S.B. 102 Animal Control First Responder Amendments: transcript

All right. Thank you Committee, uh, for bearing with me. Um, lesson to self, if you start working on bills early and talk to all the stakeholders, you're gonna get a, a bunch launched out early in session, which that's gonna be a good thing. Right? Early bird, uh, this bill was brought to me by some folks who work in the animal control space, perhaps. 'cause some of these conversations were already happening. And, and it was something I'd never really thought of, because in my mind, I think of a first responder as the first person there. Um, and, and maybe so far, even as sometimes I think of the first responder is the family. If, you know, there's an, an accident or something. And that happens that the family's to me as a bit of a first responder, whether that's their calling 9 1 1 or starting CPR. But the folks who run into the spaces that are dangerous and are, you know, Mr. Rogers just popped into my head, watch for the people who run into the scenarios where there's danger. I, I think about our firefighters. I think about our, our police officers, and honestly, our animal control folks do the same thing. If there's a dangerous dog, I want somebody there that knows how to control and get that dog outta there before somebody gets hurt. Including an officer, including a family, including a neighbor, including a stranger, including a whoever. And, and, and the heat heart of first response is that you send the right person in to do the right job. And this really is applicable in that setting. Got a a, a dog locked in a car. You got a dog that's been left in a, in an apartment that's been vacated for a month. You've got, like I mentioned, a vicious animal behind a a fence. You want the right person there. And that was kind of the heart of this discussion is, can we, in our state spaces say that our first responding our animal control officers who are going out into the field into these spaces, can we label them as, as a first responder? That was what the ask of me was. And, you know, I asked them a little bit, can you tell me why? Can you give me some, you know, is, is this just that you feel better? Are you get discounted Jimmy John's or something? Is it, you know, what's the reason for it? And really it is about acknowledging the work that somebody does and valuing the work that somebody does. But it also potentially opens up funding opportunities. It also potentially allows agencies to apply for grants that they might have otherwise not been able to apply for. It helps all of our first responders be protected and do their jobs better if we surround them by the folks who are best equipped and trained to do those jobs. And I fully believe that there is a, a piece for that for our animal control, um, officers. Um, they're already doing first responder work, whether they're labeled it or not. Um, they, they need access to proper protective, uh, equipment. They need proper access to training. They need mental health and injury support for the things that they experience and the things that they see. All of the things that we want for our first responders, but they may not be getting because they haven't been put, um, into that category. So essentially it's trying to improve clarity as well as coordination. Uh, defining clarity in roles does help us save lives and create better protection spaces. I hate that I quote this line as often as I do, but Brene Brown once said, clarity is kindness. And it is true. If, if people know what they're supposed to do and they are trained to do it, they're gonna do it well. And they're gonna assist the others who have different jobs, uh, around them in the same potential spaces. It'll, again, improve interagency communications. Incident command clarities whose job is whose, um, emergency access to restricted areas during disasters, during floods, fires, evacuations that sort of deal. Send the right folks in to do the right piece of the jobs. Um, it can help prevent serious injuries, property damage, and like I mentioned, protect those other in the space while also potentially protecting the municipalities by adding some protections against lawsuits. I feel like this is an important bill in that it gives folks a nod that we appreciate what you do, but it is an important bill, more importantly because it even further prepares those folks to keep doing it well and be part of our public safety response. So with that, open to questions.

