Robert Flowers, one-time chief of security for the 2002 Winter Games and Utah's former public-safety commissioner, is poised to relocate from Denver back to Utah to fill Salt Lake County's new post of emergency-management chief - pending County Council approval today of Mayor Peter Corroon's nomination.

Flowers had been, for the past years, regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Corroon said he pushed for the new position - it will coordinate response efforts during disasters - after he realized the county could be better prepared.

"There's a great Unified Fire Authority and Sheriff's Office to be first responders, but there's a lot of other things [such as contracts] that the government needs in place," he said. "If we're ready for a larger disaster, we'll be ready for the smaller ones."

Corroon added that Flowers has the needed experience - and "the perfect qualifications" - to head the management efforts.

Flowers said Monday that he enjoyed his time with FEMA, but is excited for the chance to move back to Utah. He said his priorities would be to get to know the main emergency players, review the county's existing plans and identify gaps - all in an effort to improve emergency-response time.

"I'll make sure the plans are ready, exercised and verified . . . essentially I'll build the playbook," he said. "Salt Lake County has a great fire chief and a great sheriff. They're ready to handle things, and I'll take care of the bureaucratic side."

Flowers drew fire during his tenure as the state's head of public safety when he was scrutinized for spending $3,500 in taxpayer funds to make 600-mile round-trip commutes from his home in Santa Clara, in southwestern Utah, to his office in Taylorsville.

Flowers reportedly spent more on gasoline than any other state official and tacked 35,000 miles on three state cars.

But on Monday, he said he is planning to sell his Santa Clara abode and move to Salt Lake County as quickly as possible.

"If you want to buy my house I'll move tomorrow," Flowers joked. "I personally feel you have to live up in the area to do [the job] effectively. As the public safety commissioner I was not a first responder, but this is different, and I could be involved" as a first responder.

Corroon echoed Flowers' statement, and said the mileage question, raised in 2005, would not be an issue.

sgehrke@sltrib.com