Scanner Listener is Hero
Workers in the downtown Birmingham, Alabama, BellSouth building may have
a scanner listener to thank for their lives. Sheron Halmark said that the
building's fire alarms didn't go off and the only way she knew there was
a fire was from the scanner she keeps at work.
Halmark alerted her boss, who called security and then told workers to
leave the building. Meanwhile, heat was coming out of the air vents; the
lights soon went out, too.
"Instead of listening to the radio," Halmark told reporters, "I listen
to my police scanner because you never know what's going to happen."
The fire was confined to one room. No injuries were reported.
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From: Gary Haines, Sheriff (Montgomery County, Ohio)
Date: August 20, 1997
Re: Pending Legislation HR 2369
Thanks for asking for my input on the potential impact of the passage of
HR 2369, which could be interperted to prohibit citizens from having
police scanners in their homes.
Through the years we have found that citizens like being able to hear what
their public safety services are doing in the community, as a matter of
practice we provide citizens with our radio frequencies and radio signals
so they can monitor what we do.
Our communications center frequently receives telephone calls from citizens
who have seen persons or vehicles, which were described in broadcasts
made by our staff.
I understand the need to protect cellular and pcs communications but feel
that the elimination of police frequency monitoring by the general public
would not be perceived as open government.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
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The Union
Grass Valley, California
August 20, 1997
PROPOSED LEGISLATION COULD LIMIT PRIVATE USE OF SCANNERS
A recent bill introduced to the U.S. Congress targets illicit reception
of cellular telephone conversations, but some see it as an attempt to ban
radio scanners.
The Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act of 1997 would amend a 1934 law to
prohibit reception of "frequencies allocated to any commercial mobile
service".
Some scanner buffs claim that definition is too broad and could apply to
frequencies that carry both emergency and business radio.
"If this were done, the effect would be to outlaw scanners," said Norm
Schrein, president of the Bearcat Radio Club in Ohio.
The bill's defenders counter that the bill's only intent is to prevent
people from jury rigging radio scanners to listen in on car phones.
"We're not out to do away with scanners," said Ken Johnson, spokesman
for U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, the bill's main sponsor.
A key impetus for the bill comes from the interception of House Speaker
Newt Gingrich's cell-phone conversation earlier this year in Florida.
Backers feel its necessary to tighten up old radio laws and extend them to
cellular telephone use.
"We're in a situation where the law needs to match up with the technology,"
said Jeffrey Nelson of the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association
in Washington, D.C.
Schrein said, "that was all well and good, but the bill needs to
specifically address cellular telephones." Schrein explained, "that if
cellular telephone manufacturerers are so concerned about privacy, then
they need to invest money into technology that would seal cell-phone
traffic."
"That would greatly increase the cost of cellular telephones and unfairly
punish their users", said Steve Carlson executive director of the Cellular
Carriers Association of California. "Somebody else is doing the eaves-
dropping, not us."
"Monitoring a complete cellular telephone conversation is difficult and by
nature is done with intent", said Amy Damianoles, a spokeswoman with
Air-Touch Cellular.
"It's no accident that a cellular phone conversation is overheard. It has
to be done with intent and special equipment," Damianoles said.
But Nevada City scanner owner Jack Chandler said he hears cellular
telephone traffic regularly, even though he's not trying to. "I don't
have time to listen to peoples conversation, and I don't care what they
have to say."
A local cellular telephone company representative said people there are
more worried about someone illegally stealing their number and using it for
free, which can be done through some devices.
"They're more concerned about their phones being cloned than overheard,"
said Chris Johnson, manager of Golden Empire Cellular.
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Scanner Radio Enthusiasts are not alone. Read the following from the
National Volunteer Fire Council to its members.
September 12, 1997
NVFC Action Alert!
Oppose H.R. 2369; the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act of 1997
Representative W. J. "Billy Tauzin (LA) has recently introduced H.R. 2369,
legislation that has siginificant potential to impact the way that
volunteer firefighters receive information about local emergencies.
H.R. 2369, the Wireless Privacy Enhancement Act of 1997, is aimed at
strengthening and clarifying prohibitions on electronic eavesdropping.
However, the legislation goes beyond this purpose and would effectively
shut down the scanner industry and, potentially, make felons out of
anyone who uses a scanner or shortwave radio.