Thank you. There is training, pulse training for a lot of, when we become first responders, you know, there, there's, there's, uh, a lot of different trainings are involved in that. Mm-hmm. Uh, for our firemen and police officers and, and so forth. Is there, uh, specific training that would be added upon our animal control personnel to, to, to come to this? Or is it a, is it a, is it a codified designation? What, You know, that's, that's an interesting point. And I think, you know, I know, I do know we have some animal control folks here who may be able to give us a little more clarity on what that would, would mean. Uh, I am under the understanding that, um, you know, because it's more of a municipality local, sometimes county, uh, designation, that there are some variations in the levels of training that are required. Um, I'm also under the impression that our state does a really good job of making sure that we do have training standards. Um, but in terms of what that would, I think pile on is a little bit of what you're, you're getting at with that question. I think some of that remains to be seen. There is a a zero fiscal note, so at least there's that piece, but I know that doesn't account for the more local potential costs and burdens that would come for that. Um, maybe some of our animal control folks can speak to what it actually looks like since they're in the realms. Yeah, I'd like to hear from that perspective. Yeah. And, and maybe some of our, uh, if, if we have a chance, the, the impact, I don't know, do we have state, well, I know our division of national resources, those, those that work, work in, in, uh, are many of those are certified through post, you know, but that's, I'm not, we're not talking about that set. We're talking about the local subdivision. A animal control specialist is that, And we're actually, um, giving a designation that doesn't necessarily require an additional level. I think that's maybe part of it. It's a, it's more of an acknowledgement, I suppose, sort of thing.

Is that, am I getting at the, am I getting at the question you have?

Well, in the, in the testimony you talked about it would, if, if there's a first responder would then open up grants and so forth. I'm just wondering what the, the, uh, requirements thresholds, what additional costs, burdens on the employee as well as the municipality to meet that? Or is it just a designation In Utah, if you're working in an animal control, you're considered a first responder.

That's, I'm not sure what the, that's, That's a, that's a fair question. I'm hopeful maybe some of our folks that are here can help address that.

You. Um, I'm field captain with, uh, Salt Lake County Animal Services. Um, and I'm here to speak in support of, uh, of this bill. Animal control officers have an interesting job. Um, it's different every day. They are called first, they respond first and they arrive first in many situations, providing specialized skills and training to resolve incidents that are, uh, that other agencies are unable to do. Incidents include animal attacks where risk of harm or even death to people and animals is a reality. Animals in traffic, including loose livestock, other calls including an animal that may be injured or suffering, um, perhaps left in a hot car in in the sun in 2025. I'm speaking for Salt Lake County only, but, uh, we attended over 20,000 jobs. Um, 2000 of these calls were designated either a priority one or a priority two. A priority one call requires us to respond anywhere within the county, uh, in less than 30 minutes. We didn't miss one call, we weren't late for any of the calls. We attend these calls independently of, uh, other agencies and routinely provide support to other, uh, to other services like the police, fire and EMS. The officers are trained and experienced to make quick risk assessments in active and dangerous situations, and to put themselves in a position to protect property people and animals. They regularly attend similar distressing call types as police and DMS exposing them to all the emotional and psychological stress that our partner agencies face. Recognizing animal control officers as first responders is simply a reflection of the work that they already do. It doesn't create a new position. It simply affirms and legitimizes their role in our state where they serve the people of the community and the animals that we care for. And if I can try to answer, uh, Senator Stratton's questions, we do have access to, uh, to post training. Um, it will be as a special functions officer, which isn't the same as a, as law enforcement. It is, uh, it's kind of half, half the duration of the training we do already attend. We can have that. It is optional. Um, this bill would not change anything with that. Uh, it would still be available to us.

Sure. Um, so a priority one call that, that we actually had was, uh, there were, there was an apartment block fire in Millcreek that we responded to. We responded to that as part of, um, a team with other agencies. Um, another example where we would go ourselves would be, um, a, a call such as a Rottweiler running a loose on a school playground. We would be the ones that would go home. We would, um, we would try to make everything safe there and try to try to impound the dog and, um, take action, the appropriate action after that.

So once the situation is safe, yeah, sure. We would, uh, we would obviously rely on another agency, uh, EMS in the same way as the police do. Uh, we do have some first aid training. Um, it's not our primary, uh, role, but we do have some first aid training, some equipment. Um, but we would work with another agency as well. But it, it may be that we are the first there to, uh, to make the situation safe.

