Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
For 38 years, George Beary worked as a firefighter in Chicago, and during that time, he was constantly exposed to the loud sirens of emergency vehicles. Now retired since 2005, Beary, who leads a committee for retired firefighters, says he suffers from tinnitus — a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears caused by prolonged exposure to loud noises.
Beary, who once served as vice president of the Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2, is one of approximately 4,400 current and former firefighters across the U.S. who have filed lawsuits against Federal Signal, an Oak Brook-based company that manufactures fire truck sirens. They claim the company failed to make its products safer for those working on the trucks. Since 1999, Beary and around 700 other Chicago firefighters have taken legal action. While some cases have been settled or dismissed, about 500 are still pending.
The firefighters argue that Federal Signal could have designed the sirens in a way that directs the sound away from where firefighters sit inside the fire engines, reducing their exposure to dangerously high noise levels. Lawyers say these sirens can reach up to 120 decibels — similar to a live rock concert — which is known to cause long-term hearing damage.
Federal Signal, however, claims that directing the siren sound would undermine its primary purpose: to alert drivers and pedestrians that an emergency vehicle is approaching. The company also points out that it has long encouraged firefighters to wear ear protection, as recommended by many fire departments.
David Duffy, a lawyer representing Federal Signal, cited studies showing that the average noise level firefighters are exposed to during their shifts — including siren use — is below 85 decibels, which is considered safe under federal regulations.
The lawsuits, which started gaining traction over a decade ago, have been filed in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, and the Chicago area, according to attorney Marc Bern, who is overseeing the cases. In SEC filings, Federal Signal notes that juries have ruled in its favor in most of the half-dozen or so trials that have reached a conclusion.
The company has also settled some cases without admitting fault. The largest settlement, in 2011, involved paying $3.6 million to 1,069 firefighters in Philadelphia.
While federal noise standards consider both the intensity and duration of exposure, experts say these guidelines were created for traditional jobs like manufacturing, not for the unpredictable and intense conditions faced by firefighters. Rick Neitzel, a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, explains that firefighting involves long shifts with intermittent but extremely loud noise exposure, which may not be fully addressed by existing regulations.
Thanks, Dan
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