This is an editorial by the director of my place of employment. It does a good job of describing a problem that no one seems interested in discussing. The Salt Lake County Sheriff needs to join VECC and consolidate dispatch to improve public safety.

Taken from the Salt Lake Tribune Website 07/28/2008

By William Harry

Recently there have been news articles ("Audit may end feud over Salt Lake County 911 calls," Deseret News, July 15; "Salt Lake County turns to state legislators to help resolve spat with dispatch center," The Salt Lake Tribune, July 16) and public discussions about the 911 emergency calls in Salt Lake County and the use of the 911 surcharge revenue.

A little over 20 years ago the Salt Lake County Council of Governments, which includes all of the cities, municipalities and the unincorporated areas of Salt Lake County, decided to create a communications center within Salt Lake County to handle police, fire, medical, 911 and other services for its members, with the exception of Salt Lake City.

An Interlocal Cooperation Agreement created the Valley Emergency Communications Center, which is a political subdivision of the State of Utah, to perform those functions. The membership of VECC included all of the cities within Salt Lake County and the county (for the unincorporated areas). It was decided that all 911 emergency calls would be answered by VECC. All of the self-policing cities, fire agencies and Salt Lake County Fire (now Unified Fire Agency) also elected to receive police, fire and medical dispatch services from VECC.

The only agency within the county that decided not to join VECC for dispatch services was the county sheriff. However, 911 emergency calls from the sheriff's jurisdictions are answered by VECC. VECC is Salt Lake County's own dispatch center; it's just not used by the sheriff.

On July 15, the Salt Lake County Council approved an interlocal agreement between Salt Lake County and VECC for the transfer of 911 funds to VECC. These funds are generated from the 911 surcharges paid by citizens in the county's unincorporated areas, which are collected and distributed by the State Tax Commission.
The purpose of the interlocal agreement is, based upon existing agreements, to fund the 911 services that VECC provides to the county's unincorporated areas. The interlocal agreement expired on June 30, 2007. The county had failed to renew the agreement and was delinquent three months on its agreed-upon fund transfers.

VECC is a consolidated emergency communications center. This allows for the 911 emergency calls from all locations within the county to be answered at one location. Duplicate calls pertaining to a single incident, but reported from different jurisdictions, are appropriately handled. Emergency calls through cellular telephone companies that service wide areas are answered at one location and dispatched by the appropriate agency.

With the number of jurisdictional boundaries in the county, splitting 911 call delivery between multiple centers will cause excessive call transfers between centers and delayed emergency response. By design, all of the valley's fire agencies are dispatched from the location where the 911 emergency call is received. This ensures the most timely, expeditious and coordinated response possible.

The greatest benefit of a consolidated emergency communications center is that all of the fire and emergency medical agencies and law enforcement agencies use the same dispatch system. This allows for multiple emergency medical and fire agencies and multiple law enforcement agencies, or any combination thereof, to be dispatched simultaneously.

If an emergency medical incident also requires police support, both resources are dispatched at the same time. If an incident grows and requires more resources, those additional resources are provided immediately. Within the Salt Lake Valley all of the agencies back up each other as needed. This is especially true of the fire agencies.

For example, if there is a fire incident in Draper and UFA requires additional equipment, Sandy Fire Department will automatically assist, or if all fire units in West Jordan are on assignment, either a West Valley or UFA unit will automatically take the next call in West Jordan's area.

If the consolidation of these resources is lost, emergency medical and fire response across the entire valley will be greatly jeopardized.

If changes are to be made to the Salt Lake County 911 emergency response system, they should be made by the Salt Lake County Council of Governments with the safety and benefit of all the residents of the Salt Lake Valley foremost in mind.


--- * WILLIAM HARRY is the executive director of the Valley Emergency Communications Center.

Labels: 911, Salt Lake County Sheriff, Valley Emergency Communications Center, VECC

Todays intersesting thought.

"If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers." - Thomas Jefferson

Seems like today doesn't it? Our government taxes its citizens into oblivion and into revolt. I sometimes think we aren't far away from this today.

Another quote in relation to Jefferson's thought: "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." -P. J. ORourke

Labels: Government Debt, Taxes, Thomas Jefferson

Not enough Government intervention in your life? How about the government begins to tell you what type of dog you can own? Can’t believe it? Wouldn’t happen here in Utah? Wrong it’s happening right here in Sandy, Utah…

I am not an animal rights activist. I believe that PETA is one of the most evil organizations on the planet. However I love animals but believe that they are pets and or food for me and my family. Animals should not be abused or mishandled but that they serve a purpose for humans. I am a dog owner. I believe that bad dogs have bad owners not that the breed determines the vicious nature of a dog.

