Firefighters’ union claims of RF dangers jeopardizes LA-RICS public-safety LTE project
LA-RICS has reduced the number of LTE sites in its planned deployment from 232 to 177, according to LA-RICS Executive Director Pat Mallon.
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Firefighters’ union claims of RF dangers jeopardizes LA-RICS public-safety LTE project
LAS VEGAS–Complaints from a firefighters union that radio-frequency (RF) emissions from LTE sites being installed at several Los Angeles-area fire stations are a health hazard could derail the regional public-safety LTE system, according to an official with the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), which is building the network.
LA-RICS has reduced the number of LTE sites in its planned deployment from 232 to 177, according to LA-RICS Executive Director Pat Mallon.
“We've had some of our independent cities drop out,” Mallon said during an IWCE session focused on early builders of public-safety LTE systems. “They just couldn’t feel that more cell towers in their cities were consistent with their plan.”
Mallon expressed concern that delays could result in the LA-RICS public-safety LTE project—the largest public-safety LTE project in the U.S.—not being completed by the Sept. 30 deadline associated with the federal-grant funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Some politicians have indicated that the NTIA deadline could be extended, but Mallon said “there’s not a chance in hell” of that happening.
While speaking before the Senate Commerce Committee on March 11, FirstNet Chairwoman Sue Swenson noted the fact that the LA-RICS project revealed that leveraging government-owned assets would not be as simple as expected, but she did not provide any details about the matter.
One key reason for the cities’ unwillingness to approve LTE sites is that local chapters of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) union are opposing the installation of LTE cell towers for the LA-RICS system at fire stations and lifeguard facilities—government-owned locations chosen in an attempt to streamline the deployment process. The unions claim that having LTE sites so close to fire stations is a health risk to the firefighters that spend much of their time in those stations.
“Being exposed to the risk of cancer, infertility, headaches, sleep disorders, reduced memory function, and anxiety for the rest of your career—sound acceptable to you?” is a question asked about the LA-RICS installation on the IAFF Local 1014 web site. Just below this question is a radio advertisement that refers to the new LTE sites as “toxic towers.”
This sentiment is reiterated elsewhere on the web site, where the union expresses doubt whether firefighters will use the new LTE broadband data network, noting that firefighters depend on land mobile radio (LMR) technology for mission-critical communications .
“Firefighters will get no better emergency communications from this project—you get the impacts but none of the benefits,” the IAFF Local 1014 web site states. “You'll be relying on your LMR for decades while you're being saturated with toxic radio frequency radiation from cell towers.”
IAFF Local 1014 is encouraging its members to participate in a protest of the LA-RICS cell towers tomorrow at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors hearing, according to the union chapter’s web site.
Last fall, an IAFF official expressed dismay that the union was not informed of the LA-RICS plan to locate LTE towers close to fire stations and lifeguard facilities. Mallon said he wanted to conduct outreach about the LTE project with the union, but he was informed that such communication would not be appropriate.
“We did extensive outreach to the cities, to the supervisors in each of the five districts—we did over 175 outreach sessions,” Mallon said. “Once, I got my wrists slapped for reaching out to the unions directly [and was told] that I needed to deal through the agencies and let them do that–and they didn't.
“So, as we were moving forward and we started installing some of the towers at the fire stations, the fire unions said, ‘Holy (expletive), there are RF emissions, folks. They're going to fry our brains.’”
Mallon said the LA-RICS LTE towers are expected to emit “about 6” microwatts of RF energy into the fire station, which is less than 2% of the emissions allowed by the FCC. But the technical consultant hired by the firefighter unions has noted that the FCC does not have qualified medical experts on its staff and claims that people should not be exposed to more than “0.01 microwatts per square centimeter–50,000 times lower than the FCC requires,” Mallon said.
0.01uW/cm^2 gives an exposure
0.01uW/cm^2 gives an exposure limit of 95 uW for an adult male assuming half illumination. Is the medical expert hired by these guys a new age hippy?
Also, not to be pedantic but LTE is in the microwave range, not the RF range.
All you had to do was talk
All you had to do was talk with the Firemen first. Had you been courteous and direct, explaining the necessity of such a system and received their backing, you would have been fine. But you opted to ognore them and treat them like second class citizens. Bit you in the ass, didn’t it?
Ignorance here again. There
Ignorance here again. There are public letters of support to the governor urging legislation to allow to build on fire sites from the firefighters – city, county all of them… they participated in the design, they participated in the evaluation of the system, but they are in the midst of labor negotiations and scare tactics are always the bully’s go-to MO. Look at the facts, and don’t come crying later with blood on your hands for what you’ve done. BULLY!!!
But yet its ok for the
But yet its ok for the members at large to carry cell phones with them 24/7 and be on those phones for years on end and up to their head? What a boondoggle by the unions. And what about their LMR radios that they carry and use? Those can and do use more power….And the unions claim that the FCC has no qualified medical experts on staff…what do the unions have?? Sorry folks…put up or shut up. When someone hands you a free system for your use to augment what you have to help you out…why do you have to take the defensive stance and posture? I just dont get it. Must be more to this story then the unions are letting onto
This make perfect sense, so
This make perfect sense, so long as the Union bans its members from ever transmitting on an LMR portable, strapped to their chest in turnout gear, and the use of a cell phone becomes a capital offense for the entire membership of IAFF.
Granted there is concern
Granted there is concern regarding LTE signal transmissions from the tower antennas. I would have greater concern regarding transmissions from public safety portable radio antennas located near the head and waist. The power from these close-in transmissions, as well as cellphones, are typically far stronger than the fields received from antennas up on a tower or building rooftop. Signal measurements could easily be made to verify levels of all transmission types,
Just about as much chance of
Just about as much chance of these maladies to occur as for Joe Biden to come down with Sickle-cell anemia for working too near the President. Obviously these firemen have been staying up too late in the station house watching Mystery Science Theater……
These guys must be married to
These guys must be married to the PTA MOMS who want to ban wi – fi in schools. Show me one well documented case of so much as a headache from a comm tower. Want a dose of rf radiation? Drive by your 50,000 watt local AM station. Get out the violins! I have spent 35 years on comm sites pumping out a combined kilowatt and I can still think more clearly than these ill informed whiners.
Okay, which medical
Okay, which medical “specialist” has ever made a factual connection between RF exposure and any of the maladies mentioned in the article? Why aren’t radio technicians and ham radio operators dropping like flies, since most of them are regularly exposed to RF levels far in excess of the EPA maximums?
The unions might as well insist on life boats at all fire stations because of the threat of rising oceans due to global warming.
At least this has been good
At least this has been good for more than a few laughs. The people of California are indeed fortunate to have such Shepherds watching over them. I hope I am never trapped in a burning building there. I propose that we issue RF suits and monitors to all firefighters.