From the Chicago Daily Herald: Officials have discovered that emergency personnel were having communications problems the new $445 million Rivers Casino just outside of Chicago.

Having working communications equipment inside the casino is imperative for the safety of police and fire personnel who are called to handle emergencies there, Fire Chief Alan Wax said.

Since the casino's opening, firefighters have responded to nearly 100 ambulance and other emergency calls.

Fire officials had been monitoring the communications situation as the building was being constructed.

"When it (was) finally completed and we did a thorough test, we recognized that there was a problem," Wax said.

It wasn't until firefighters started responding to emergencies there that officials realized the full extent of the issues, he added.

"There's a lot of wiring, reinforced areas of the building, a lot of steel (and) construction elements that serve to block radio signals," Wax said. "We have had situations where personnel have been trying to (radio) out to obtain more equipment or helpwhere they were not able to do (so)."

As a result, the fire department has sent additional responders on certain types of calls, he added.