Jeff Dial, Director
St. George Police Communications

A note from 911 CARES: We were very sad to hear of this sudden and tragic loss. THis e-mail is being sent to Utah agencies only at this time. For now, we ask that you send cards of condolence to St. George Dispatch. Once the dust settles and if there is a financial need, we will update you. There is contact info below for agencies in the region that may want to offer special support. Thanks - Kevin - 911 CARES

Dear 911 CARES,

I wanted to let you know about an incident that occurred this morning and see what, if anything, your organization could do to help.

Last night, we had a high speed chase through our county. It ended with an 8 hour stand-off on the freeway that runs through our city. Our center director, Jeff Dial, got in incident command and drove up to the scene. About an hour into the incident, he began complaining of chest pain and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. He died of an aortic tear early this morning.

Jeff was the most amazing supervisor any of us ever had. He was on the Utah State 911 Committee and did a lot for this state's 911 system. He worked for our dispatch center for 20 or so years after leaving the Los Angeles Fire Department where he was a paramedic. I really am at a loss for words to try to describe the type of supervisor he was. I think of the FISH philosophy when I try to describe his style. We all loved him and morale was very high. He truly cared about each one of us and it's going to be very hard to work without him. My phone's been ringing all morning with dispatchers sobbing. It's hard on us all.

That, in and of itself, is hard, but we'll pull through. I'm worried about his family, though. Jeff leaves behind several children. Most of them are grown, but one is a down syndrome child. I'm not sure how much he had in life insurance, but it will be hard for his wife to work to support them while taking care of her. I'm sure his life insurance will pay for the funeral and maybe some bills, but I really don't see how she's going to be able to work while supporting her child - especially after such an unexpected death.

I know there are a lot of other dispatchers who have needs as well, but I appreciate you listening to this also.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at tyler.johnson@sgcity.org. Dispatch's number is listed below.

Thank you again in advance. I really appreciate the work you all do to help dispatchers in need.

Tyler Johnson
St. George Police Communications
Emergency Medical Dispatcher
265 N 200 E
St. George, Utah 84770