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Federal government suspends funds for LA County emergency system
File photo: Officials must revise their plan to implement an LA County emergency response system after the federal government suspended funds for the project.
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Photo by MrPhilDog / Phil Thomas via Flickr Creative Commons
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The federal government has suspended payments of $154 million earmarked to build a system that would allow first responders from multiple agencies in Los Angeles County to communicate with each other quickly in an emergency.
The project involves building hundreds of communications towers across the county. The LA City Council earlier this week voted not to build towers at police stations and fire stations.
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration says because of that move, the project is incomplete and no longer effective. The county now has to revise its plans if it wants to get that money.
"The major issue that we're having to deal with, I think at this point, is to be able to get a plan where we get the proper citing and not just run havoc in neighborhoods," LA County Supervisor Don Knabe says. "The easiest way is to site them on existing fire stations because we own that property. The problem is fire stations are built in neighborhoods. And so some of the locations that are important to the interoperability of the system are also right in the middle of neighborhoods "
Some firefighters have complained that radio emissions from the towers pose a health hazard. Knabe says that's not the case.
Local officials have until April 13 to submit a revised plan .
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