And, uh, and, and we offer, we offer this service 24 hours a day, 365. Uh, so we, we operate with an on-call. So it's, it's quite a regular routine thing that we will get called by SWAT when they know that there is a dog in the house to go to the, uh, to the property, to, to provide assistance That way it may be that they are, um, arresting somebody who has the dog in the car and they will call us to make, to make safe and, uh, provide resources for the, for the animal as well. It makes their job easier to, um, for the, for the person that they're dealing with, to know that their animal is gonna be safe. So it, it has benefits.

Thank you. Do you have, what, what type of equipment are you given to perform your work? What,

It's a great question. We have a lot of things, a lot of nets. We have, uh, a lot of, um, uh, catch poles, which are like a, a metal rigid, um, pole with a noose on the end. Um, uh, we have, uh, we can do chemical capture, chemical immobilization for the, for the animals as well. Um, yeah, lots and lots of things like that. Cages, all the cages and kennels and things. And we have, uh, so we'll come across, um, wildlife occasionally as well. We have a certain type of cage that will, um, that will allow us to, uh, to, to control those safely as well.

Do you have firearms? We do not.

If I may. So if you're in that situation and you say that you're called. I don't know how it would, I could see something happen where there, maybe there's a dog involved or something. Then the owner comes out and says, leave my dog alone. And becomes very aggressive towards you as an officer and threatens you bodily harm or that could happen. What then do you do?

So we do have, uh, um, ASP training, which is a, it's national training. Actually, our trainer is here. Um, so we do have the asp, um, baton. Um, and, uh, we have, uh, we, we carry a, an incapacitant spray as well. That is, it's for the animals, but it is a, um, an option to allow us to, to get safe as well. Ours, ours is not to proactively apprehend a person or deal with something like that. It is to remove ourselves and, and to make it safe. Yeah.

I'm just come from the frame of first responder. You don't know necessarily what situation going into, hopefully it's not violent with a human, but if it is, then

how do you maneuver? Okay. That helps you out. It, it's definitely more, more defensive than, um, than, than the police would see. But it's, it's still the same thing. We, we still walk into and, and walk into it first. Um, a dangerous situation and danger can be, can be by the animal as well.

Senator Stratton. That, That, that's helpful context. I, I was the point of my question was, how do you protect yourself if your life of limb is at risk? I know firemen or first responders, I, I don't think they carry firearms. You know, I say my,

No, they don't. And I, I don't wanna be flippant, but we, uh, animal control officers, I think by their nature, are caring, caring people, and we are there to, uh, provide resources for people and speaking to them and showing that we are, we are actually going to be working and providing a good service for them and their animals. I think that, um, we come at it from a different angle, uh, than law enforcement do. But, um, yeah. I, I, I think that, that we, we, we do carry a little bit of weight in what we can do for the people and their animals.

Thank you. I, yeah, that's good point. Thank you.

