PANEL BACKS MONEY FOR BRUSH CLEARANCE.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Hoping to avert a potentially disastrous fire season, a City Council panel recommended Monday that Los Angeles firefighters receive $1.4 million to hire more brush clearing crews.

The Public Safety Committee also urged that the Fire Department be allowed to add six inspectors, to help enforce tougher standards requiring brush clearance within 200 feet of buildings.

``This is a public safety issue and is something that has to have our highest priority,'' said Councilwoman Laura Chick, who heads the Public Safety Committee.

At the same time, Chick criticized fire officials for what she said is their slow response to the threat presented by the immense growth of brush from the past winter's El Nino storms.

Department officials, however, said they have moved as quickly as they could and have transferred inspectors from other units to help. Deputy Chief Jerry Hill said the department inspected some 180,000 properties during the period leading up to the fire season, which begins next month.

The proposal for the additional funds and personnel is scheduled to be considered by the City Council next week after being reviewed by two other committees.

However, the council is expected today to consider Mayor Richard Riordan's request that the council lift competitive bidding rules for the Fire Department so it can hire brush clearing crews more quickly. Fire officials estimated such a measure would cut five weeks out of the normal eight-week process to send contractors in to clear property.

The city continues to have a problem getting some public agencies, including Caltrans, to comply with the brush clearance regulations, Hill said.

``We have ongoing discussions with them,'' Hill said. ``What we're concerned about is some car could come off the freeway and be hot enough to start a spark that could cause a major incident.''

Councilman Mike Feuer said he believes a solution might have been found with another government agency, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which was having difficulty clearing enough brush to meet the new standards.

Feuer said he expects to ask the council to help the conservancy by paying half the estimated $165,000 cost for the work.

Hill said most city agencies are in compliance, with the exception of the General Services Department properties. His office is compiling a list of addresses of problem properties.

Chick said she wanted to see quick action on the issue.

``For my part, it does not work for us to have separate rules for government agencies and a different one for homeowners,'' Chick said.