Bonin Wants iPads for Firefighters

The motion describes the "in-house" technology being used by the Los Angeles Fire Department as failing to keep "pace with evolving technology."

Bonin said firefighters use paper maps and so-called laptop "tough books," but some firefighters anxious for improvement have developed their own computer apps to help navigate city streets and handle other department tasks.

If Bonin's motion is approved by the full council, it would require the fire department and the city's Information Technology Agency to work with local tech companies to put together a "technology integration" master plan.

The fire department is planning to make multimillion-dollar upgrades to its dispatch, alerting and navigation systems, according to Bonin, and a contract for the "tough books" will soon be up for renewal.

The night before he introduced his motion to the City Council, Bonin attended his first Brentwood Community Council meeting in his role as district representative and said, "I got a scarier appreciation for public safety issues, such as the geographic isolation, traffic and [the] natural hazards we face here. I want to focus on the redeployment of LAFD resources back."