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Cellular antenna fight heats up. Spate of antenna burnings in the north endangers firemen
Israel Created: 2 Aug 2005
Cellular antenna fight heats up
Spate of antenna burnings in the north endangers firemen

Early Monday morning an antenna in Haifa’s lower city area was set on fire when blocks of wood and tires were set afire at the base of the antenna, causing great damage to the installation.
Last (Tuesday) night assailants broke down the roof door of a commercial center on Moshe Sharett St. in Kiryat Yam, poured gasoline on the antennas and set them afire.
The police have opened an investigation in to the arson attacks, but the firefighters are the ones who are nervous.
Haifa area Firefighter spokesman Hezi Levi said they are very concerned about the high tension electrical wires, as well as the high levels of radiation that escapes when the antennas burn down.
“When the electrical circuits of the antennas are working, it is supposed to be safe to get near them because the antennas have a protective system to prevent radiation leaks. But when the circuits and the protective system are damaged, and the electrical wires are exposed, people working near the antennas could get seriously hurt”, he said.
Levi added that the voltage feeding in to the antennas are 380 kilowatts.
“This is a very high voltage that could electrocute the firefighters”, and that an antenna has all sorts of backup chemical compounds, which could be dangerous if released in to the air in the event of a fire.
“Certainly the antennas located on top of residential buildings are dangerous because there is no guarantee that the fire will be contained to that rooftop”, according to Levi.

"Government prefers cellular companies over citizens"

Kiryat Yam mayor Adv. Shmuel Siso said that the blazes could endanger lives.
He urged cellular companies not to wait for the outcome of a government inquiry board and quickly adopt the Interior Ministry’s stance on the issue of no longer allowing antennas to be put up and removing existing ones from populated areas.
Deputy mayor of Haifa Shmuel Gelbhardt, a member of the city’s urban planning commission says he will recommend to the commission that no more cellular antennas be put up in the city.
A statement put out by the Haifa municipality said that “A situation where the government prefers the economic interests of the cellular companies over the public good means that Haifa municipality must take extraordinary steps now."
"Haifa must make even more stringent checks on the existing antennas in the city that fall within her jurisdiction, and will initiate legal proceedings to remove any antennas that have not been put up with all of the necessary checks and authorizations,” the statement said.
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Source: By Ahiya Raved (07.27.05) HAIFA

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