Attention Socialists
and Commie Liberals
When there is no more
Capitalism
In America
Who will answer the
call for Help?
This week’s terrible 7.5 Earth Quake in Haiti has
produced tremendous horrors
And who was the first ones on the scene? Of course the United
States of America
Not Russia
or China it was the USA.
There with troops, Search and Rescue Teams, Medical Aid and
food to assist the hundreds of thousands of survivors and to help dig out the
victims hopefully before they pass away.
In fact every time no matter where the disaster occurs on
earth there is the USA
with money and aid. No other country can do and has the resources we have here
in the United States
to be able to assist in such a fast and efficient system when there is a
disaster.
And if you take away America’s capitalism you take away
its ability to help the world.
Because you will not have the corporations who are ready and
able to donate supplies
To emergency’s like they do now. Instead you will have a
bureaucracy like the UN which gets nothing done. And shipments will never
arrive or will be robbed or diverted.
Better think about that all of you who hate America and its
capitalist system.
Yes Capitalists can be Pigs , greedy and evil and they need
to be called on the carpet and dealt with but most capitalists are good hard
working individuals who give back because they have been given all the bounty
and opportunities of this country.
As you watch this week the tragedy in Haiti unfold just ask
yourself if America was not there how much worse would it be. For that matter
when there is no more Capitalism in America who will come and help your
town when there has been a disaster.
Before we go Full
steam ahead with
Residential
Sprinklers in Pa.
There are questions
??? which must be answered.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator and Alarm contractor
With the passage of ICC regulations now requiring Fire
Protection Sprinklers in residential properties there are many questions which
need answered before we start enforcing them. That is if the builders and there
cronies do not see to it that we exclude that part of the ICC Fire Code.
Having spent many years dealing with commercial Fire sprinklers and there problems due to the
cold weather and low water pressure we have in this area I am already familiar
with all the problems which are going to follow us over into residential.
First off what about the residential systems will they be
required to monitored 24/7 by a monitoring company or will a simple bell due
like we have on some commercial systems?
When that bell does
go off lets hope some one hears it and calls 911 . If a bell does not do it
will insurance companies then require monitoring to get a fire policy and
talking about insurance companys will they raise residential rates due to all
the damage a sprinkler system can cause? A customer of mine built a big home in
Fayette County and was among one of the first to
install a residential sprinkler system in early 90’s upon notifying his insurance
company he installed them his policy went up 50% instead of going down becuse
now there was the danger of all the water damage should a sprinkler head pop.
Needless to say he turned them off and depends on the smoke
detectors. Which brings up another question if a residential owner turns off
his sprinkler system and then has a fire will insurance company not pay and
could he face a code violation citation? Then talking about accidental trips
what about
The cold weather we have hear and home systems popping
during the winter when a home may be vacant while people are vacationing down
south or selling there home.
This is when traditionally we turn all water off in homes
and lower or turn off heat all together?
Will we then have to insist on dry or anti freeze systems
and monitored low temp alarms being used to prevent accidents better yet what
about pre-action systems in a home how many heads will get knocked off by kids
playing or people moving furniture etc.
Then we have the problem with water supply will municipal
water suppliers demand a separate water meter and then require you pay
commercial rate for sprinkler water better believe it if they can get away with
it. Then again what about the water pressure it self if there is not enough
pressure or homes are driven off a well will we be required to install in
ground tanks and water pumps to supply adequate pressures like we do with
commercial buildings? .Then you also have the additional cost of back flow
devices will it be required there tested every year just like they do in
commercial .Will the residential sprinklers need annual testing as well?
Yes I see many problems coming how many more trips will you
be making with your Dept. in the coming years especially in the winter time.
And of course the big question
20 years from now when that sprinkler system is really
needed will it even work just like the Arc fault Interrupters they have been
requiring in the electrical code.
Well as usual I guess we are going to find out the hard way.