If, if I'm ready to go. Uh, yeah. Uh, it probably comes as no surprise, uh, being down here with a hundred animal control officers, uh, that, uh, in providing a legislative update this morning. Uh, this bill was met with a round of applause, uh, by our membership. Um, I can speak to, uh, probably some of the questions, uh, you've been asking around the state of Utah animal control officers, uh, range from administrative officers for a city that don't have post certification to some of our membership who are category one law enforcement officers, full, LEO. Uh, there are special function officers that have gone through some post standard trainings. Uh, it really boils down to each municipality or county as to how they choose to, uh, staff and what requirements they have in place for those animal control officers. Some are under, and their police department under that umbrella, they're typically a division of the police department. Uh, they train alongside their police officers, uh, just like A-A-C-S-O, an SFO, uh, but they might be that category two officer as opposed to the category one. Um, but there are some standards and there are some trainings, uh, for animal control. That's part of what we're doing down here today is, uh, three days of, of hands-on training, uh, elevating the standards of professionalism. And that's the thing. Animal care and control, uh, years ago, uh, was entirely different than what it is today. Uh, you know, there's kind of that cliche of the dirty dog catcher, right? That Tom and Jerry cartoons and Walt Disney, you know, painted us out to be. Uh, but society's expectations of animal care and control has evolved, uh, dramatically over the last 20 years. Uh, animal control officers, animal service officers, uh, have elevated their, their standards, their professionalism, their training. This bill helps advance that and recognizes as and acknowledges, uh, those advancements in the field and, uh, provides, uh, animal control with, uh, tools and, and, uh, and place in, uh, in state law, uh, essentially gave us some resources. Uh, animal control really is where, uh, public safety, compassion law, and human emotion meet every day. And I, um, I, I think SB 1 0 2 really is a simple common sense bill that just acknowledges the reality on the ground. Animal control officers respond alongside police fire, EMS, you know, to high height stress incidents, dangerous animal domestic violence calls who neglect cases, disasters, uh, scenes involving trauma. Uh, just as, uh, uh, our friend, uh, with Salt Lake County was explaining, uh, we do respond. I, I had officers. I started out my career as an animal control officer, uh, then became a director, uh, there in the Salt Lake Valley for an agency. I've been at 21 years. Uh, we responded to, uh, SWAT calls where we would go in and remove, uh, you know, animals in those settings. We're right there alongside, you know, police and fire. Uh, we're out there doing similar jobs, but we have a different role. Just as the indicated many of our animal control officers armed, armed, we're not carrying guns. And it's because we don't want to put people off to approach from angle is the, some officers, uh, in certain communities are armed. Uh, it depends on the agency and, uh, what the community needs, uh, you know, have. And so, um, we, we are in there alongside, uh, police by EMS. This bill just kind of recognizes that by including animal control officers in the definition of first respond, this bill helps ensure we're not overlooked when it comes to some of the critical supports like, uh, you know, particularly in mental health resources. And it affirms that our work is essential to public safety, community wellbeing, humane treatment of animals. And so with SB 1 0 2, uh, it's about recognition, support, readiness. It strengthens our ability to serve Utah communities with professionalism and resilience. And I respectfully urge your favorable recommendation. Again, I'm grateful to Senator Plumb for standing with animal control officers across the state. And thank you, uh, chair and members of the committee for your time.

Um, hi, I, my name is Sophia Deacon. I'm an officer with Salt Lake County Animal Services. Um, I am here to speak in favor of this bill as well. Um, our animal control officers are often on the front lines of public safety. We respond to volatile situations involving horrific animal cruelty, various animals running loose in traffic and immediate threats to human life, entering unstable environments alongside or even before law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services. We enter homes, disaster zones, and high risk situations. We protect families, law enforcement, and other first responders by controlling these volatile animal situations that could turn deadly in seconds. During domestic violence calls, search warrants, or welfare check. Animal control officers are often requested to respond, because aggressive or progre protective dogs are present by safely securing or removing these animals. Before law enforcement enters, sometimes we present prevent officers and children and family members from being seriously injured or killed in these moments. Controlling a volatile animal situation can be the difference between a peaceful resolution and a tragedy that involves in seconds. Our officers have assisted unified police department in clearing a doggy daycare, following a bomb threat, safely removing animals so the bomb squad could secure the building. After the 2020 Magna earthquake, Salt Lake County animal control officers worked shoulder to shoulder with the fire department, pulling animals from damaged structures and reuniting them with their families. Yet our risks and sacrifices often largely go unrecognized. Classifying animal control officers as first responders is not about a title. It's about acknowledging the lifesaving work we do and ensuring we have the protection, resources and respect required to serve our community safely. Thank you for listening and recognizing the important work we as animal control officers do every day to protect our communities.

