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Local 1 Members Upgrade Low Income Homes for Electrical Safety Month

May 21, 2009

St. Louis Local 1 members and their contractors are upgrading electrical installations in low income homes in St. Louis for an annual home rehabilitation campaign. The activities, as part of National Electrical Safety Month, come as a report released by the Fire Protection Search Foundation highlights the susceptibility of older homes to fires caused by faulty wiring.

This month, approximately 130 union electricians and electrical contractors with the Electrical Connection are making more than 50 homes safer for disadvantaged St. Louisans. Work began May 2.  In donating more than $70,000 in services and materials, volunteers are performing electrical upgrades and inspecting the overall safety of electrical systems. The Electrical Connection – a partnership of IBEW Local 1 and the St. Louis chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association – has joined the non-profit Rebuilding Together St. Louis, which annually marshals volunteers to rehabilitate the homes of low-income people for the past six years.  

The Rebuild Together campaign comes in the wake of a first-ever national study that examined the wiring behind the walls of aging homes in America. Previous studies have shown the frequency of electrical fires has been high in homes more than 40 years old. The 2008 FPRF study examined 30 U.S. homes ranging in age from 25 to 90 years old to document potentially hazardous conditions. (see: www.homewiringsafety.com).

While the study revealed that real dangers can often remain hidden, it found that the majority of those hazards were caused by improper installation and maintenance and a failure to meet proven safety provisions found in the National Electrical Code.

“We see this time and time again – homeowners doing electrical upgrades themselves or hiring ‘fly by night’ operators to do the work with no regard to safe and clean installations,” said Local 1 Business Manager Stephen P. Schoemehl. “The result is a hidden danger that can cause a fire. It’s astounding that homeowners will live with safety problems, knowing full well that when they sell the home, it will have to be inspected for NEC compliance and fail every time.”        

The Electrical Safety Foundation International reports that electrical problems lead to nearly 55,000 home fires every year that cause 500 deaths, injure more than 1,400 people and create $1.4 billion in property damage.

“While we are helping low-income St. Louisans live in safer environments, anyone living in a home 25 years or older needs to really think about safe and proper electrical installations if an upgrade is needed,” said Douglas R. Martin, executive vice president of the St. Louis NECA chapter.

According to ESFI, the potential risk of home electrical fires has escalated as both the life expectancy and the energy consumption of the average home have increased in recent years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, half of all homes in the United States were built before 1973, before the introduction of many of today’s common household appliances and electronic devices.

“As each year goes by, Americans are using more energy in their homes,” said Brett Brenner, ESFI president. “Many homes and electrical systems in the U.S. are simply being overburdened, leading to fires, deaths, and injuries.” (http://esfi.org/content/homes-age-risk-electrical-fire-increases)

Participating in the Rebuilding Together St. Louis effort were Local 1 electricians from union electrical contractors Aschinger Electric Co., Beach Electric Co.,Bell Electrical Contractors, Benson Electric Co., Branson Electric Co.,Butler Electrical Contracting Co.,Byrne Electric Co., Inc., DeSoto Ozark Electric, Diversified Electrical, Guarantee Electrical Co.,J. Bathe Electric, Kaemmerlen Electric, Kaiser Electric, Kay-Bee Electric Co., Lynn’s Electric LLC, M.R. Bathe Electric, National Electric Contracting Co., Inc., Northwest Electric Co., Inc., PayneCrest Electric, Sachs Electric Co., Schaeffer Electric Co., Inc., Schneider Electric Co., Sentinel Electric, Systemaire, Inc., Total Electric, Inc. and Trinity Quality Electric, Inc.

The Electrical Connection donates time and materials for a number of community initiatives. In 2008, it donated more than $190,000 in material and services to safely wire a record 27 homes for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. Also, for 12 consecutive years, members of the group have volunteered services to St. Louis city’s “National Night Out” anti-crime program

For electrical safety tips, go to www.electricalconnection.org.