All the usual confusion and everything else that goes on
every time we pass new codes and years of effort to get things straightened
out. Just look at all the confusion UCC/ICC initially caused and now we are adding
sprinklers to the mix and now as of July 09 home remodeling contractors’ will
have to register with the state attorney generals offices. Plus grand fathering
on UCC code for inspectors who have not gotten there inspection cards is
running out in may yes it is going to be yet another interesting year in Pa.
because no one has had the foresight to take any action to the next step to see
what can go wrong.
Yes we need sprinklers yes we need regulation but we also
need the wisdom to think thru what we are doing before we do it in this state
and this is something it has always lacked and probably always will.
Did you know the
Porno Industry is responsible?
For pushing many new
technologies
Yes the very industry which is the dirty little secret
everyone giggles and laughs about
Is actually responsible for pushing various technologies and
they have been doing it for some time. From the original form of Comics to
Super 8MM film projectors so voice could be heard and they where compact to VHS
format recorders and Photographic Camera lens upgrades to many graphic and
flash type upgrades on the Internet the Porn Industry has helped to push the
technology to make it more available to the public. Now the Porn Industry is
behind the push to get 3D-TV‘s into the home to make Porn an even more
realistic experience .The Porn Industry is a Multi Billion Dollar a year industry
with its own awards show for movies and photo shoots Just like the Oscars and
Emmys
It’s to the point that some Porn starts are more
recognizable and bigger stars than traditional Hollywood Actors, with Porn
everywhere.
Of course no one ever admits going into a Porn Store or
viewing it in the Internet yet some one is doing it. In fact pornography is an
ever growing addiction problem in not only the US but in many foreign countries,
and this addition has ruined lives and families
And has also contributed to a rise in HIV and other sexual
diseases when images are not enough and physical contact with a prostitute
becomes necessary thing in there life.
Believe it or not you can now buy sex toys which can be
connected to a computer and even remotely operated by another individual.
So where is Porno going well the latest item released this
month is a life like robotic sex doll. I can see it now every little pervert
can have there very own life like girlfriend hiding in there closet.
It seems like the worlds oldest profession just like porno
is not going away any time soon and as we get deeper into a country that has
become an open Sodom and Gomorrah Like you have in San Francisco then you really
do have to wonder about the year 2012 and if the Aztecs are right the end of
the world as we know it will be gone.
Do we still need to have
2 phone lines to a Digital Communicator?
For Fire Alarm
Systems
By: Nick Markowitz Jr.
Have they days were 2 phone lines hooked up to a Fire Alarm
Digital Communicator also know as a DACT
become numbered I believe so.
As more and more phone lines go digital where there feed by
either a T1 Channel Bank
or other digital technology like Verizon’s FIOS redundant
phone lines are really pointless.
In the true Analog POTS or Plain old Telephone Days having 2
numbers made sure the signal would get thru since chances of both numbers going
out at the same time where slim but when you talk about modern digital phone
lines or what is known in the NFPA 72 Code as Managed Facilities Voice Networks
or MFVN when you loose one you loose them all. Because when Broad Band Signal
which tells the interface device to put out the individual voice paths on these
digital systems is lost all signal paths are lost this includes Voice circuits,
Internet and Phone. So at this point what sense does it make to require 2 phone
lines?
It does not. Ultimately ATT and other Communication
corporations want POTS to go away all together by 2014 and yes this will cause
a burden to many devices which require true dial tone to be able to dial but
luckily there are alternatives available to keep things running, such as
cellular and 2 way radio along with dialer capture units which retransmit the
signal over the internet known as Internet dialer s. But the bigger question has
still not been answered and that is safety back up most digital systems have no
battery back up to keep operating or if they do its only for a couple hours
where the good old pots line keeps on working. You say no problem when digital
goes out we know its not working as internet dialer s are supervised but what good does that do when you can not
tell what is going on at the unattended premise when it’s a long holiday
weekend.
But this is the price we are going to pay for digital
convergence and this weekend of Feb. 6th 2010 is really going to
prove out all the disadvantages of digital with snowfalls of 20-30 plus inches
of snow along the east coast. Better get out the cell phone and hope it works
and you have a car charger so you can keep in communication. Since many are
losing there electricity from the weight of the snow.