Uh, my name is, uh, Lacey Fit. I'm a field sergeant for Salt Lake County Animal Services. I'm also a retired police officer. Um, so I've seen both sides of, uh, the field that we do. We respond to a lot of critical incidents, a lot of situations where we are the first ones on scene. When we get on scene, we have to address the situation. Not everybody's happy to see us. And I can tell you personally, nobody that we deal with is looking. If I have a gun on my hip, all they see is a uniform. So when we respond, we have to control the situation, wait for police to get on scene so that we can do our job. To protect the public. Animal control officers should be considered as first responders because of the duties directly involved. Public safety, emergency response, and law enforcement functions often under urgent and unpredictable conditions. Animal controls law officers are always frequently the first on scene for incidents involving aggressive animals. Animal bites injured are dangerous to animals and animals involved in traffic accidents and disasters. These situation pose immediate risk to the public responding officers and the animals involved requiring rapid assessment, decision making and intervention. Animal control officers also respond alongside police fire EMS during emergencies, including domestic violent calls, search warrants, hoarding cases, evictions and disaster responses. In many of these incidents, controlling and removing animals is necessary before the responding, uh, the responders can and safely perform their duties. In addition, animal control officers enforce state statues and local ordinances and conduct investigations, issue citations, collect evidence and prepare reports that may be used in criminal or civil court. They are trained in officer safety, deescalation and scene control, and also encounter hazardous environments, aggressive subjects and emotional charge situations. Animal control officer are on call, dispatched their emergency system and required to respond immediately to the time, time-sensitive incidents such as the bike cases, raised exposures, livestock on the roadways, endangered animal complaints, delays in response can result in serious injury, loss of life, or significant public risk. For these reasons, animal control functions as an essential component. The first responder system providing immediate protection of the public, supporting our emergency services and ensuring animal related hazards and address quickly and safely. And like I said, as a former police officer, we just don't put a cuffs on people, but we still respond to those emergency situations. Thank you.

I'm, I'm not gonna go over the reasons why. Um, I did 30 years in public safety and 20 in law enforcement, retired as a chief of police. And I can tell you that the majority of these animal control officers are covered under the SFO, um, if they've been trained at that level. But there's a lot of public partner relationships out there, or sorry, public and private relationships as well as rural communities, that that's not true. And if it does anything, it supports the mental health programs that are available to first responders, but also it supports their ability to become a therapist in the future through the grant programs. So I think, um, this is long overdue. And, and thank you Senator Plumb for pushing it forward. Kanosh, would you introduce, sorry, would you introduce yourself for the record? Yeah. Mike Berg, retired chief of police.

Okay. To the rim Again, my name is Alexis PTAs, executive Director for the Humane Society of Utah in Murray. Uh, we support this bill, uh, while HSU doesn't perform animal control services. I do have a professional background, um, in animal control and HSU works with our a ACOs regularly, sometimes even as emergency response partners. Uh, animal control officers should be officially recognized as first responders because they're often first on the scene in emergencies involving public safety, animal welfare, and community health. They respond to diverse circumstances like fearful animals who are acting in ways that may endanger others cruelty and neglect cases that involve people and animals and disasters frequently before or alongside police, fire and EMS and operate in high risk and unpredictable conditions. Critically, the presence of ACOs allows other emergency personnel and civilians in particular to remain focused on saving people by securing animals, mitigating threats and addressing emotionally charged animal related situations. Animal control officers remove distractions and hazard that could otherwise delay medical care, evacuations, or law enforcement actions. I've seen it happen again and again. And their presence really just allows civilians to concentrate on their own health and safety. Uh, formal first responder designation would accurately reflect their role, ensure equitable access to training, protective equipment, mental health resources, and line of duty benefits, and also strengthen inter-agency coordination, recognizing animal control officers as first responders directly enhances scene safety, efficiency, and overall emergency response outcomes. Thank you for considering supporting this bill.

