When A Tree Falls and No One Hears? What About Fires Due to Frenzied “Climate” and “Safety” Initiatives, and No One Listens?

By Patricia Burke of Safe Tech International, Images courtesy Floris Freshman

According to Wikipedia, “ “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” is a philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and perception.

In particular, the thought experiment known as “if a tree falls in the forest” explores the concepts of reality and perception.”

What happens, however, when mass movements towards “emergency responses” to “climate concerns” and “safety” don’t seem to be willing to register danger, including health harm and fires?

Not ‘Hearing’ Telecom Fire Risks

As Fiber-first LA reports, recently, “the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors Votes to allow faster wireless rollout in LA County. On January 10, 2023, the LA Board of Supervisors voted to approve changes to their County Code (Titles 16 & 22), which will remove important safety protections for wireless deployment in LA County. This includes small cells, macro towers, antenna arrays disguised as fake trees, water towers, and other stealth structures, as well as strand mounted 5G on guy wires. The public will have minimal notification, no appeal, and no one to call for help.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the telecom-influenced changes to the LA County Code is a “categorical exemption” of CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA is intended to inform elected officials and the public about potential environmental damage caused by certain proposed activities and allow an opportunity for mitigation of potential harms.

Of all states to disregard its own environmental law, this is the last thing that should be happening in fire-prone California. CEQA is the nation’s gold standard for environmental protections that are important for many environmental impacts including mitigating fire risk. The fire risk of telecommunications equipment has left $6 billion worth of scorched earth over Southern California in the last 15 years alone. When the rains follow fires, mudslides are inevitable.” – fiberfirstla.org/take-action

(Note that “California Fires & Firefighters” (experts) signed the ”Notice of Intent to File Suit Under the California Environmental Quality Act”- SOURCE)

Health: Liar Liar Brains on Fire

Regarding health and brain function firefighters also had a few thoughts, “ABC7 News: LA Firefighters Halt Cell Towers on Fire Stations Due to Radiation Concerns.”

See also ConsumerWatch: 5G Cellphone Towers Signal Renewed Concerns Over Impacts on Health.

A No Brainer? No Studies?

From Telecom Towers to Evs, Norwegian Shipping Company Bans Electric Vehicles Over Fire Fears

In the article, “Norwegian Shipping Company Bans Electric Vehicles Over Fire Fears, Sebastien Bell writes, “The company says that its ships are not equipped to fight a lithium-ion battery fire at sea.

Norway’s Havila Krystruten is one of two shipping companies that sails between the coastal cities of Bergen and Kierkenes and says that it will no longer carry electric or electrified vehicles on its ships following the results of an external investigation.

The company mostly carries passengers and goods on the route, but now says that it will only carry private vehicles with internal combustion engines. Havila Krystruten cited fire safety as the main reason for its decision.

While it is not clear what led the company to run the external investigation, fears of fires on ships were stoked by a recent incident in the Atlantic. The Felicity Ace caught fire at sea last year and, although the cause of the fire has not been determined, there were vehicles with batteries aboard the ship, leading to speculation that they may have been responsible for the blaze.

“This is a pure safety assessment, and the conclusion of the risk analysis shows that a possible fire in fossil vehicles will be able to be handled by the systems and the crew we have on board,” said Bent Martini, the company’s managing director, as translated by Google. “A possible fire in electric, hybrid or hydrogen cars will require external rescue efforts and could put people on board and the ships at risk.”

The problem is particularly noteworthy in Norway, which is one of the world’s largest consumers of electric vehicles. More than 80 percent of all vehicles sold in the country in 2022 were fully electric, making this decision a likely nuisance for passengers.

The shipping company previously conceded that the transport of vehicles on its ships was important, after uncertainty arose about whether they would be able to carry any vehicles at all, reports NRK.”

EV Fires and Parking Structure Risks

CarBuzz reports, “According to German publication InFranken, an underground parking garage located in Kulmbach, Germany has decided to outright ban battery-electric and hybrid vehicles. “Engineering officials were not aware that lithium-ion batteries can only be cooled with extinguishing water and will continue to burn for several days. However, it was not a hybrid or EV that caught on fire in the garage last September, but rather an old VW Golf.It was in the aftermath of that fire that city engineers realized a previously unknown problem: the reinforced concrete cannot withstand heat for a certain period of time. If there is too much heat, the concrete will burst away and the iron structure could then melt, creating a risk of a complete structural collapse. Since it’s not possible to completely replace all of that concrete and iron in any underground structure, the easiest thing to do was ban EVs and hybrids as a precautionary measure.”