Do you know what’s
going on above and below your
Main Street Store Fronts
It might surprise
you.
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator
As a subcontractor for a very large Nationwide Burglar/Fire
Alarm Servicing Company
I get to spend a lot of time in the Old Main Street America in old Store fronts many
of them 3 -5 story old fashioned
5&10 stores which had names like G.C. Murphy ,Ben Franklin and W.W.Grant
more than likely you had one in your great old town.
There all gone now having faced financial problems due to
declining populations and people shopping at malls instead of Main Street.
Which are now being used as Furniture Rental Stores, Dollar
Stores, Urban style clothing and Check Cashing Stores.
Which only occupy the first floor.
Often the basements and upper floors have been left vacant for years many now for decades.
And they have been allowed to decay to point broken windows
now allow Pigeons to roost there ,and the poisonous pigeon waste besides a
inhalation hazard attracts rats.
Often roofs leak badly and are starting to sag in since down
spouts are jammed or missing causing the roof back up problems when it rains
and snows .Often times roofs have been overlaid with so many layers or roof
material it goes up and over protective firewall parapets. Most of the restroom
facilities’ no longer work and only 1 or 2 stalls and sinks even work the
others often have been sealed off improperly and are a stinking mess when pipes
back up in the buildings . The Electrical systems are old and dangerous often
rusted with water damage and all types of illegal and unsafe wiring done. Exit and emergency lights some times work or
are non existent .There are no fire alarms or sprinklers in these buildings and
little do the people shopping in theses stores know the dangers above and below
them. The buildings owners could care less and code enforcement is all but non
existent. You find these types of buildings all over the US.
They were allowed to be reoccupied on the first floor only
becuse the upper floors did not meet exiting requirements so the where sealed
off from shoppers and allowed to rot.
The new shops moved in put up some new wall coverings a
couple new lights and that’s about it. There all budget related shops and work
on a bare minimum profit so they will not spend any money on them and land
lords get minimal rents so they will spend no money either.
When one of these buildings does catch fire it is usually
catastrophic as the fire will often spread and take several buildings if not
the whole block with it. Many times lives are lost
And all kinds of illegal activity is discovered as well in
some of the thought to be vacant buildings.
In some communities Main Street is slowly starting to come
back and buildings are being stripped and properly renovated but all to often
its the exact opposite .Because some communities will turn an eye and allow a
building to be occupied just to get the taxes and hopefully some blight
eliminated.
And there are thousands of these buildings sitting out there
like ticking time bombs.
What is the answer to the situation I leave that up to you
our code community.
There is no way we can just level a block and rebuild it yet
we need to also enforce codes which is hard when there are many absentee
landlords and small enforcement budgets.
So for now it is a juggling act.
Do you run Low
Voltage Wiring Outside?
Are you following
National Electrical Code?
Are you putting your
self at risk by not doing so?
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Fire Investigator
An alarm company runs a cable between 2 buildings across an
alley way and put it at 12 foot assuming it is high enough, no truck tall
enough coming down the alley can hit it they thought.
Wrong one day a Crane Truck 12’9” comes down the alley and
pulls out all the wiring and causes
Damage to both buildings .Which also resulted in a surge in
the wiring destroying the camera system.
The Alarm Company assures the building owner since the
trucker took it down the truck companies insurance will pay. Wrong the
investigator comes on scene and denies the claim because the installers failed
to follow National Electrical Code which requires wires in this situation to be
14 foot high. In addition the wire was not properly grounded and surge protected
as required by the NEC the alarm company will now have to pay for the damages.
An alarm company is hired to install a camera system in an
open dock area of an industrial building to watch where flammable gas
cylinders are being stored. Under NEC
this area is defined as a hazardous area even thou it is open on 2 sides it
still requires the use of very specific methods as to how the wiring is
installed and wiring sealed to prevent explosions because gas is being
transferred in this area .The alarm company mistakenly believes its low voltage
wiring does not require the use of
explosion proof fittings and components
and installs standard equipment in the room, a month later there’s a
major explosion and the room is destroyed and three employees are hospitalized
with serious burns. And the investigators trace the ignition source back to the
alarm company not using proper wiring measures, besides the lawsuits and local
code violation citations they are facing they are also facing massive fines
from OSHA as well.
