[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 160 (Thursday, November 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2262-E2263]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABILITY: CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 6, 2003

  Ms. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend 
Chairman Shays and Ranking Member Kucinich for calling this important 
hearing on Public Safety Interoperability. Earlier this year, I met 
with Fire Stations and Police Departments in my district. Each one of 
them highlighted the need for a communications system that would allow 
law enforcement, fire fighters, and other first responders to talk to 
one another.
  To this end, the Los Angeles County Fire Department with minimal 
resources and funds initiated an interoperability communications pilot 
program, known as the Los Angeles Regional Tactical Communication 
System (LARTCS). This system enables various agencies to directly speak 
to another on one channel for both short-term and long-term incidents.
  The pilot program only serves a portion of the County, while the Los 
Angeles County Fire Department provides services to 58 municipalities 
and spans a 3,000-mile radius. This includes dense, rural, and remote 
suburban areas.
  The LARTCS has already proven to be a success, particularly in the 
southern California wildfires. According to the Los Angeles County 
Assistant Fire Chief, Eric Ekeberg, ``the fires hit the region really 
hard, but it could have been a lot worse if the communication system 
was not in place.''
  I commend the foresight and dedication of the Los Angeles County Fire 
Department and all participating agencies that includes law 
enforcement, EMS, and other first responders for establishing this 
pilot program. Amazingly, this system was put in with minimal funds.
  This successful pilot program proves that Congress needs to do more 
to fund interoperability systems, whether it is through additional FEMA 
grants or cutting the red tape, so that the first responders of LA 
County, and multiple counties throughout California and the nation, can 
talk to one another.
  We need to do more to protect our public servants as well as the 
general population. Therefore, I look forward to the testimonies of the 
witnesses who might shed some light on this salient issue, not just for 
first responders, but all Americans.

[[Page E2263]]

  Again, I would like to thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for 
holding this very important hearing.

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