The 2009 edition of the Tooele County Emergency Preparedness Calendar, mailed to all county residents earlier this week, is being used to put into effect a new emergency management program.

The Home Emergency Status Program, which is explained in four new pages located at the end of the calendar, allows for the county’s emergency responders to better prioritize the use of their limited resources during disaster situations, according to Tooele County public information officer Wade Mathews.

This new program consists of four colored cards — red, yellow, green and black — which emergency responders have been trained to recognize. A black card placed in a the window means there has been a fatality at the location. A red card means critical injuries, yellow is minor injuries and green means everybody in the home is safe. Although similar programs have been used in other Utah counties, 2009 will be the first year the card system has been used in Tooele County.

“The calendar is a great distribution method to get this information to the public,” said Mathews. “We hope we never have to use these programs, but we plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

In addition to the emergency preparedness program, the calendar also includes photographs depicting various parts of the county. It features the work of professional photographers, such as John George and Jerry Sintz, both of whom have multiple photos in the calendar. A few local residents also choose to submit their work, like wildlife photographer Geri Lawrence.

“There are many professionals who enjoy the wide variety of photogenic scenery and climates in the county,” Mathews said.

Although photos from locals are plentiful within the calendar, Mathews was quick to dispel the “lucky shot” theory.

“There’s a lot of skill involved,” he said. “If it were luck, more of us would be successful photographers.”

According to Mathews, this year’s edition of the calendar is one of the best yet, and it includes more scenic landscapes than before.

“They’re all beautiful, but they have improved over the years,” he said. “That’s what this calendar has evolved into — a high-quality county showcase.”