An alarm company installs IP Cameras on several light poles
in a parking lot and lightning strikes one of the poles sending a surge thru
all the equipment and takes out the computers in the building and at the same
time starts a small electrical fire.
The alarm company claims it’s an act of god and not there
responsibility. Wrong again when the investigator gets on scene and again
determines the install fails to meet the NEC section 900 which requires all low
voltage cables entering buildings be properly protected by using surge protection and bonding and
grounding applications. The alarm company also faces a code violation citation
for not following the code as well after the fire and code people investigate.
Cable companies and Telephone Companies include surge
protection on all of there installs what makes an alarm company think it is
exempt from following these same codes.
Mostly it is a lack of proper education in our industry and
apathy on the part of alarm company owners to get there employees properly
trained. Plus when going to even an approved training class all too often these
courses fail to properly recognize and endorse the use of the NEC .
I see it all the time when it comes to fire alarms better
than 90% of the fire systems I have taken over or serviced for others are non
code compliant when it comes to how Fire Alarm wiring is to be properly run and
installed. This is why I feel alarm companies should be employing electricians
to install the wiring to code not using techs who are not trained to follow the
NEC and when wiring is not properly installed this is when systems fail. It is
time the Security Industry takes a good hard look at its self and its training
and start turning out properly trained techs because as the world gets more in
the mood litigate
And as OSHA , NFPA, ICC and other codes are being more
closely watched and updated as technology is changing at a fast pace and more
and more integration of computers becomes involved there is now a much higher
chance of something going very wrong and an incident hitting seven figures in
damage.
The industry needs to get out of its head we are doing low
voltage and do not need to meet codes and instead realize we are installing
Class II and III wiring which must meet all applicable codes because if we do
not do it right some one gets hurt.
Due care must be
taken when
Replacing old AC Type
Fire Systems
Including the use of
OSHA Lock Out Tag Out Procedure
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Before there was a Fire Alarm Manufacturing Company by the
name of Fire-Lite, Silent Knight ,etc.
with panels which incorporated electronic components in them there where
companies known as Faraday , Auth , Autocall , Standard Time , Edwards etc.
which produced panels which ran strictly on 120/240 volts AC and used relays
and big wire wound resistors it had 2 separate power phases to the panel if the
primary phase would go out the secondary phase would take over and sound a
trouble bell or gong.
Big large AC series wired bells or horns were used in the
system to sound the alarm some where steady while some pulsed out a defined
code
These systems while primitive next to modern panels where
the Cadillac’s of there day however. They where built in big heavy red or
silver steel enclosures which contained large pieces of ½ or thicker slate
which the components where mounted to.
Yes they where dinosaurs but they where built to run for
ever. However as technology has changed so has the Fire alarm Industry these
old panels which had only Pull Stations or Heat Detectors to activate them and
had no smoke detectors or battery back up have long gone past there usefulness
yet there are still many of them out there in Apartment buildings and town
halls and even some schools and as codes evolve they will still need to be
pulled out and replaced. The replacement of these panels carries with it a very
high risk of danger to technicians who are not familiar with how the power was
supplied to these panels who try to replace them. The problem starts at how
they where wired into the 120/230 volt circuit in the building. Because the
small 30 or 60 amp knife switch boxes
that are wired to provide power to the panels are not fused or breaker
protected like normal knife switch boxes. Fire alarm systems in those days
where required to be wired a head of the main switch gear so that even if the
buildings main breaker was pulled power was always maintained to the fire
system. So when a technician goes into to either pull the 120 AC wiring out or
install the 120 AC wiring in the knife switch box they are dealing with a very
high danger potential should they make contact with the knife switches upper lug assembly which is not
over current protected. Should they slip with a screwdriver it will physically
melt and explode instead of tripping the buildings main breaker . This is why
only a qualified electrician should be removing and remaking the 120 volt
connection to these knife switch boxes ,or
they should be plugged off and abandoned and new circuit feed to the fire
systems which is properly breaker protected.
