; staff said they would add the subscription cost into future budget planning and suggested some grant-match accounts could absorb part of the cost.

Ending

Commissioners directed staff to complete contracting steps and to provide account and access details as the county integrates other data (for example, GIS layers for hydrants and inspection locations) into ImageTrend.