AN A320 CREW; ON A VISUAL APCH TO SLC; EXECUTED A GAR UPON RECEIVING AN RA FROM TCASII.

Narrative

THE FOLLOWING INCIDENT RESULTED IN A TCASII RA TO MONITOR VERT SPD. AS WE WERE BEING VECTORED AROUND FOR A VISUAL APCH; IT BECAME OBVIOUS THE CTLR WAS EITHER NEW OR DISTR BECAUSE HE HAD US AT 8000 FT ONLY A COUPLE OF MI FROM THE MARKER. AT THE LAST MIN; HE CHANGED OUR RWY TO RWY 16R. THE PROB WAS; HE NEVER CLRED US FOR A VISUAL OR GAVE US A FINAL VECTOR. THIS WOULD NOT BE TOO UNUSUAL IF WE WERE GOING TO THE L SIDE. SUDDENLY; THE CTLR TOLD US TO TURN HARD R TO AVOID THE APCH AREA OF RWY 16L. OF COURSE; WE OVERSHOT AND AT THAT POINT RECEIVED THE RA. WE NEVER HEARD A SUPVR'S VOICE AND THE CTLR STILL AT THIS POINT SAID NOTHING; THEREFORE; WE INITIATED A GAR. THROUGHOUT THE GAR AND APCH; THE CTLR EXPRESSED A LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS; AND WE BARELY GOT IN AND AVOIDED A SECOND GAR BECAUSE TOO MANY PLANES WERE AT MINIMUM LATERAL SEPARATION ON THE FINAL APCH. LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL. BOTH THE CAPT AND I MAINTAINED A CLOSE LISTENING WATCH ON THE FREQ AND THERE WERE NO DISTRS IN THE COCKPIT DURING THIS TIME OF STERILE COCKPIT. THE CONFUSION AND DISTR SEEMED TO BE SOLELY ON THE PART OF THE CTLR. NO REF WAS MADE OF THE INCIDENT DURING THE APCH; LNDG; AND TAXI IN BY ANY OF SLC'S ATC CTLRS.