Sunday's Hunt, Utah, state Director Humane World for animals. I just have to say we are sitting in a room full of unsung heroes, and I think it is really essential for us to give them the tools to be able to respond in a timely fashion, because in any emergency, it's vital, uh, to be there in a timely fashion. So I urge you to support this bill and, uh, for all the reasons everyone has stated. And, uh, I'm really proud of everyone that, uh, is willing to fill these shoes.

Uh, I'd like, I'd like to make a motion, but I I'd like to, uh, ask, sponsor a couple questions, so that's okay. That's in order. Uh, Senator, as you began to wade into this space, did it surprise you that the animal control officers were not designated the first responder?

You know, I'm not sure if surprise is the right word. I, I harken back to iol started my whole medical exposure as an EMT in South central LA of all places. And so I got my eyes open to a whole lot of things. And I remember calls as, you know, the, they're arriving with the ambulance for the human that we were like, we're not going anywhere near there until someone controls that animal or until someone removes that. And, and I'm an animal at, self-admitted animal, dare I say, idiot in public. I, but I, I mean it like I'm someone who thinks I can pet anything. Like, oh, let me, yeah. And, and so I, I think that I had, I think that I had an understanding of like, oh, yeah, we're all in the same realms, but I, I didn't ever dive in deep enough to it. And, and so then when I started asking law enforcement folks that I know fire folks that I know, you know, tell me about how you guys, how it is for you now. And they're a hundred percent, like I was, like, there are scenes that they're like, I am not touching that until the animal folks arrive. And, and it became more clear to me like, this is a piece of the Tetris puzzle about safety, keeping not only our communities and our families and our, you our homes safe, but our other first responders safe. So I just don't think I had thought about it in depth, but the more I have, the more surprised I am by it.

Do you, one more question. I said a couple, uh, if it's okay, the second question is, is you've interacted with the, those that are designated first responders mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. In code, how's, have you talked about the, the notion of including animal controls first responders and what wa if you have Yeah. What was the response?

It's, it's interesting and, and I have, I think we have some more conversations to do because I think, you know, there's more organized representation of bigger groups here. But in my individual conversations, um, there has been a little bit of that. Oh, interesting. Huh. Like, kind of like I said, my response was to, and absolutely they are one of us, and they're not always treated like they're one of us. Um, so I've, I've seen a little bit of a range of what people's responses have been to that. Uh, I do intend to talk to, you know, maybe some of the, like I said, the more organized folks to get what input they have and if there's any tinkering that they think needs to be done. I'm, I'm open to that as well. Um, I do, you know, turf things are real. We see it in every profession that there is. I remember when I first started doing naloxone, there were EMTs who couldn't believe I would just give it to somebody's mom because that was their job. But I think we are progressing on, in the way that we look at emergency response to think about how nuanced it is and how there are pieces that some individuals are more specialists at than others. And I think this fits into that line of thinking for me is send the specialists in to do the specialist job. That's the best outcomes in any scenario.

Uh, chair i'd, I'd like to move, uh, senate bill 1 0 2, animal control first responders favorable recommendation.

That? I would like to, yes. I would like to have more information from our first other first responders. I invite the, uh, the sponsor to visit with those, those mm-hmm. You know, professional associations we've heard from a former police officer, uh, now animal control officer specialist. Is it officer or, yeah, animal control officer and specialist as well. That supportive former police chief. Not sure where he was a police chief, but, but there's, there's a certainly a, a cooperation and, and cross pollination. I'd like to hear from them on that as well and, and see what the, their stance would be. The other comment I'd like to make is if, if, if you take first responder as an as, it it, it appears that they are the circumstances we've been talking about, they are the first ones there responding. It seems like we're meeting the definition. I don't know if there's a right inconsistency with the definition and, uh, so I think there's some more information on this, but I'm just, I'm a little bit, uh, uh, surprised that, that, that wouldn't, that there's this, this bifurcation and, and, uh, so I, I'd like to understand why I don't, I'm not sure we have the legislative history to know why that's there. We might, that would be another piece, but with that, I, I think certainly needs further discussion. So I don't, I wouldn't wanna hold it here.

