Lighting For Safety In St. Louis

January/February 2003 IBEW Journal

The IBEW/NECA St. Louis Electrical Connection recently marshaled an army of volunteer union electricians and signatory contractors to make three St. Louis neighborhoods safer. For the eighth consecutive year, members installed free exterior residential lighting and motion detectors in neighborhoods selected for the city’s anti-crime National Night Out program.

Some 70 volunteers from IBEW Local 1 turned out on a Saturday in October to install outdoor lighting for homes in a two-block area of the Vandeventer and Forest Park Southeast neighborhoods. In late November, Local 1 members and the St. Louis Electrical Connection provided additional free installations for homes in the Gravois Park neighborhood.

The St. Louis Electrical connection is sponsored through the joint partnership of IBEW Local 1 and signatory union contractors with the St. Louis chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).

"Since 1995, the group has volunteered time and donated materials to brighten 800 homes in more than 30 St. Louis neighborhoods," said Local 1 Business Manager Stephen P. Schoemehl. Business Representative Francis Dunsford helped coordinate the volunteer effort.

The National Night Out program helps strengthen neighborhoods and deter crime. Every year on the first Tuesday in August, communities across the nation showcase ongoing crime prevention programs and host block parties to help neighbors meet neighbors as a means to enhance community safety.

IBEWCURRENTS

IBEW Local Union 1