Many volunteer personnel rely on these scanners when responding to
emergencies. Scanners alert them as to whether they should respond to the
station or the scene (they hear if the apparatus has left the station,
for instance). Volunteers are also informed as to the severity of the
incident by monitoring on a scanner. Should Congress effectively ban
scanners, these volunteers would have to buy expensive non-scanning
radios, which would not perform as well.
H.R. 2369 would require the filtering of many frequencies currently used
by public safety agencies and therefor result in a de facto ban on the
use of scanners. In the past, public safety agencies have operated in
frequency bands specifically assigned to them. In today's world, the
fierce competition for precious frequency spectrum has forced many public
safety agencies to be assigned frequencies outside their public safety
band allocations, into other commercial frequency pools. This is very
prevalent in the 800 MHZ bands, as well as other frequency spectrums. It
is these frequencies, as well as other public safety related frequency
pools, that this legislation targets. Manufacturers would not be able
to make scanners that filter all of the frequencies encompassed by the
legislation and still provide the typical scanner purchaser a useful
product. Moreover, even if such filtering could be technically
accomplished, it is doubtful that millions of scanner users in the U.S.
could afford such a revised and costly product.
The NVFC feels that this legislation goes too far and would seriously
impact volunteer firefighters and their ability to deliver their
services to the people they serve in their communities.
Contact your representatives in Congress and urge them to oppose
H.R. 2369 and protect this unequaled information resource that scanners
have been for firefighters for over 30 years. For more information on
this or any other federal legislative issue that impacts the volunteer
fire service contact the NVFC National Office at 1-888-ASK-NVFC
(275-6832)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here is the letter that was sent to Congressman Tauzin from the NVFC.
September 17, 1997
The Honorable W. J. "Billy" Tauzin
2183 RHOB
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Tauzin:
As Chairman of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) which
represents the interests of America's 850,000 volunteer fire, rescue and
EMS personnel, I am writing you with serious concerns regarding
legislation that you recently introduced. H.R. 2369 would have a
devastating effect on volunteer emergency personnel's ability to respond
to emergencies.
Many volunteer personnel rely on these scanners when responding to
emergencies. Scanners alert them as to whether they should respond to
the station or the scene (they hear if the apparatus has left the station,
for instance). Volunteers are also informed as to the severity of the
incident by monitoring on a scanner.
One example, that comes from a typical volunteer fire department, involved
an auto accident at 2:00 am. The incident was dispatched as an ordinary
accident, but what the volunteers did not know was that it involved a
gasoline tank truck and a carload of teenagers. The scene included six
patients, four fatalities, a hazardous materials incident and threat of
a major explosion and fire. The first engine responded with only 3
Firefighter-Paramedics and one Firefighter-EMT. To the volunteers at
home in bed, this was just another accident. Without scanners to monitor
the communications of the first responders on the scene, additional
responders would have been in the dark as to the nature of the incident,
and could have been endangered had they taken a route to the station
that was near the scene.
There are also instances when the first unit out on a call is canceled
while enroute to a medical call because a closer unit becomes available
to respond. The volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians
who then respond to the station to cover the next possible call, have
sometimes found the crew back at the station and getting back into their
bunks. Had these volunteers been using scanners, they would have known
that the engine was available and they could have returned home to their
families.
Off duty firefighters and EMT's have heard on their scanners of accidents
or heart attacks just around the corner from them and have been able to
render aid minutes before the first arriving rescue unit arrived on
scene. We all know that sometimes the saving of a life is measured in
seconds.
Finally, spouses of emergency personnel use scanners to listen to their
husbands or wives when they are working, and by knowing what type of call
they are on, can determine if they are going to be home on time, or to
satisfy themselves that their loved ones are safe.
The NVFC understands the need to protect the privacy of cellular telephone
calls, but many radio frequencies are used by the public for valid
public safety reasons. It is imperative that scanners remain operable
as a resource to monitor these frequencies for public safety.
Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding this issue, please contact Bruce Beardmore in the NVFC National
Office at 202-887-5700.
Sincerely,
Fred Gl Allinson
Chairman
cc: The Honorable Edward J. Markey
The Honorable Curt Weldon
Tricia Paoletta, Commerce Committee
Mike O'Reilly, Commerce Committee
Aubery Boudreaux, NVFC Director, Louisiana
Ed Denton, NVFC Director, Massachusettes
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