Yes. I, I, I'm thanks for planting the seeds because I think there are, there's some digging to do and some learning to do and, uh, I'm absolutely open to that and, and we'll bring that forward. And, and I'm hopeful as well that my, the, the colleagues and the folks that have spoken here today can help some of those conversations be facilitated too. Um, we learn the more we talk, so. Okay.

Thank you. I think it's gonna help the discussion moving forward. If, if you, we address, we, we ask those that are already first responders, their thoughts and, and maybe get a support. I'm assuming, I don't, I'm gonna assume what it's gonna be, but, but we need to let them speak for themselves. And some of these other questions I think will help help in the, in the presentation because from the first flush, you know, you kinda ask why are we even having this discussion? Right? And, and so, but I think it's important one to have and support, support the, appreciate the support of the committee on this Point. Okay. Thank you.

Motion be adjourn. Motion, adjourn Non debate.

Okay, here we go. Hope I'm not out wearing my welcome. Yes, go ahead.

Um, this bill has actually been one of my favorite bills thus far this session because I have never gotten something where I, there was such, I have all of these letters of support that have rolled in from across the state and it feels really good when you feel like, okay, others are hearing the why of this. Right here I'm holding a letter from Nephi City Animal, uh, services director West Valley City, uh, South Salt Lake Harriman folks all across the state. And, and essentially this bill does a pretty simple thing that I already thought was a thing. And that is that it labels our animal control officers who are oftentimes first responders to a scene when there's a dangerous or threatening animal or an animal trapped in an apartment or a car. And I'll tell you back to my days, I was an EMT way back in the nineties, and there were certain scenes you'd arrive on scene and you were like, I'm not touching that until the animal person's here. And so I kind of assumed they were part of the first responder team, but as far as the terminology goes, that isn't so. So by labeling them as first responders, this gives them opportunity potentially for other funding, uh, resources, grants they can apply for. It also offers up the opportunity for the mental health supports that they need. They see the awful things to that other first responders see. And I think perhaps overriding all of it tells 'em, Hey, you're part of a team that we really care about in this state. So I won't read you the entire list of supporters, but with the LELC and the Chiefs of Police and the Department of Natural Resources and the Utah Sheriff's Associations and the prosecutors and the public safety and the Peace Officer and the corrections and the Attorney General. Yeah, you can see where I'm going with. Uh, there's really broad support for this and I think it is the right thing to do and sends the right message to these critical members of our first responder teams that I'm open to. Any questions? Thank

Thank you. Thank you Mr. President. Uh, sponsor yield. So the question is, president, will we expect the these, um, animal control officers then what are their requirements? Will they as a first responder have EMT licenses as well so that they could help in those other instances?

No, it's, they still stay specific to their lane. They still say in that animal control space, and much like first responder, uh, a police officer who goes through post, they have a specific number of requirements and classes that they have to take. EMTs have a different number of classes they have to take than a, um, say a paramedic has. And animal control officers, they do actually do some of their training in Post as well. So they have specific certifications that they go through. But this does not necessarily require any additional, um, expectations of them or put them in. Um, maybe a more flexible role is I think what I'm hearing from you. It just kind of clarifies that in our state, we do see them as part of the first responder team.

President Judge, just state that, uh, you know, Utah, many of them might already be, um, EMS certified and, um, it might be something to consider. I I appreciate that it's not a mandate here, but something they might consider so that as they are be first responders, that we, as we think of that usually as imply uh, coming to the rescue of people and, um, so it might be something to consider in the future that we, uh, encourage them to receive those that training. Thank you President.

No, I, I appreciate the input and I always like a multi-tool that can do lots of things. So I will take that forward in thinking about this. And with that I waive any further summation and call the question.

