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Contact: Larry Thrower, 435.834.5322
Garfield County Hosts Multi-Agency Emergency Services Training On Saturday January 9, 2010, Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins hosted the first of its kind training event for all emergency services personnel throughout the county at Ruby’s Inn, located in Bryce Canyon City. There were approximately 100 in attendance which included Emergency Medical Services, Firefighters, Law Enforcement, and Search and Rescue personnel. Bryce Canyon National Park Deputy Chief Ranger Mark Hnat and Chief Ranger David Fox led the training that focused on the Incident Command System – a set of personnel, policies, procedures, facilities, and equipment, integrated into a common organizational structure designed to improve emergency response operations of all types and complexities. The training included a lecture, communications exercises, and a tabletop exercise. The training also provided a forum to improve upon emergency response procedures based on a review of several recent incidents in Garfield County. The one-day training concluded with three scenarios including a house fire in Tropic, a motor vehicle accident in Red Canyon, and a search and rescue north of Escalante. During each scenario, different emergency services groups were called upon to go through the steps they would take via radio to set up a command system, call for needed resources, and ensure efficient incident management. It provided an overall picture of how the training required of all responders applies in real life scenarios. Utah Department of Homeland Security official Ron Mosher attended the training and said he was impressed by the turnout in the county, especially considering that over 90% of the attendees were volunteers who gave up their Saturday to improve emergency response to Garfield County residents. The partnership between the County and National Park contributed to the great success of this training. Because of this, similar events are likely to occur on an annual basis. |
Last updated: February 24, 2015