OSHA lock out tag out procedures must be utilized when
working with these old switches because there is always the potential for the
switch assembly not moving properly or breaking and 120 volts being maintained
into the panel. Technicians should carry and know how to properly use UL Listed
Category I or II 120 volt AC testers such as a properly used proximity tester or multi meter
to make sure power is fully off when operating one of these old knife switches.
In fact even modern breaker controlled fire panels worked on by technicians are
by law are required to follow OSHA Lock Out Tag out procedures as well. If your
technicians are not properly trained and utilizing this procedure the fines can
be substantial should an accident occur .One single violation of OSHA Lock Out
Tag Out can result in a fine of $15,000.00
Alarm companies may think they are exempt from OSHA but you
are not Even one man companies should know understand and be able to fully
implement the safety rules and regulations of OSHA or you operate at your own
peril.
Yes these old AC fire systems bring a lot of laughs and
nostalgia and the old slate control boards make neat discussion pieces in the
den or office . But they can also kill when not properly handled.
Ensuring your Alarm Signals
Reach the Central
Station in the age of Digital Phone Lines
By: Nick Markowitz Jr.
The problem happens more often in residential systems but
the commercial alarm side sees its share of these problems as well. A customers
alarm goes off but the Central Station does not receive the signal. After a
tech is sent to investigate it is found that the customer has switched to a new
phone carrier and the phone line was hooked up wrong or the format being sent
by the panel is incorrect. Now what? I have been dealing with this for many
years now and I have some tips which can help guide you thru the jungle that
has been created out there with all the different phone carriers including
preventive measures which can warn you when a problem develops.
Tip 1. All panels should be set to send a test signal even
if the panel can only be set for 30 days you will eventually know something is
wrong when you do not get the test ideally if panel can be set to weekly is
even better. When your customer gets the fail to communicate at there panels
hopefully they will call you.
Tip 2. If you send out a newsletter or even with monthly
billing , be sure to let customers know to alert you when they change phone
service and to also test there alarm before the phone installer leaves to make
sure it is working properly.
Tip 3. set the panel to communicate with Contact ID , SIA or Modem II formats these are true
digital formats which digital phone lines have an easier time transmitting and
the noise on digital lines can confuse
older 3/1 4/1 formats and trick them into thinking they communicated. If one of the modern formats is not available
use BFSK-4/2 format which also works
well with digital in fact some customers who switch to VOIP style phone service
you will find 4/2 is only format which will transmit over VOIP.
Tip 4. Shut off the rotary back up feature and use only touch tone dialing many digital lines no longer recognize rotary and if they do
it must be much slower than most panels dial. Shutting off rotary can help
insure a signal gets thru as many panels try touch tone then switch to rotary
which can slow the panel from getting thru on additional tries.
Tip.5 Use the alternative 10 digit non toll free number for
back up in case the toll free number is not working properly also do not forget
the 1 digit at beginning of the 10 digit number.
Tip 6. Many of my high risk commercial fire customers who
are using digital phone lines
I have added a Cell back up unit to make sure the signal
gets thru
Tip 7. Make sure the
Channel bank or other digital phone line interface is backed up with adequate
sized UPS to increase battery life to required 24 hr back up.
Tip 8. I set where possible panels which are on Digital
lines to send there AC loss signals
As soon as possible so it is known there is a problem on
site before digital phone lines go down.
By the time batteries go low on a fire system and it try’s to send a
signal the digital phone service may
already be out. Not a good situation on a long holiday weekend.
Tip 9. Where possible if downloading is available to a panel
an occasional look-in with software on a long weekend can help insure peace of
mind and catch problems.
These tips are what I am using to make sure signals get thru
and it has helped greatly in catching phone problems before a tragedy happens.
Heavy Wet Snows
brought down many
Electrical lines and
with it
Many questions like.
Who owns it?
By: Nick Markowitz Jr.