Senator Vickers Baldy Lewin Brammer bus Comore Escamia Aye. Fillmore Grover Harper Kins Ipson Johnson. Juab McKay. Mikel Milner Musselman Owens Pitcher Lum Rebi. Action. Sandal Aye. Stevenson. Aye. Stratton Bickers Aye. Bier Aye. Wilson Winterton Aye.

Thank you Mr. President Pro tem and members of the body. We, we had, um, I think some informative discussions about this bill when we ran it through second reading and there were some concerns raised that I wanted to address. So I talked with our, uh, fire Chiefs Association folks, our LELC folks, and they remain in support of this bill. There's, uh, animal control associations from across the state, from Quent to Sandy to Salt Lake. And this bill essentially just kind of levels the playing field a little bit for our true first responders. Those are our, our fire department, our EMS, our law, uh, enforcement officers, and our animal control officers. And my hope is that with the broad support this bill has gotten, that we can pass this bill. Thank you. Is there discussion to the bill? Senator Owens?

Thank you President Pro tem question, uh, sponsor yield.

Will you yield? Oh, of course. Yes, go ahead. Thank you.

What, uh, what qualifications, uh, are we looking at for animal control individuals that, um, we're gonna give a first responder label to them? What qualification or certifications do they have that, um, that you feel would put them in this title of first responder? Yes, that would Senator

Plumb, that would put them in the same kind of league as it were. So many of them do go through post trainings. There's specific post classes that are geared towards the work that they do. And, and I will tell you that from my personal experience, when there is a situation where there's a dangerous animal and you arrive, EMT does not go in until it's been controlled by animal control. Law enforcement sometimes doesn't even go in either. And I think it is a very specific skillset that they are the ones who are directed to be the one to control that dangerous animal in that event. And what this does is essentially says amongst first responders, everyone has their specific role, everyone has their specific value in, in a response. And it, it, I think, gives these folks the knowledge that they are on that same team. When I inquired with many of our highway folks around here, if they, uh, perceived animal control to be first responders Absolutely. And they assumed they already were labeled as such. So I think that many do see it that way. Um, but it is a, a, a unique skill set that is to those animal control field officers. If, if that helps answer.

Senator Rollins? Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for that. Um, I, I really appreciate the heart of, uh, the sponsor. It, uh, but I ha I have hesitation to, um, bring responding to animals whether they've been, um, tragically run over or, um, or are aggressive animals that need to be controlled. To me, it feels like we're moving animals to the, to the same level as humanity. And while I love that heart, I, I just can't get there with, um, having, having that same title of first responder, I, I usually think that, you know, uh, 9 1 1 is really more about care of people and emergency services and first responders. So I just, uh, have hesitation there. Thank you.

And in response, I absolutely understand, especially given my, uh, my leanings, that the tendency would be to think perhaps that it was about elevating, uh, something up to be in the, in the human sphere. But to me, these folks provide the safety layer. If there's, if there's a vicious animal on scene, they are keeping family members, neighbors, law enforcement, EMT, they are actually there to protect the humans. And oftentimes that is resulting, you know, in something that is not the ideal outcome, maybe, I suppose depending on what you're seeing. But, uh, just to assure that my intent is, is certainly not to elevate above a human response, just to acknowledge that this response is crucial, critical and part of the team. And, and I think the fact that our, our fire chiefs and our LELC folks all see that too, makes me feel that I'm not in the wrong kind of lane.

No, I, uh, like I said, I appreciate, uh, all the conversations and, and would call the question.

Hey, uh, Mr. President, uh, pro tem. Thank you. As we were hearing this bill, I was, yeah, I don't think I like this one. Uh, and I, you know, shared some of the Senator Owens's concern. I haven't heard from anybody about this. If, if the fire people, uh, uh, you know, support this, that's news to me. They haven't reached out. But I did hear from one constituent on this Bill Taylor who's sitting next to me during the debate and he likes it, so I'll vote. Aye.