The installation of smart meters throughout Merritt puts people at risk of fires, numerous diseases and bank codes being pulled from their brains, the Interior Smart Meter Awareness Chairman Brian Thiesen says.

The Kamloops man presented to a group of about 20 people at Trinity United Church Thursday night, many of whom have been protesting since BC Hydro started installing the devices throughout the province two years ago.

“We are talking about people possibly burning and dying in their homes because of the idiocy of some of these guys that want to make money,” Thiesen said. “This is not a joke; this is serious.”

At least two fires ignited in Metro Vancouver shortly after the meters were installed.

“You’ve got non-electricians, 18- 20-year-old kids running around for speed,” he said. “They jam around with it, they rip it out, they take the meter and they go boom – they pop it in and then they walk because the faster they go, the more money they make.”

Local fire departments said the blazes originated at the bases that the smart meters were plugged into.

A BC Hydro spokesperson is on record as saying the base is part of the home and the owners are responsible for the fires.

Surrey’s Fire Chief Len Garis reported in a study that there has actually been a reduction in the number of electrical fires since the smart meter installations in B.C.

In August, BC Hydro had installed 1.5 million smart meters and 1,000 faulty ones were replaced for free.

In Philadelphia, smart meters were put on hold by the installation company PECO, due to at least two fires that broke out in homes and over a dozen overheating incidents.

The company claimed six of those incidents weren’t caused by smart meters.

PECO was slated to install about 1.6 million meters, but are now preparing safety measures before continuing.

Privacy and Health Concerns

In Merritt, Thiesen showed military reports about what he called the devastating effects of radiofrequency.

“They can monitor your heart rate when you are inside the cloud of your house,” he said. “They have actually found ways to pull your pin number directly out of your head.”

Merritt man Walter Vohradsky, co-chair of the petition, said there is a lot of controversial information presented, but people should believe Thiesen.

“If Brian can say these things, with all these pictures, and not be sued, I think you’re looking at a man who is telling the truth,” he said. “You can’t be talking about stuff and people like that and have them be falsehoods.”

But BC Hydro Chief Project Officer Gary Murphy said the meters are safe.

“Smart meters communicate back to BC Hydro using radio frequency signals that are similar to what has been used for decades in televisions, radios and other common household devices,” he said. “Standing next to a smart meter for 20 years adds up to less radiofrequency than a 30 minute cellphone call.”

He noted that B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer, Health Canada and the World Health Organization confirm the wireless meters don’t pose a health risk.

According to Health Canada, the radiofrequency transmitted by the smart meters is at a long distance from people.

“This results in very low [radiofrequency] exposure levels across the entire body, much like exposure to AM or FM radio broadcast signals,” Health Canada stated. “Since radiofrequency energy exposure levels are far below Canadian and international safety limits, Health Canada does not consider that any precautionary measures are needed to reduce radiofrequency energy exposure from smart meters.”

Smart meters are designed to conserve energy and improve electrical monitoring capabilities.

About 15,000 B.C. residents signed a petition as of mid-August, opposing smart meters.

Thiesen said several of the results of the meters include:

? dying bees

? the ability of the interiors of people’s homes being viewed on a monitor

? taking bank codes from people’s brainwaves

? fires

? diseases

? defective sperm and eggs

? gathering people’s information from their minds through radiofrequencies and selling it to companies for targeted advertising.