Heavy wet snows as much as 36 inches this month in some
places has brought down plenty of trees and electrical wires with it, here in Western Pa.
Which has brought with it the question many times who owns
this line?
Typically during storms the fire dept will respond and clear
the trees plus wires, if there Cable TV or telephone as there considered safe
to move most times, and then notifies the local utility as to where they are
for follow up repair.
But this often brings with it trouble when the Cable or
Telco provider arrives.
Many times it is found out that some one has strung a cable,
security, data or telephone wire across a roadway to get to another structure
they own and unless permission has been granted by utilities who own the poles
and state dept of transportation which regulates the road way this wire has
been put up illegally and now brings with it a considerable amount of litigation
and costs including fines and cost of any damage which occurred when the line
pulled free.
Many times because the act was illegal there is no insurance
coverage and the persons responsible for putting up the lines are 100%
responsible for the bills which can be in the thousands if vehicles and poles
or structures are damaged.
In addition the utility companies who own the poles where
the line was illegally attached can collect monthly rent for the use of there
poles as well.
All because some one did not want to go thru the hoop
jumping it takes to legally go across a road way including engineering studies,
permits and having proper insurance rider. In addition to the lines being
illegal they are often not installed properly to National Electrical Code 900
standards which sets heights a wire must be set such as 20 ft over a road way
and proper surge/lightning protection where the wire enters the buildings.
So all in all when these illegal wires are finally
discovered by either a survey crew or knocked down during weather related
incidents or accidents the bottom line is some one is going to pay.
All of this could have been avoided in the first place
if wireless technology where deployed to
get the signal across but since the cost of a wire is much cheaper and will
deal with it later attitude is too prevalent around here then things can get
really sticky.
The problems of line in the air in general can be cause for
concern even when there on privately owned property and poles because again
many times codes are not followed.
I responded to an electrical emergency at a car dealership
several years ago which I had just picked up as a customer, where wiring and
shiny streamers where strung from pole to pole and pole to building and an
employee backing up a car struck a light post and brought down all 8 of them
because the poles where not properly installed. It looked like a 3 stooges show
when I got there and luckily no one got hurt and just the cars and building
where damaged to the tune of $50,000.00
But again had codes been followed damage would have been
minimal. Needless to say the insurance representative was not too happy over
the situation and the contractor who put up the poles is now facing litigation.
Light poles and power poles falling over from deterioration
has always been a problem in this end of the state where it is difficult and
expensive to bury wires .So when traveling thru Western Pa. during a storm it
is always a good thing to keep a close eye ahead when driving so you do not
become the next victim of falling trees and wires during a storm.
And should you ever have wires drop on your vehicle during a
storm never ever get out of your vehicle. Stay put till emergency services
arrive or stepping out could get you electrocuted. If you must exit do to fire
do so by jumping clear from vehicle with both feet never one foot on car and
one on ground or consider yourself dead. Any wire found on the ground should
always be considered energized even if it looks like a low voltage wire because
low voltage wires can be hot with power from a high voltage wire which has
fallen across it.
Holidays and Long
Weekends
The dangers our
country faces every time we take time
off to celebrate?
By Nick Markowitz Jr.
Its time to turn off all the lights. Lock the doors and
gates and take off for the long Holiday Weekend. Be it Memorial Day, Thanksgiving or
Christmas.
Many places close up and enjoy the time off and places which
must be staffed like Hospitals ,Police depts. TV Stations Etc . Are running with very limited staff and
this is where the problems can begin.
Many businesses now rely on technology to warn if something
goes wrong to notify on call personnel to problems and with such reliance on
technology we are leaving our selves very vulnerable to not only things that
can go wrong naturally like broken water pipes and accidental fires .But we
leave our selves open to major criminal activity and possible terrorist attack.
Take for instance the local AM/FM radio station at one time
some one had to be always on duty to make sure the station was running properly
and to make sure any emergency weather or other messages where gotten out to
the public. Today many stations are fully automated no one is on site and if
you needed to get a emergency evacuation message out to the public due to a
accidental release of dangerous chemicals you could not do it.
