Communication towers are
essential for millions of
people every day. They are
critical for our safety,
security and emergency
services. With your help we can
add one more benefit to that
list. It will also save you money.
How can you save money?
Less electricity and less
maintenance. Tower owners can
save 500 to 1300
dollars a year. That means
thousands of dollars over time.
New guidelines allow exclusive
use of flashing lights, and in
some cases, extinguishing
sidelights. LED lights take
your savings one step further.
Number one, it's LED so
there's less cost. Number two,
the stability of LED
yields less maintenance over
the life of the system. And
then again there's less
fixtures on the tower so
there's less stuff they do have
to repair when it does break.
So it, it's been like I said, a
grand slam across the industry.
These changes have another
benefit, saving birds. When tall
structures are lit at night,
migrating birds can become
disoriented by steady burn
lights. They are drawn toward
the light and collide with the
structure or each other. More
than 6 million birds die this
way each year. But there is a
solution. Exclusive use of
avian friendly flashing lights
can save up to 4 million
birds a year. That means
hundreds or thousands of birds
during the life of a single tower.
When you decide to change
the lighting on your tower,
you have to seek approval
through the FAA and the FCC.
And what I've noticed is that
if you're moving from non avian
to avian, your success rate
is very high. It's a fast
process and it's a classic win
win win for all parties concerned.
What do you need to know?
For towers over 350 feet,
you only need to extinguish
non-flashing lights. It's as
easy as flipping a switch.
For towers under 350 feet,
re-lamping may be required.
But LED bulbs will reduce your
operating and maintenance costs.
If security lighting is
required, consider motion
sensor lighting. It will reduce
your energy use and the number
of birds attracted to your site.
It's important to note that
reducing tower lighting will
not put aircraft at risk for
collision. In fact, the FAA
recommends these lighting
systems. The idea is to keep
people off the towers as much
as you can, yet still maintain
that degree of safety for the
traffic, the air traffic in the
skies. So, by virtue of the fact
that we eliminated a lot
maintenance, we eliminated a
lot of the climbs. The 3-step
process is easier than you
think, and there are no fees.
One, file a marking and
lighting study with the FAA. Two,
once approved, file form 854
with the FCC online or by mail.
Three, after the change is
granted, extinguish, reprogram
or replace your lighting. Per
the FAA, flashing red lights
should flash at 30 FPM, plus or
minus 3 FPM. All of
the industry is pushing toward
a more avian friendly network.
You've got the larger tower
owners of course are onboard
with this. The smaller tower
owners, mom and pops, I'm very
encouraged by what I've seen
over the past year, year and a
half. They're starting to jump
on this bandwagon as well.
Our industry has made thousands
of avian lighting conversions,
which is part of the win-win
between the migratory birds,
the carriers and the tower owners.
We want to thank the owners
of more than 8,000 towers
who already converted their
lighting. They are saving money
and saving birds. Come join us
and help the tower industry make
a big difference for these birds.
We need everyone's help
to build a legacy.