Vacaville, CA— In just two weeks, IBEW 1245 linemen made a big impact in the Navajo Nation in Arizona this Fall, helping bring electricity to families who have lived without it.
For the second consecutive year, IBEW 1245 sent two volunteer crews to participate in the electrification effort. The members volunteered, using their skills to help families who have spent years living without electricity.
“Our members work hard every day to make sure people have safe, reliable electricity. But there are still families in this country who have never had that basic necessity,” said IBEW 1245 Business Manager Bob Dean. “These brothers stepped up, left their own families for two weeks and put their skills to work helping people they’d never met. That’s what being part of this Brotherhood is all about. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Working in the Chinle and Dilkon districts of the Navajo Nation, near the Four Corners region where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet, the crews accomplished the following:
- 12 families served
- 52 poles framed and 51 poles set
- 10 transformers installed
- 9 meters installed
- 10,563 feet of primary line and 1,807 feet of secondary line installed
- 2.34 miles of electrical line constructed
But the impact of their work goes well beyond the numbers.
During the trip, GC Subforeman Sal Ramos met a 100-year-old woman who had never had electricity in her home.
“To hear her gratitude almost brought me to tears,” Ramos recalled.
With more than 10,000 families in the Navajo Nation still without electricity, there is much more work to be done. But thanks to the skill and dedication of volunteers like these, more families are one step closer to having power in their homes.
The IBEW 1245 linemen came from across Northern California, representing crews based in Sonoma, Marysville, Red Bluff, San Jose (Edenvale), Redding, Ukiah and Chico.