This even goes for many Low power TV stations which are
fully automated and with so many people on Cable or satellite dishes getting
there attention is almost impossible.
Many communities in addition have shut off there fire depts. emergency sirens and dismantled them as well to. One possibility to get the message out is to have the local National Weather Service office send out a signal which activates emergency weather and disaster radios but many Responders do not know you can do this and not everyone has one of these radios. Even if your successful in getting the message to the weather service and they activate the emergency signal tones at the fully automated radio and TV stations your depending on the technology at the station to pick up the message and retransmit it ,some times it gets thru some times it does not .Even the manned stations have to have some one who is paying attention to retransmit as well and many times they can miss the signal if they are busy handling another problem, and a signal can be delayed for several minutes before it gets out.
Many communities in addition have shut off there fire depts. emergency sirens and dismantled them as well to. One possibility to get the message out is to have the local National Weather Service office send out a signal which activates emergency weather and disaster radios but many Responders do not know you can do this and not everyone has one of these radios. Even if your successful in getting the message to the weather service and they activate the emergency signal tones at the fully automated radio and TV stations your depending on the technology at the station to pick up the message and retransmit it ,some times it gets thru some times it does not .Even the manned stations have to have some one who is paying attention to retransmit as well and many times they can miss the signal if they are busy handling another problem, and a signal can be delayed for several minutes before it gets out.
But let’s talk about what caused the release of the
dangerous chemicals’ in the first place.
Many company’s have eliminated there weekend Guard and
maintenance staff and instead are relying on automation systems and alarms to
take there place again some are installed properly and work well some do not
and even if an alarm system picks up the signal getting the signal from the plant to the people who
need to respond is another problem, since many plants to save money use
internet based phone lines to get signals out and these phone lines unlike traditional
phone lines are them selves very vulnerable to not working when needed becuse they
must be powered from both ends unlike traditional phone lines.
So that simple power failure in your community has now
turned into a disaster because everyone is trying to save a buck.
Of course having guards and maintenance staff in place is
not a 100% guarantee there will not be problems but at least some one is on site
to react and make sure proper people are contacted even if they have to get in
a vehicle and drive down to where they can notify emergency personnel. That is
if emergency personnel are at there stations. Many communities no longer staff
there police/fire stations after 5pm and 911 centers handle all the emergency
traffic. Many smaller communities do not have local police on after 5pm or
weekends either leaving the emergencies up to state police and sheriff depts.
that have very large territories to cover with 2-3 officers. Some times only 1
available.
Then the other problem faced on holiday’s weekends is
getting hold of people on the “on-call” call list especially this weekend in Pa
and other big hunting states have there opening of Buck Deer season where an
entire work staff could be gone for the weekend and no reaching any one.
This is why weekends are so dangerous too many places in this country do not think
out there emergency and back up plans and this is why we are seeing bigger
problems as preventive and predictive maintenance programs are cut or
abandoned.
Yes technology is a wonderful thing when it works but when
it does not all hell can and does go wrong. It is not just weekends but any
time after 5pm in this country.
Yes we all need a break to relax but before we do relax
there needs to be some serious due diligence to make sure if things go wrong
when we take off do not get out of hand.
If this article has made you uneasy it should because I am
one of those people who are On-Call on the weekends and I get to see all the
things that can and do go wrong.
I am very worried as more and more automation technology is
being brought on line and there is no human interaction. Technology is a good
thing but it can come back and bite when not handled properly.
If the Steel Industry
came back to the Rust Belt
The jobs would not?
How technology has
replaced Man Power
If President Obama where to pass an edict this very day.
That all Steel mills and manufacturing jobs where to return
to the United States
So Americans could be gainfully employed.
This unfortunately would not be the case because technology
has replaced over three quarters of the jobs once done by hand.
Take the Old LTV (J&L) Steel plant in Pittsburgh where my father retired from as a
Motor Inspector (Electrician)
When he first entered the mill in late 50’s there where
20,000 men working in this plant and if they where to rebuild it on the exact
spot with new technology it would take up only 1/3 rd the property and only
1500 workers would be needed, to produce twice the amount of steel.