It seems that this is an issue as we 911/Sandy Animal Control have been receiving calls about it. Here is a message that is floating around my work

Urgent-Sandy City Considers Breed Restrictions
No More Homeless Pets in Utah received this urgent information from Millcreek FIDOS (Friends Interested in Dogs and Open Spaces) and we wanted to pass it along to our members. Please take a minute to read this important email regarding proposed breed restrictions. If Sandy City adopts this proposal, other towns could follow.

Sandy City Considers Breed Restrictions & Dog Owners are Encouraged to Respond! All dog owners, especially Sandy City residents, are encouraged to email the Sandy City Council asking that they stop the motion to adopt a breed-based ban. A motion is currently targeting Pitbulls, Rottweilers, and Presa Canarios, but it has been noted that they may widen that in some circumstances. Please email all members of the Sandy City Council at the link below: http://sandy.utah.gov/government/city- council.html

IMPORTANT: Please attend the public hearing for the new animal ordinance July 15th at Sandy City Hall, 10000 Centennial Parkway, Sandy, at 7:00pm. The draft ordinance should be available today, though it may be in paper format only (no electronic copies).

What are the Restrictions?
So far Sandy City has not released the final draft of the ordinance. It should be available today (prior to the Public Hearing next Tuesday). The ordinance has gone through several revisions, from an outright ban of the listed breeds, to grandfathering in existing pets, to special licensing and monitoring of the listed breeds. This website was set up by Sandy City Residents who oppose the ban. It includes yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune article as well as discussions on the subject. http://groups.google.com/group/sandy-residents- against-bsl

Why No More Homeless Pet Oppose the Restrictions
1. It's ineffectual. Owners of fighting dogs have been known to simply move on to a different breed.

2. It's a slippery slope. As the "bad" owners move to different breeds, the Sandy City Council has noted it can just add those breeds to their list. 3. It's easy to see a "Pitbull" or "Rottweiler" mix in any dog. It's a difficult breed to pin down. More than once, we have been asked if a brown Heeler mix we know was part Pitbull, when she clearly has no trace of Pitbull in her. Sandy City plans on restricting mixed breeds, how will this be detremined?

4. It affects neighboring communities. If I live is SLC, can I bring my Pitbull to Sandy? Through Sandy? What are the consequences if I do? What if I bring my brown Heeler mix?

5. The Sandy Animal Control opposes the restrictions.

6. If this passes in Sandy, will your city be next? 7. Look at what happened in Denver: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/200 5-07-20-denver-pit-bull_x.htm

"But I don't even like Pitbulls ..." It may be that you as a dog owner of a non-targeted breed, aren't crazy about Pitbulls. But please remember that there are many in this valley who don't like any dogs, period. If it were up to them, no dogs would be allowed anywhere. You don't want to be judged by the irresponsible actions of some dog owners; neither should innocent dogs pay the price because of a few terrible people. We as a community need to stick together and stick up for each other. We encourage you to do some research about the breed before deciding not to send a letter to the politicians: http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/legis lation.php or check out http://www.rescueeverydog.org/pitbull_breed.html http://www.understand-a-bull.com/ And oddly enough, even Fox News agrees ... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215637,00 .html Please do anything you can to help stop this motion before it advances. Thank You, Cara Lingstuyl
Sincerely,
Erin
No More Homeless Pets in Utah
email: erin@utahpets.org
phone: 1-866-UTAHPETS
web: http://www.utahpets.org

Highlights of the Law (>read it yourself pages 31-34 are most relevant)
1. Dog shall be confined in a building or cage which is defined by Sandy City
2. You must post signs about your dangerous dog (Your HOA will love you…)
3. Must register your dog and your dog will have a “highly visible tag on at all times (Scarlett Letter and a silly tax to Sandy INC)
4. You must have on your person a permit to maintain a “dangerous dog or restricted breed”
5. Must notify Animal control of all escapes
6. You may be required to get insurance and or a bond
7. This applies to all visitors of Sandy.
8. Failure to comply with the above is a Class B Misdemeanor

I find it scary when government in America starts acting like governments that have been our enemy and that we have gone to war against. This type of social manipulation is what started communism and socialism. What happens when government starts mandating how many kids you can have? (China) What type of car you drive?(USSR) What kind of gun you can own? (China, USSR) When you can … The revolution has begun… watch for the eroding of your rights as an American Citizen. Soon we will be told what we are and what we will do.

Labels: Sandy Utah Dog Law

“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.” -Barack Obama last week talking about his new mandatory volunteer programs. Chicago Tribune Online. This quote is not a misprint this is not a joke this is a direct quote.

