Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Emergency manager says new grant rules strain small counties; details conversion of bus to evacuation ambulance and bomb‑dog grant
Summary
George Colson told the commission that new EMPG stipulations are making compliance difficult for small counties, described emergency responses to recent outages and fires, and outlined plans to convert an older school bus into a 20–30 person evacuation ambulance and finalize a $40,000 bomb‑dog grant.
George Colson, Iron County emergency manager, told the commission he has been on the front lines of recent incidents and is concerned that tightening state and federal grant requirements are squeezing small rural counties.
Colson reviewed responses to a Rocky Mountain Power outage and the Foresight Fire, describing standby evacuation planning for New Harmony and Old Irontown and the coordination of NGOs and fire chiefs. He said the county arranged for a converted evacuation vehicle — federal kits to convert a school bus into a large ambulance (Colson cited an ~$80,000 per kit figure) — and that the school district has agreed to provide an older bus for conversion and staging in Iron County.
On grants, Colson said he applied for an Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) of roughly $36,000 but warned that evolving EMPG stipulations increasingly favor larger jurisdictions with dedicated grant staff. "They understand my heartburn with it," he said of state officials, recounting face‑to‑face discussions and a request from the deputy director for Colson to help develop a mentoring program for new state emergency managers.
Colson also said he finalized a seizure‑funded grant proposal of about $40,000 for Parowan Police Department equipment (sidearms and long guns) and closed out a separate grant for a county bomb‑dog program (dog cost cited ~ $8,000 with additional equipment) that will be certified through a regional bomb squad MOU. He noted the operational limits of detection dogs in sustained large‑venue operations and the need for multiple certified teams.
Colson described securing a regional reimbursement of about $22,000 for cyber work at a new Enoch police station and said he remains worried that state and federal pass‑through processes can delay or complicate reimbursable disaster funding for small counties.
The commission asked clarifying questions about sharing the bomb dog regionally and whether conversion kits were operational; Colson said the county expects the staged evacuation vehicle and equipment to be available for large incidents once conversion is complete.
The commission took no formal vote on policy during the report; Colson's briefing provided direction that staff continue grant work and coordination with state partners.
