Brea Fire Department

The City Council this week approved a plan to finance Brea's share of a new $80-million radio system that will link police, fire and emergency departments across the county. The new 800-megahertz system will replace Orange County's deteriorating 18-channel network with 61 channels. Brea's share of the total is $2.5 million. The city already has about $1 million, mostly from narcotics asset forfeiture funds, deposited with the county.

Registration is now open for the Fire Department's emergency preparedness training course, which runs from Feb. 27 through May 18. The training is designed to teach participants life-saving skills in the event of an emergency and to help patients survive until other help arrives, officials said. Subjects covered will include emergency preparedness, medical aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and search and rescue techniques.

Brea firefighters are set to suit up for the first time this summer against bee swarms--domestic or otherwise. The city has approved spending $4,800 on 60 beekeeping suits for its firefighters and paramedics. The mesh hoods, heavy white cloth and thick gloves will enable firefighters to battle bees without fear of getting stung. Brea Fire Chief Alford Nero said the department has been pricing bee protection suits ever since a woman was killed by so-called killer bees in Long Beach last year.

A four-acre brush fire in the Brea hills Friday morning burned to within feet of Brea Olinda High School, forcing evacuation of about 400 students from the east side of the campus. Principal Doug Kimberly said the students stayed in the gym and performing arts center on the west side of campus for about 45 minutes while firefighters extinguished the flames. The fire, which began shortly before 11 a.m.