Weber County Business Gives Back to the Community

What would you do if you were a trailer manufacturer and had four extra trailers sitting unused on your lot?

That’s what the owners and management team at Big Bubba’s asked themselves when they were moving to another location and still had four unbuilt trailers sitting around without a destination. After brainstorming, they realized that instead of taking extra time to build them out and then having to move them fully completed, they could donate the ATV-style trailers to local high schools.

After all, Big Bubba’s believes there is a real need for more technicians like welders in the region, and they want to encourage more students to pursue technical careers. Plus, the company has a personal connection to the schools in the area, and they want to support the local community.

Roy, Bonneville, Fremont, and Weber High Schools will each receive one of the 7’ x14’ trailers, on the condition that the trailers will be used for each school’s welding programs. Big Bubba’s’ goal is to incentivize all trade training programs in the schools, but particularly in welding. Building the trailers will force these students to creatively use their welding and other technical skills to put them together. Once they’re completed, the schools can sell those trailers to put the money back into their programs.

Big Bubba’s’ donation was made in March, with the hopes that the trailers will be completed and available to showcase at the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Convention in May. Chad Marriott, a CTE Coordinator for Weber County, believes that this convention—an event for educators, industry leaders, and policymakers to come together and discuss the future of technical education— is a great way to showcase the hard work that these students have put into developing their welding skills. While reflecting on the donation and the CTE Convention, Marriott stated, “As educators we are trying to provide a better education for our students, which will thus turn into a brighter future for them. We believe that this generous donation will assist the students in gaining hands-on experience, and help our students become more valuable as they enter the workforce.”

The trailers could cost around $2,000 each, and all the money that is made from their sales will go back into the program. The donation of the trailers was a practical thing, and it was done to support the local community and encourage more students to consider technical careers.

Here at Weber County, we offer Bubba and his company Big Bubba’s, a hearty thanks for this generous donation to our community, and for inspiring the next generation of tradespeople and entrepreneurs to gain necessary skills for their future endeavors.

Livestream 911 calls directly to first responders for faster response times and improved situational awareness

The Weber County Sheriff’s Office recently implemented a new technology designed to improve response times to emergencies and ultimately save more lives. The Live911 dispatch program allows first responders to listen in on 911 emergency calls in real-time and immediately identify the caller's location. Since its implementation, the program has already saved multiple lives, with many more expected to be saved in the future.

According to Lieutenant Colby Ryan, the benefits of the program were immediately apparent. "We went live with this program recently, and we are already seeing the benefit of having it," said Ryan. "Multiple lives have already been saved because of this program, and we anticipate that many more lives will be saved."

One of the most significant advantages of Live911 is its ability to cut down on response times. When someone makes a 911 call, dispatch operators work to quickly obtain vital information from the caller, but there is inevitably a time lapse between the call and when the details are entered into the computer-aided design system.

However, with Live911, first responders in the field are sent the 911 calls simultaneously, allowing officers to hear the call as it happens. This feature is especially useful when responding to urgent situations. Officers can pre-set a geofence to quickly respond to calls in their current location. They can also see the caller's location and quickly move toward the incident, giving them a head start to develop a response plan.

Moreover, first responders can hear the interactions between the caller and the call-taker, including answers to questions, first-hand descriptions, emotional tones, and background noise on the scene. This information provides officers with situational awareness, which is critical when responding to emergencies. "Live911 will help us improve our response time and increase our situational awareness, giving us the opportunity to assist in a much faster and more efficient way," said Sheriff Arbon.

The implementation of Live911 by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office demonstrates a commitment to improving emergency response times and saving lives. With this new technology, first responders can react faster and more efficiently to emergency situations, increasing the chances of a positive—if not a lifesaving—outcome for those involved.

Weber County Residents Nominated as Mothers of the Year

Mothers are the center of almost every household. Not only do they provide tireless service to their families, but more often than not, their selfless services extend to the communities they live in. While it is impossible to recognize all the people here in Weber County that do so much good, there are a few mothers who were recently recognized during a county commission meeting.

Laura Ward, Sue Ann Burton, and Patti Child, all residents of Weber County, were recently nominated as Mothers of the Year through the local chapter of the Utah Mothers Association. The Utah Mothers Association (UMA) is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1935 with the goal of promoting the wellbeing of mothers and children in Utah. The organization’s philosophy is that motherhood is a sacred responsibility and that mothers should have access to support, education, and resources to help them fulfill this important role.

The UMA's signature program is the "Mother of the Year" award, which recognizes outstanding mothers in Utah who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to their families and communities. This award is a tribute to the hard work and selflessness of mothers who often go unrecognized for their contributions. The UMA also offers a variety of programs and services to its members, including networking opportunities, parenting resources and other community service projects. The organization also provides resources for mothers in need, such as food assistance, clothing, and other basic necessities. This year, these women represented the epitome of all the UMA stands for. As Deanna Porter, former mother of the year and past President of the Ogden Weber chapter of UMA put it, “We are grateful for these ladies and their tireless and quiet efforts to build up their families and communities. They have volunteered many hours and have put forth their time, efforts, and talents to improve their families and communities.” Porter continued to say, “These women have done a lot of work behind the scenes, but the work that they have done has not gone unnoticed.”

Ward, Burton, and Child were gracious in the Commission meeting, thanking the UMA and the county for sponsoring the award.

If you or someone you know may be interested in learning more about the Utah Mothers Association, please visit their website at www.utahmothers.org.