Radio, Computer Problems Plague L.A. Fire Dispatch

Dispatchers at the Los Angeles (Calif.) fire communications center have had to track the status of fire rigs using a pegboard and golf tees, after a series of technical glitches in the fire station alerting and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems. The comm center moved into new facility last month, and dispatchers have been using an alerting system that includes voice and tone alerting. That system has not been reliably working, a Los Angeles Times article says, requiring some periods of “radio watch” by firefighters in the stations. Another digital system conveys alarm information and activates stations bells, gongs and lights, and has been operating normally, fire department officials say. Fire chief Brian Cummings and LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa say the glitches are isolated incidents, but firefighters say the responses of at least two critical incidents were affected. Read more about the problems here.