[ANSI 12 – BC Hydro – BCSA BC Safety Authority – BCUC & Smart Meter Fires: The Failure to Protect by Sharon Noble – Clean Energy Act – Denial – Design Flaws – Electrical Engineer Inspections – Failed Meters – Fire Inspectors – Firemen – FortisBC – Itron – Len Garis – Letters – Measurement Canada – NEETRAC – Organize Protests – Patrick Wruck – Recall – Regulations – Remote Disconnect Switch – Safety – Smart Meter Removals – Tracking – UL 2735 – Wireless | BC – USA]
Finally, after 6 months of having “the staff review the information”, I received a response to my fire report in which I provided evidence that the smeters had caused fires, that BC Hydro had broken regulations, that the smeters had not passed certification that included all of the major components, that Len Garis’ paid-for report was inaccurate, incomplete and use of it indicated a failure by BCUC to do its job. The response is at the second link below and is amazing – BCUC has not refuted one charge I made. From this I can only conclude it is saying that my evidence is correct and that:
1) No agency is tracking fires;
2) Regulations and laws are being broken with impunity, e.g. meters are being removed from the fire scene, electrical inspections are not being done;
3) Reporting is haphazard at best;
4) The meter is combustible, poorly designed, with critical components uncertified by any agency to be safe;
5) BC Hydro did not perform its due diligence by having an independent electrical engineer inspect the meter for safety prior to signing the contract. Rather, it accepted ITRON’s assurances;
6) Smart meters have burned, melted and caused homes to burn. BC Hydro and BCUC both deny this is happening.
Their response indicates that they are willing to turn a blind eye and continue to stonewall us, even though lives and property are being put at risk. My read of the response is that no one at BCUC even read the report or certainly they would have at least attempted to respond in a meaningful way.
They do manage to say a few things that are not true. For example, BC Hydro and FortisBC did not provide responses of a technical nature.
– https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/bc-hydro-response-to-bcuc-request-for-comment-on-ms-nobles-correspondence-re-smart-meter-fires-report-october-20-2017/
BC Hydro does remove smeters from the scene of fires before the fire inspection is done, and often before the Fire Inspector or BC Safety Authority has arrived. Interesting how they continue to say this when I have provided reports from Fire Inspectors, BC Safety Authority and even Firemen saying that BC Hydro routinely removes the smeter without obtaining the clearance required by law.
BC Hydro told me that they do not inspect any failed meter, rather, it is sent back to ITRON immediately for replacement.
They emphasize that the meters are compliant with Measurement Canada [MC] requirements – which pertain to accuracy only. Safety is not any component of MC’s testing.
ANSI 12’s and UL 2735’s inadequacy are ignored. All smeters meet these weak standards – all of the smeters that have been involved in fires meet these standards.
UL’s protocol 2735 for certification DOES NOT include the remote disconnect switch. And I have asked several times for the results of the tests done by the NEETRAC and BC Hydro has refused to provide. How do we know that the testing was successful? Why won’t they share the results of the tests for the component that has been involved/caused so many fires?
All of these statements by BCUC are contrary to the evidence that I provided in my report. They didn’t care enough to look beyond what BC Hydro has told them.
Obviously, I could go on and on. The response is filled with junk, but basically it does not refute a thing I’ve said. These meters have caused fires and will continue to cause fires. They should be recalled from our homes and it will be only through our loud and continued demand that these be removed, that the Clean Energy Act be changed, that changes will be made.
No one is looking out for our safety, that is clear. Shameful.
BCUC 51374 – BCUC Response Letter L-3-18 – February 14, 2018:
– https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/BCUC-51374-BCUC-Response-Letter-L-3-18-February-14-2018.pdf
The Fire Report:
– https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/bcuc-smart-meter-fires-the-failure-to-protect/
I hope you will read all of this and help to spread the word. We need to think beyond writing letters and emails that will be ignored. Our politicians have shown they are interested in us only when they want our money or our vote. We need to be prepared to protest with sit-ins, picketing, rallies outside offices of the Premier and MLAs. Even 15-20 people willing to spend a few hours with signs, walking along the sidewalk outside the offices, letting local media know (have someone call anonymously and just ask if the newspaper knows what is going on – a large crowd outside Horgan’s constituency office, for example). If we could get people willing to devote a few hours, we could do this.
[https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/bcuc-smart-meter-fires-report-july-2017-2/]
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop smart Meters
“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
~ Winston Churchill