By Juliette Funes
Whittier Daily News
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County officials are looking to ensure that its 34,000 first responders are linked to one another and can communicate instantly in the event of a large-scale crisis or other emergency - an issue that became nearly impossible to tackle during the Sept.11 terrorist attacks.
The county is in the process of implementing the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, a modern wireless voice and data communications system that will support 50 law enforcement agencies and 31 fire departments within the region.
The project was developed after the terrorists attacks in New York City, said Patrick Mallon, executive director of the LA-RICS project.
“Those first responders were going into those buildings without the ability to communicate with each other, being on different frequencies and radio systems,” Mallon said.
An older system is currently in place here in which public safety officials can roll out equipment and patch frequencies together, but not fast enough, he said.
As part of the large scale project, two new 150-foot towers will be built early next year near Whittier and the Puente Hills Landfill. The county Board of Supervisors approved the towers in November 2010.
The L.A. County Public Works Department will construct a $2.3 million Rio Hondo New Tower at Skyline Fire Road and Workman Mill Road, and a $2.5million Puente Hills New Tower at Vantage Point Drive.
Two communication towers will also be built in Palmdale and Lancaster.
“It is basically part of a broadcasting communications tower,” Public Works spokesman Mike Kaspar said of the four new projects. “It broadcasts a signal from one of these four locations, and is part of this communication system for L.A. County first responders, including sheriff’s deputies, fire and public works.”
The Rio Hondo and Puente Hills locations each have an existing 120-foot tower and small building operating at the sites, but the more than 20-year-old structures have reached capacity, officials said.
The towers “have antennas and all kinds of other equipment attached to them and essentially they’re at full capacity, so we needed to add on to them,” Kaspar said.
Adding a new tower with more antennas and radio equipment will enhance the quality of communication for public safety, officials said.
It will “improve the resiliency and survivability of the existing communications system, and support the operational needs of public safety, including interoperability,” sheriff’s Capt. Michael Parker said, adding that the towers are essential to public safety agencies.
The LA-RICS project will affect more than 34,000 emergency personnel, including the Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department and health services operating in Los Angeles, Long Beach and the county.
The joint effort also includes the Los Angeles Unified School District and UCLA.
The Interagency Communications Interoperability System - which covers Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Glendale, Pasadena, Pomona and Montebello - also will be part of the new system.
Depending on the funding, it is estimated that the entire system is will be fully built out and functional by 2013.
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