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UFA works with communities on strategic plan to improve services

Posted at 10:17 PM, May 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-28 00:17:38-04

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah --Unified Fire Authority provides service to nine cities and five townships in the Salt Lake valley, and UFA is now meeting with the people they serve to create a strategic plan to serve those communities.

The fourth in a series of such meetings was recently held in Herriman to get feedback from city leaders, school districts, and residents about what UFA’s strengths are, as well as its weaknesses.

"We can look at ourselves and think we understand what's important, but really we're a community-based organization, we provide that service to the community, and who best to ask than the people in the community what they see?” said Chief Dan Petersen.

UFA not only responds to fires and vehicle crashes, but it also has a fast water rescue team and a hazardous materials response team.

This is the first time UFA has worked on a strategic plan. With input from meetings like this one, as well as other internal reviews, UFA will have a strategic plan in place by December.

That plan will drive next year's budget. Petersen says he's already received some great suggestions.

“We may actually stop doing some things we're doing today because we find they're not that important, and we may start doing things we didn't even know was critical to the public,” he said.

Herriman has had its share of fires, including large wildfires. At least one was sparked by artillery fire at Camp Williams.

Coralee Moser is a member of the Herriman City Council, and the UFA board.

“Our residents here are extremely supportive of Unified Fire Authority,” she said. “Their perception, and what is reality, is that Unified Fire Authority has incredible response times and very professional service."

But, she says there's always room for improvement, and she is glad UFA is so responsive to community feedback.

UFA responded to 30,281 calls in 2016, which averages out to just under 83 calls a day and almost 3.5 every hour—Meaning UFA makes a call run every 17 minutes.