Wind Turbines, Smart Meters, EVs and Whack-A-Mole Environmentalism

A scenario created by the “Clean Energy” community justified a frenzied move to “renewable energy”, including off-shore wind production, smart meters and time-of-use billing, and getting EV owners to charge their vehicles overnight to balance the grid.

First, there was the issue of health complaints associated with smart meters.  Response? Deny, Defend, Attack, Ridicule, Marginalize, and Surcharge for Often Inadequate, Incomplete Accommodation

Health harm was also accompanied by reports of fires from flammable smart meters, (fatality included) in addition to planned obsolescence, which is not sustainable.  Response? Deny, ignore, and pass the buck for costs. See ”Smart meter catches fire, utility company denies homeowners’ damage claim, BGE: “Equipment failure due to normal wear and tear” tells the story of a Baltimore County couple who said “their smart meter “exploded” causing nearly $1,500 in damage to their home. They filed a claim with BGE to pay for the repairs, but it was denied.”

There was also the issue of nuisance noise from poorly-sited wind turbines and wind turbine syndrome.

The plan to move the turbines offshore followed. This move been accompanied by dead whales washing up on shorelines;  Whale deaths along East Coast prompt 12 NJ mayors’ call for offshore wind farm moratorium and https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dead-whales-and-tough-economics-bedevil-biden-s-massive-wind-energy-push/ar-AA16JaaB  “The school-bus-size humpback whale that washed ashore on a narrow beach in Brigantine, N.J., this month weighed in at 12 tons and took a heavy emotional toll on coastal towns helplessly witnessing a spate of such deaths. The humpback was one of nine large whales to get stranded over six weeks on or near beaches in the Northeast, not far from where developers of hundreds of offshore wind turbines are engaged in a flurry of preconstruction activity. The deaths have prompted pushback against the projects even though government scientists say they are unrelated.”

Who decides what is related and unrelated? For example, the industry and government bodies relied on tobacco scientists to negate smart meter health complaints.

EV Charging Issues

Then there are the EV charging risks, including, again, fires.

On January 30, Screenrant’s Michael Akuchie reported,”Electrify America Chargers Frying EVs Raises Concerns About Culpability” “

A Rivian R1T was reportedly “fried” while charging at an Electrify America station, leaving the electric truck’s owner stranded as the connector refused to disengage. EV sales are on the rise, with more consumers keen on lowering their carbon footprint. However, there are a few lingering concerns among early adopters. These include the scarcity of chargers (especially in rural areas) and range loss in cold weather. However, reports of EVs getting bricked at charging stations could soon become another hurdle for EV adoption.”

See also Activist Post’s “Tesla Catches Fire While Being Driven on Highway; “Thousands of gallons were used in extinguishment.” “All electric vehicles (EV) are prone to fires that are difficult to extinguish (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) – not just Tesla’s.  Nevertheless, Tesla fires seem to be getting the most attention, perhaps due to the company’s vehicles also having problematic self-driving (autonomous) features.“

Overnight Charging Intended to Balance the Grid, and Fires

CBT auto industry news reported, Charging EVs overnight might get a lot more expensive, says Stanford study. “A new study conducted by a team at Stanford University and published in Energy Nature found that the increasing number of electric vehicle owners across the western United States could significantly impact the costs of, and demand for, electricity.

Many EV owners charge their vehicles at home overnight. The low demand during these hours means costs are usually lower. However, the study shows that as more drivers switch to EVs, that could change. The study found that peak net electricity demand could increase by up to 25% by 2035, the same year California said it would ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks.

The group also conducted a “stress test,” which found that the demand could rise as much as 50% if every vehicle on the road is a plug-in model.

Authors of the study suggest electric vehicle owners start to charge their vehicles during the daytime hours whenever possible, such as during the workday or at public charging stations.”

Then FEMA noted, “Recent EV safety recalls BMW, Ford, Hyundai and Chevrolet have recalled EVs in the past year due to battery defects. Fire safety guidance in some of these recalls suggests that owners not charge their EVs overnight and to park them outside of garages and away from homes until the needed repair is completed by a dealer.”

EV Risks to Condos

In December of 2021, Johnna Crider writing for Cleantechica reported, “Condo Association Bans Owners From Parking EVs In The Garage We’ve all heard of HOAs overstepping their bounds, but this outright ban on EVs might be a step too far!”

The article’s tone serves as an example of “Clean Energy” narrative that seeks to proceed despite apparent risks.

