More than 150 families in a Philadelphia suburb found out what the IBEW stands for when they opened their doors to find teams of electricians and firefighters ready and eager to make sure every home had working smoke detectors.
As they’ve done for years on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, apprentice and journeyman volunteers from Philadelphia Local 98 joined the Norristown, Pa., Fire Department for a smoke-detector blitz Jan. 15, fanning out in an assigned neighborhood to check devices and install new ones wherever needed.
“It’s a great way for us to be out in our communities, helping people and showing them what the IBEW is all about,” said Jason Cary, a Local 98 business agent who led the union’s team of volunteers, all sporting IBEW shirts.
Cary said nearly everyone welcomed volunteers into their homes, where they chatted with excited children about fire safety and with curious teenagers and young adults about becoming an IBEW apprentice.
“It’s putting a good face on the union but also expanding our reach,” said Local 98 Political Director Tom Lepera, who coordinates the local’s end of the project. “Almost every time I’ve done this, I get asked about the IBEW and ‘How do I apply?’”
Dedicated to a local 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire in 2016, the MLK Day blitz draws a variety of volunteers, who this year included students and unionized teachers. Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell is outwardly grateful to all of them.
But he said the department’s bonds with the IBEW are especially strong, praising Local 98’s invaluable help with the blitz and beyond — installing emergency lighting at a community center, for instance, and what he described as spectacular work overhauling subpar lighting at Montgomery County’s memorial to fallen firefighters.
“It’s longstanding, going back to when it was Local 380, before they were part of Local 98,” O’Donnell said, referring to a 2015 merger. “They’re unsung heroes. They’re not doing it for notoriety. They work behind the scenes, using their skill set to make things better than they found them.”
Those skills can come in handy during the blitz, he said, with electricians able to troubleshoot any wiring issues that interfere with replacing or installing alarms.
Local 98’s contributions extend to providing supplies and many of the detectors — the double-duty variety, their ear-piercing shrieks alerting to not only smoke but also carbon monoxide.
“They show up with smoke detectors and step ladders and other equipment, and they even buy lunch,” O’Donnell said. “Their generosity and other donations from the community make the blitz possible.”
The project focuses on low-income neighborhoods in Norristown, a suburb 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Studies show that households below the poverty line are most likely to have only one smoke detector. And it may or may not be working, a problem across income levels.
“At a minimum, we make sure there is at least one smoke alarm on every single level of a home,” O’Donnell said.
An estimated 20% of American homes have broken detectors or units disabled by residents, often when smoke from the oven or stove triggers the alarm.
The consequences can be deadly: The National Fire Protection Association reports that three out of every five deaths in house fires are due to the absence of working smoke detectors, an average of 1,450 fatalities annually.
Local 98 Business Manager Mark Lynch said the Philadelphia area has had its share of such tragedies, inspiring IBEW volunteers not only in Norristown but also to accompany Philadelphia firefighters on similar missions.
“We get involved in all sorts of activities — food pantries, cleaning up parks, you name it,” Lynch said. “But the opportunity to help our local fire departments get working smoke detectors in every home means we could be saving someone’s life,” he said.
Lynch and Lepera said going door to door to door in a struggling neighborhood also gives volunteers, especially apprentices, perspective.
“You realize how important your union is to you, how fortunate you are to be part of the IBEW and what is has provided for you and family,” said Lepera, a lifelong Norristown resident and president of its Municipal Council.
Along the way, volunteers didn’t hesitate to talk about their good fortune with anyone showing interest in the IBEW.
“They are very impressed when they ask about how much money we make and our benefits,” Cary said. “But they’re also impressed by the IBEW’s inclusivity and how we help people in the area.
“I tell them that if they were to join the union, they’d have the opportunity to come out and help the community with us.”
“They show up with smoke detectors and step ladders and other equipment. … Their generosity and other donations from the community make the blitz possible.”
– Norristown, Pa., Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell on Local 98
