Safety Top Priority as First Responders Prep for

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Metro-area first responders – many of whom are union members – worked diligently this weekend to make sure local services were ready to handle the effects of Hurricane Sandy. “Pepco began preparing on Friday,” IBEW 1900 president Jim Griffin tells Union City. “All of our line mechanics and other field crews were advised to prepare for this event. Other employees who have secondary roles relating to storms were told to rest over the weekend. A request for mutual assistance went out to utilities outside of the hurricane's projected path. Hundreds of contractors were called in and have been standing by. We will have to wait for the winds to subside before Local 1900 members can go into the neighborhoods to assess the damage. This could be another period of exhausting 16-hour days for our members. I can assure our customers that we will work as hard and as safely as we can to restore power.” "We're ready to respond everyday to emergencies, so this is nothing out of the ordinary," said IAFF president Ed Smith. He warned against the use of candles or generators in unventilated areas," which have caused fatalities due to carbon monoxide build-up. "Generators need to be outside in a well-ventilated area," Smith said. More tips are available at hurricanetips.org. Said Metro Council President Jos Williams, “We know we can count on all our dedicated first responders, including our IBEW 1900 brothers and sisters at Pepco, area firefighters and police officers as well as health professionals and so many more who will be out there on the front lines doing their jobs to protect and preserve our communities. Each and every one of them deserve our deepest appreciation and thanks.” photo of Pepco workers trimming trees in preparation for the storm courtesy Pepco.