Kelly wants firefighters
to protect their ears

City Councilman Jack Kelly last week introduced a bill that would require the city to provide hearing protection for all members of the Philadelphia Fire Department.
Kelly (R-at large) outlined the legislation during a news conference outside Engine 28 firehouse at Belgrade and Ontario streets in Port Richmond.
The lawmaker was joined by Councilwoman Joan Krajewski, Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Brian O’Neill, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady and Brian McBride, a Burholme resident who is president of firefighters Local 22.
Kelly said the hearing device would protect the eardrums of employees who have constant exposure to loud sirens, air horns and apparatus engines. He said many firefighters and paramedics suffer long-term hearing damage.
The protective equipment would be ear muffs that are equipped with built-in speakers and volume controls to enable radio and intercom communications.
"Anyone who has ever been passed by a fire truck on the street can tell you that fire truck sirens are loud — extremely loud!" Kelly said. "I routinely see citizens hold their hands over their ears to dull the sound of the sirens. You can only imagine how loud and damaging those sirens can be for the men and women who staff those vehicles."
Kelly said that firefighters and paramedics can have trouble hearing faint cries of help if they enter an emergency situation with their ears still ringing from the ride to the scene.
The councilman said his legislation adopts a recommended provision of the National Fire Protection Association Standard on Fire Department Occupation Safety and Health Program. ••