Leases Signed For 5 Proposed, Angeles National Forest Tower Sites

Arcadia CA

13 February, 2020

5:37 PM

Description

ARCADIA, CA — Five leases have been signed for locations in the Angeles National Forest that will be used for a series of planned communication towers designed to help modernize the first responder network in the Southland, authorities said Thursday. The leases were signed by Rachel Smith, the Angeles National Forest's deputy supervisor, for the first five of 13 proposed towers in the forest for a new Land Mobile Radio -- or LMR -- system, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The LMR system, to be operated by the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System Authority, is designed to unify local, state or federal emergency responders' communications with a single state-of- the-art network. The leases signed Friday are for 30 years of operation and maintenance. "This will significantly improve communications for first responders in L.A. County," Smith said in a statement. "The signing of the tower leases is a big step towards developing a modern public safety network." The 13 project sites, distributed across the Angeles National Forest, are part of a proposed 60-site LMR system across Los Angeles County. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing funding for the county-wide LMR project. "`The communications towers in the forest will help protect the region's first responders that are risking their lives to protect the public, and we thank the USFS for these leases," said Scott Edson, executive director, Los Angeles Interoperable Communications System. The Angeles National Forest manages land for a variety of multiple uses, including mountain top communication sites. Site specific analysis was completed to meet Forest Service requirements for protection of natural resources, and to ensure that the project follows the ANF Land Management Plan. All 13 sites on National Forest System land were previously designated and managed as communication sites. ALSO SEE: Crowds Camp Out For Free Chick-fil-A In SGV: PHOTO SHOW--City News Service