To be more prepared in the event of a serious disaster or emergency, Tooele County is signing on with the Emergency Response Priority Program (ERPP) offered by Draper-based restoration contractor Utah Disaster Kleenup.

"This program will help county infrastructure, offices and facilities get up and running so that the community can get back on its feet, and it's a no-charge, no-obligation benefit for us," said Wade Mathews, public information officer fro Tooele County Emergency Management. "Tooele County just recently signed up for the program and will soon send the contract with signatures to Utah Disaster Kleenup. We should be hearing back from them in the next couple of weeks."

The ERPP was set up by Utah DIsaster Kleenup to give extra aid to surrounding cities and towns during or after a large-scale community disaster, such a fire, flood, earthquake, or even the loss of computer data or damaging of important documents. When Tooele County is in need of major emergency services, members from UDK will travel to the affected area of the community and serve in any way they can. Being an ERPP client enables the county to have first priority on all emergency service work, as well as streamlining insurance and paperwork process after a disaster.

"All county properties and facilities we maintain will be helped by the priority program, and that includes but is not limited to the courthouse, health department, Deseret Peak Complex, dispatch center, roads department building, county commission building and senior citizens centers, which can serve as shelters for evacuees," Mathews said. "There are a lot of critical facilities here we need to make sure are up and running in a disaster situation so we can serve everyone else as best as possible."

Mathews is grateful to have an account with the ERPP because the move could help minimize the effects of any large-scale disaster.

"We hope we never have to use this because we obviously don't want to have any disasters, but this is a mitigation effort for us to look at possible hazards in case of a disaster and try to prevent them," he said. "This program would provide planning, preparation, training and education for what to do just in case, and because it's not obligatory we don't have to call them if we don't need them. We're excited to be part of this program and be on the priority list, and even though every person is still ultimately responsible for their own safety, it's good to know we can get more help."

For more information on Utah Disaster Kleenup, call 801-553-1010 or visit www.utdk.com.

Doug Radunich: dougrad@tooeletranscript.com