1) Below is a letter to the BCUC about another omission in the electrical fire reporting system that I just discovered. Naively, I expected that the communities’ reports would be sent to the BCSA [BC Safety Authority]. So again, there is no way to know if anyone is inspecting $$meter fires and certainly no one is tracking them.
Please help push the BCUC to release their report on $$meter safety.
2) A 1 hour video of presentations by several experts. At about the 3-4 minute point are some very interesting slides showing the proliferation of cell transmitters and Wi-Fi networks in the last 15 years or so. When people say we’ve had these things for so long that if they were dangerous, we’d know – remind them that 15 years ago, most people (and certainly children) didn’t have cell phones and certainly didn’t use them the way they do today – all day.
“Drunk on Wireless: Public Health Consequences of Cell Phone and Wireless Technologies are Begging for Society’s Attention”
3) Legislation is being introduced into the US Senate to protect the “last mile” of the electrical grid by “re-engineering” and adding analog devices!! Reiterates that a cyberattack is inevitable.
“U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), all members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today introduced legislation aiming to protect critical U.S. energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyber-attacks. The Securing Energy Infrastructure Act of 2016 would examine solutions to defend the U.S. energy grid by replacing key devices like computer-connected operating systems that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks with analog and human-operated systems – a “retro” approach that has shown promise as a safeguard against cyber-attacks.
“The United States is one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world, which also means we’re one of the most technologically-vulnerable countries in the world. In fact, right now there are hackers across the globe working to exploit weaknesses in the digital systems that help run critical infrastructure like our electric grid. And a successful attack could have catastrophic consequences,” Senator King said. “That’s why we need to act now – and by looking to the past, we may be able to develop ways to thwart the sophisticated cyber-attacks of the future. Our legislation would reengineer the last-mile of the energy grid to isolate its most important systems, and in doing so, help defend it from a devastating blow that could cut off electricity to millions of people across the country.
Establish a two-year pilot program within the National Laboratories to study covered entities and identify new classes of security vulnerabilities, and research and test technology – like analog devices – that could be used to isolate the most critical systems of covered entities from cyber-attacks.”
Letters:
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: June 10, 2016 1:39 PM
To: commission.secretary@bcuc.com; Patrick.Wruck@bcuc.com
Subject: Smart meter fire reports
Dear Secretary Hamilton and Mr. Wruck,
While waiting for the final smart meter fire report to be released, I found yet another issue.
Several larger communities (Surrey, Burnaby, Maple Ridge, No. Vancouver, West Vancouver, Vancouver, Victoria) have their own electrical inspectors who do the job that is supposed to be done by BC Safety Authority – inspect fires that are thought to have been caused by electrical problems.
As you see below in a response from Surrey, these reports are held by Surrey and not submitted to another agency. Only the initial fire report is submitted to the Fire Commissioner’s office.
Attached is a report on a fire that could possibly have been caused by a faulty smart meter, but without a more complete report there is no way to know. And I am not willing to pay $107.95 to find out. (this fire report can be found at:
https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CSY201407300301.pdf)
This is yet another example of a lack of information sharing in the reporting system. If the BCSA has the responsibility for investigating electrical fires, should they not at least be sent reports from the cities that do the inspections in place of the BCSA? Who, if anyone, is gathering this information which likely involves that vast majority of fires in the province?
I look forward to your response. Also could you please tell me when the final report on meter safety jurisdiction will be available?
Regards,
Sharon Noble
= = =
From: Wilson, Lorraine [mailto:LMWilson@surrey.ca]
Sent: June 10, 2016 9:44 AM
To: Sharon Noble
Subject: RE: Electrical fire report
The report that you have received from the Office of the Fire Commissioner is our report that we send to them.
The incident report is also our report that the crew fill out when they attend an incident and the fire investigation report (which you already have received).
We do not supply any data to the BCSA just to the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
Hope that helps answer your questions.
Lorraine Wilson
Surrey Fire Service
8767 – 132 St , Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 4P1
lmwilson@surrey.ca
firerecords@surrey.ca
surreyemergencyprogram@surrey.ca
T 604 543-6711 | F 604 597-5812 | www.surrey.ca
= = =
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2016 1:34 PM
To: Wilson, Lorraine
Subject: RE: Electrical fire report
Hello, Lorraine,
Thank you for your response.
I believe I need to clarify my request. I have a fire report that I received from the fire commissioner. It was an electrical fire and I would like to have the report that is comparable to that provided by the BC Safety Authority for fires that they inspected. Is that the “fire incident” report?
Also, could you please tell me if Surrey provides reports or summary data on electrical fires to the BCSA or to some other agency?
Thank you in advance for this information.
Regards,
Sharon Noble
= = =
From: Wilson, Lorraine [mailto:LMWilson@surrey.ca]
Sent: June 9, 2016 12:23 PM
To: Sharon Noble
Subject: Electrical fire report
Hi there.
We received your request.
If the Surrey Fire Service attended any incident we will have an Incident report on it.
I have attached the link for required forms and fees.
http://www.surrey.ca/city-services/14400.aspx
To request an incident report and fire investigation report we require our Incident request form to be filled in and sent in to our office.
That Information is on the bottom and second page of request form.
The required fees are also stated on the incident request form.
We will proceed with your request as soon as required forms and fees have been received.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Lorraine Wilson at firerecords@surrey.ca .
Lorraine Wilson
Surrey Fire Service
8767 – 132 St , Surrey, BC, Canada V3W 4P1
lmwilson@surrey.ca
firerecords@surrey.ca
surreyemergencyprogram@surrey.ca
T 604 543-6711 | F 604 597-5812 | www.surrey.ca
= = =
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: June-05-16 5:22 PM
To: City Manager
Subject: Electrical fire report
Dear Sir or Madam,
Can you please tell me how I can find out if a report pertaining to an electrical fire in Surrey is available?
Thank you.
Regards,
Sharon Noble
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“Our Society is run by insane people for insane objectives. We are being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I m liable to be put away as insane for expressing that.
That’s what is insane about it…”
~ John Lennon