Firefighters in Pittsburgh are suing truck manufacturers saying that they've lost their hearing because of sirens that are too loud.
The four firefighters are suing seven different truck manufacturers, saying that the companies 'knew or should have known the products... were inherently dangerous, defective and hazardous to human hearing.'
The men range in age from 38 to 62 years old and they claim the excessively noisy sirens caused irreversible hearing loss.
Widespread: The lawsuit is directed at seven different truck manufacturers for their lack of insulation and warnings about the health consequences
Three of the four firefighters- Ralph N. Bilski, Jeremiah Dengler and Roger J. Maher III- have all worked for the city of Pittsburgh since at least 1981, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The fourth plaintiff, Mark W. Godlewski, joined the city's firefighters in 2000.
All told, seven companies are listed as defendants in the suit, which is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
American Lafrance, E-One Inc., Kovatch Mobile Equipment Corp., Mack Trucks Inc., Pierce Manufacturing Inc., Seagrave Fire Apparatus and Federal Signal Corp. were the companies whose trucks allegedly damaged the firefighters' ears.
Long time: Firefighter Jeremiah Dengler is based out of the West End station house, and he is one of the three plaintiffs who have worked for the city of Pittsburgh since at least 1981
Given the timespan that most of the plaintiffs have worked for the city, their problems appear to stem from a series of different trucks that they have used during their careers and not just one make or model.
The lawsuit asserts that the manufacturers could have- and should have- insulated the sirens in order to protect the hearing of people around them, or issued warnings advising them of the health risks.