This scares me just a bit… The President of the United States of America is going to create a civilian security force that is more powerful than the US military with equal funding as the most powerful military in the world. Is the military failing us that bad that we need to replace them? Are they not stepping up to the task? What will be the purpose of the group? Will it be security with in the borders of the USA or what? Isn’t that what the state and local police departments provide us with? And why can’t or won’t the military do the tasks needed? Or is it something that the military won’t do? Is it un-American? And how will Obama fund this group as well as the military? Can you be a Democrat and fund military operations? Isn’t that a conflict of character? Doesn’t this go against the Democrats code? Since when does a Democrat fund a military instead of whores and crack heads on welfare or whatever the social reengineering and wealth redistribution plan of the month? I ain’t a genius but I smell more taxes for the middle class.

If this doesn’t worry you what about history and the famous quote of those who forget history tend to repeat the mistakes of the past.

So lets flashback about 80 years… I remember a European country that was gaining politically had a group called Sturmabteilung or SA. It was a government-sponsored group who began enforcing things internally inside the country. It was lead by up and coming great leaders with names like… Hermann Göring and Adolf Hitler. Oh yes The SA were the Para-military organization of the Nazi party and. the precursor for the Nazi Gestapo. Or maybe it’s more like the KGB during the USSR days? Or maybe the Khmer Rouge from Cambodia? All these groups wanted to help “better their country” through service…suppression and reeducation of the educated middle class.

Will we get to have a national security force that infringes upon the nation’s founding documents, the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Does this take the Patriot Act to the next level? Will we get to relieve the paranoia of the McCarthy Era? We will have teams knocking on doors of those with larger than allowed carbon footprints? Or maybe because I own ATV’s? Or I have too many children? Will I as a gun owner be singled out and my family loaded on a train bound for a reeducation camp because I believe in the 2^nd Amendment and not in the fact that man is only a small part of the equation of Climate Change? Will I be singled out because I believe in God? Think Abortion is Murder, or that less government is better? Think about it.

Even if John McCain is as bad as George Bush I would take four more years of it. Food For Thought… Since the Democrats have taken over Congress their approval rating has dropped to 9%. Even President Bush’s approval rating is almost 3 times higher than that at 25%. Do we think America will get better with another Democrat in office. And even Jesse Jackson doesn’t like Obama.

And don’t get me started on the volunteer program Barack Obama suggested as a national program… WTF in order to graduate from College and to receive a $4000 tax credit you must volunteer 100 hours a year passing out condoms or needles to the dregs of society in an effort to press social reform agendas. Why does the middle class need to help those who have failed to help themselves? Hell No!!! I ain’t buying it. Volunteering is just that volunteering. We are a free people who are free to follow our own dreams. Why should the work of hard working Americans be taken away and given to those who don’t work hard?

Labels: Barack Obama's America

I am 38 years old and I am too young to have a mid-life crises. I believe the minimum age is 50 and I am a ways off of that just yet. I am not leaving the family for a new one... I am not trading in Hanna on a younger model. I kinda like the model I have. I am not hanging out with all manly men at the pool hall. Instead I bought a Corvette... ok maybe not a Corvette in the sense of a real Corvette but I bought a fast new toy. It's a 2007 Yamaha Raptor 700. It was the fastest atv for 2007.

No I have not completely lost my mind. Yes I know that 80 mph on an atv is quite fast. I don't think I have been above 60 yet. Yes I know I have a wife and kids. I am having a crises hear, a real crises. This ain't my first rodeo. I started riding dirt bikes when I was about 9. I have owned a few and ridden a lot. Growing up I lived in the country and had acres and acres to ride on.

Damn was I skinny...but hey I got skilz.

I haven't flown like that on the new bike but I have jumped it. I ain't 18 anymore and certainly not 150lbs but its coming back. Maybe we can get the wife out to take some photos of chubby Eran on the raptor. We had done well this year and I was going to lift the jeep but I thought that maybe a couple of four wheelers would be funner to get the family involved. We spent 5 days with my aunt and uncle and a few of my cousins in Fish Lake National Forest in the Box Creek Reservors area.

Mmm we like to eat dirt....

Labels: ATV's, Family, Yamaha Raptor 700

I must admit I am a youtube junkie. I love watching people do cover songs and some are well horrible and some are awesome. Here are some of my favorites.

Here is an excellent acoustic cover of the Outfield's Your Love by the Dead City Sundays, a group from my home town.



Or another classic remake Eazy E's Boyz In The Hood covered by Dynamite Hack .



Another talented group is Hayseed Dixie... who covers Motorhead's Ace of Spades.


Or Hayseed's cover of Roses by OutKast


My favorite cover band of all time is Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. I have loved them since my job at Seranova where we discovered music daily through our liberal use of napster. They do almost every top 10 song ever done. Here is their version of the Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver.


Update: I meant to include Rufus Wainwright's cover of Across the Universe as a favorite...

Labels: Cover Bands on YouTube