Firefighters sue over excessive noise from sirens (more)

Excerpts from ChicagoTribune.com:

For 38 years, George Beary worked as a firefighter in Chicago, often riding on the back of fire trucks and hearing the loud emergency sirens that signaled every call. After retiring in 2005, Beary, who now serves as chairman of a committee for retired Chicago firefighters, has been struggling with tinnitus — a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears.

Beary, who previously 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 produces sirens. They claim the company failed to make its products safer for those working on firetrucks. Since 1999, Beary and about 700 other Chicago firefighters have taken legal action. While some cases have been settled or decided, around 500 are still ongoing.

Firefighters argue that Federal Signal could have designed sirens in a way that reduces noise exposure in areas where firefighters sit inside the trucks. Lawyers say the sound levels can reach up to 120 decibels — similar to a rock concert — which can be extremely harmful over time.

Federal Signal, however, maintains that directing the sound would undermine the siren’s primary purpose: to alert drivers and pedestrians that an emergency vehicle is approaching. The company also states that it has long encouraged firefighters to wear ear protection, as many fire departments recommend.

David Duffy, an attorney representing Federal Signal, claims that studies show the average noise level firefighters are exposed to during their shifts, including sirens, is below 85 decibels — a level considered safe under federal standards.

The lawsuits, which began gaining attention over a decade ago, have been filed in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Jersey, and the Chicago area, according to attorney Marc Bern, who is handling all of them. In SEC filings, Federal Signal noted that juries have mostly ruled in its favor in the half-dozen or so cases that have gone to trial.

The company has also reached settlements in some cases without admitting fault. The largest of these occurred in 2011, when Federal Signal paid $3.6 million to 1,069 firefighters in Philadelphia.

While federal noise standards take into account both the intensity and duration of sound exposure, Rick Neitzel, a researcher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, points out that these guidelines were developed for traditional jobs like manufacturing, not for firefighting, where exposure is intermittent but intense and shifts can last much longer than typical work hours.

Thanks Dan

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