Local News in Brief : Fire System Bonds Urged

A Los Angeles City Council committee endorsed plans Tuesday to place a bond measure on the November ballot to cover costs for a new $57-million radio and computer dispatch system that has already been approved for the city Fire Department.

The measure, which would require a two-thirds approval of voters, would add about $11 to the average homeowner’s annual property tax bill, city officials told the Finance and Revenue Committee. If voters don’t approve the bond measure, the council would be obligated to pay for the improvements through the general fund, officials said.

Assistant Chief Merlin Rudd said the new radio system would replace an outmoded system that often fails to penetrate steel and concrete, resulting in communication breakdowns in such recent major incidents as the First Interstate Bank and Central Library fires. The new computer dispatch system--replacing a model dating to the late 1960s--would give the department the ability to locate every engine, truck, ambulance and other vehicle in its command, thus speeding response time, Rudd said.