The condo association’s letter notes that, “The Decatur Board of Managers has been monitoring news about fire hazards when charging and parking electric vehicles “EV” in enclosed garages with attached dwellings. Decatur’s design creates increased risks if an EV fire happens in our garage. It is well established that the longer a fire takes to extinguish in high-rises, the exponential probability of total life and property loss. Our parking design also will lead to other gas or EV vehicles nearby catching fire and accelerating the fire. All EV fires have happened while the cars are unattended while parked or charging, allowing them to grow until beyond control.

The Board of Managers contacted the Fire Marshall at Lake Dillon Fire and Rescue to determine their risk assessment of EVs in the community. The Fire Marshall understood and agreed an EV battery fire at Decatur would result in a substantial loss.

Several factors significantly increase time to extinguish an EV fire at Decatur. First, water will not extinguish a battery fire in an EV making a sprinkler system useless. Second, the enclosed design of our garage makes it problematic for Firefighters to access the fire with the required amount of retardant. EV fires require an enormous amount of retardant.”

How sustainable and ‘smart’ is the narrative that it’s a violation of the rights of EV owners and entitlement of “Clean Energy” proponents when communities mitigate against risks including parking lot fires and parking garage collapses?

Who Defines Habitability?

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the two-year legislative session has just begun, and elected officials are proposing bills that will be under consideration by various committees. Rep. John F. Keenan has proposed SENATE DOCKET, NO. 728 “An Act creating the Massachusetts healthy homes program.”

“The department shall make reasonable efforts to coordinate with other governmental, quasi-governmental, and nonprofit organizations administering programs that create a healthier environment for residents by means including, but not limited to, rehabilitating existing housing or making homes lead-safe. The department may contract with other governmental, quasi-governmental, and nonprofit organizations to administer one or more of these programs on its behalf. ” ““Habitability Concerns”, home repairs that are required to ensure residential units are (1) fit for human habitation; (2) free from defective conditions and health and safety hazards, including, but not limited to, asbestos, mold, pests, and lead; and (3) free of conditions preventing installation of measures to improve energy or water efficiency, utilize renewable energy, or lower utility costs.“

And there you have it….

Is an individual with sensitivity to electromagnetic fields who cannot tolerate wirelessly transmitting appliances and utility wireless or powerline transmitters connected with access to essential services, including heat and water, a “habitability concern”? An impediment to “progress?”

This absurd and inhumane dynamic is enabled by a regulatory gap between the ADA and the FCC at the federal level, dating back to 1996 and 1984.

The sustainability movement has continued to ignore emerging issues regarding the utility grid and renewables, including polluted power quality.

Not ‘Hearing’ Provocation of Disability, For Over 2 Decades

In a November 18, 2013 filing with the FCC, the cities of Boston and Philadelphia in their joint submission accused the FCC and Federal health agencies of negligence for failing to investigate whether electrosensitive persons are harmed by non-ionizing radiation:  “The FCC admits its own lack of expertise in the field. But the overlap of federal agency responsibilities for RF radiation protection and the merely advisory status of the Radiofrequency Interagency Work Group often leaves leadership unclear and encourages a pass-the-buck attitude.

The 1999-2000 judicial challenge to the FCC’s 1996 rules never reached the issue of “electrosensitivity” as a cognizable disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. (“ADA”) Here again, an agency responsible for ADA implementation acknowledges that the impairment may be disabling but has promised merely further inquiry. After more than a decade, that investigation remains unopened. The dockets here have been updated with massive additional evidence of the crippling effects of RF radiation on an admitted minority – but a suffering minority – of U.S. citizens. The FCC and its sister regulatory agencies share responsibility for adherence to the ADA and should replace promises with serious attention to a serious medical problem. This is one area where the FCC could lead in advice to electrosensitive persons about prudent avoidance.”

Sources: https://www.prlog.org/12245111-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-cell-phone-radiation.html and more recently https://ehtrust.org/submissions-to-fcc-on-human-exposure-to-5g-higher-frequencies-docket-19-226/

A growing choir of voices is objecting to the increasingly forceful mandates being imposed by decision-makers. Whether instinct-injured and misguided or deliberate, the abuses of power and lack of integrity and responsiveness to difficulties are reaching a point of critical mass whereby communities are rightfully questioning the top-down directives.

Are we not “hearing” or “heeding” these issues because we are relying on plastic heads for feedback, to override reported human suffering?

Even in an EV, we are still headed for the edge of a cliff.

Alongside mining and disposal challenges outsourced to exploited nations, is it time to bring more minds to the table, to re-think safety. sustainability, connectivity, human rights, and ‘clean’ energy?

Some can see, it’s a no-brainer.

PS And the mainstream-news-generated perception that 5G opponents set fire to telecom towers because they were spreading covid? Like the crickets and Havana syndrome, they were framed.

Source: SafeTechInternational