The same would be true in the Machine Industry which made
many parts from steel needed in machinery. The days of manual machines is very
limited almost all new shops use CNC
automatic machines which a machinist programs the computer and the machine some
of which can use up to 48 different tool ends
to automatically take a piece of steel and turn out a product. One
machinist with one CNC machine can replace a floor with 20 machinists using
manual machines.
This is also true in Drafting Depts. Where a floor full of
Drafters was needed to produce a blueprint for a building .One drafter with a
CAD program on a computer can replace 30 drafters.
Look at how many people who worked as Printers are no longer
needed either when you needed the plan printed it went to a Print Shop to have
copy’s made. Not any more with auto plotters and other high end electronic
computer printers. You can even make your own business cards and sales
brochures as well.
Just look at how many thousands of jobs in the Photographic
Film industry have been replaced by a simple Digital Camera which needs no
film. Over 300,000 jobs lost just in the film industry. This does not count all
the jobs at Photo Stores and 1 hr Mini Labs which where lost also .When they
were no longer needed which came as a total shock to the industry .They never
expected digital technology to take over as fast as it did.
How many stores invested upwards of $200,000.00 in a mini
photo lab to have it go obsolete before they ever got to pay the machine off.
Look at the railroads you now have a 3 man crew to run a train and no more caboose when
trains at one time took a 7 man crew. Plus all the men who stood at railroad
crossings and stopped traffic before automatic gates were installed .When the
rail roads went from steam to diesel over 500,000 individuals ended up losing
there jobs either in the rail system or as part of what they supplied to
railroads no longer being needed.
Then look at the Automotive Industry how robots have taken
over and jobs eliminated
They have factories in Japan where robots totally build
cars no human intervention.
Even in the Radio and TV industry many jobs are gone what
once took a crew of 12 individuals to run a 50,000 watt AM Radio station one
man now does it.
Yes each and every industry you look at has become more and
more dependent on technology and less on man power.
Why there are many reasons, which we can explore.
Much of it has to do with Government Regulation starting
with the Minimum Wage
That made thousands of low pay service jobs just go away
completely.
Jobs that should only pay small amounts for the skill
required now have a mandatory rate which must be paid. Then all employers must
cover the cost of Workers Compensation
Insurance ,Unemployment Insurance and the other half of the
wage tax an employee earns. Yes that’s right employees only pay half of the tax
due there employer picks up the other half. Ask any one who is self employed if
you do not believe me.
Then there are Overtime regulations and accident insurance
and all kinds of other things an employer must pay for .That they do not have
to pay when a machine does it. Why do you think Big Box stores pay thousands of
dollars for automated check out machines instead of a human? It is cost and a machine
is always there and works all the time and never complains or try’s to sue its
employer. In the end a check out machine is half what it costs to maintain a
cashier at minimum wage.
So if your one of those people looking for the idea job you’re
out of luck in fact being able to keep a job for life like my dad did is
totally unrealistic in this day and age most employees now change jobs every
3-5 years.
Plus the way whole industries just disappear the only way to
stay ahead is by keeping your education constantly upgraded so you can jump
into that next job .When the new technology comes about. This goes for everyone even those of us in
the trades must keep up with current trends or technologies or expect not to be
working. You must stay current with trends as well so you will know when it is
time to jump to another line of work as well. Look at how many back office and
tech support service jobs have been sent to India.
This even goes for medical jobs when you go to a hospital
late at night and need an X-Ray chances are the image is being read by X-ray
specialists in India.
So as you can see it takes a lot of research these days to
be able to keep ahead of the job market and be gainfully employed. I know I
have had to reinvent myself several times after injuring my back then Crushing
my heal which left me with a permanent limp and now dealing with Cancer.
In my case all my years of working with electrical,
mechanical and electronic devices
I have been keeping busy as a trouble shooter and Integrator
becuse I have been trained in several different fields and that’s the trick
find a niche fill it and be the best at it and you will always have work one
way or the other.
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