Gamble said that there is currently no on-site seismic monitoring, but that a system will be installed in the coming year with the help of scientists from the University of Utah and Utah State University. Two people who were on the third floor of the building told Gamble they felt a "murmur" at the time of the seismic activity.

The building that houses both the Salt Lake City Police Department's main base of operations and Salt Lake Fire Department's administration has been the topic of debate for several months. Emergency dispatchers stayed in the building and 911 service was not interrupted following the Nevada quake. But dispatchers were nervous enough that they made inquiries into whether they should close the dispatch office and get out, Burbank said.

Police say their building is falling apart. A controversial $192 million bond that would have paid for five new public safety structures at three locations was narrowly rejected by voters in November.

Burbank said Thursday's quake re-enforced the need for a new public safety building.

"It's very challenging if your people who work here are so uncomfortable and uneasy," he said. "It was enough that they felt unsafe being in the building and chose to leave. How can we effectively ask them to stay in a building that might risk their safety and well being (during a larger quake)."

If the earthquake had occurred in the city, Burbank said he has been assured by engineers that the building itself would not collapse on everyone. But everything inside the structure, including emergency dispatch radios, would no longer work, he said. Dispatchers would have to get out of the building to perform their duties elsewhere, causing police to not be able to respond to emergencies effectively.

Tom Panuzio, CEO of Global Security Capital Group, a company that helps with funding for construction of new public safety buildings, believes the earthquake was an urgent wakeup call.

"Salt Lake City has best first-responders, but we don't have the facilities to protect them. We need to invest to keep those responders safe," he said. "This hits way too close to home. This needs to be a wakeup call to state and city officials that the facilities need to be upgraded now."

Burbank said he has had several meetings with Mayor Ralph Becker on what can be done now to get a new public safety building.

"We're looking at several funding options. We're in the education process with the new mayor. We have to go through and make sure he's comfortable with all we're asking for," Burbank said. "It's certainly not a dead issue by any means."

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Contributing: Lee Davidson, Arthur Raymond

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com; lisa@desnews.com