FirstEnergy Celebrates Lineman Appreciation Day: Honoring the Heroes of the Storm

On April 18 each year, the nation comes together for National Lineman Appreciation Day, a day to show our utmost appreciation for the men and women who work 24/7/365 to keep the power flowing to homes and businesses. Join us in celebrating National Lineman Appreciation Day using #thankalineman on social media.

In the midst of a storm, most people hunker down inside and wait it out, hoping their homes and businesses can withstand the severe weather. For a select few, the storm means it's time to gear up and get to work. 

FirstEnergy's line workers are those brave men and women who – rain or shine – are always ready to answer the call of duty. Their mission is simple yet crucial: keep power flowing so that others have the safe and reliable electricity they depend on.

This Lineman Appreciation Day, we are proud to recognize the hard work and dedication of these essential workers. Every day, they face challenging situations as they climb poles to repair lines and perform work to help ensure we can enjoy the things that power our daily lives.

Responding When Disaster Strikes

When natural disasters strike, our line workers are often the first to respond. They work long hours in dangerous conditions to restore power to homes and businesses, bringing relief and hope to those affected by the disaster.

Lineman Appreciation Day is especially timely this year, after two recent back-to-back severe weather events impacted FirstEnergy’s entire five-state service area. The storms, which brought powerful wind gusts and thunderstorms, collectively caused more than 1 million outages across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland.

Nearly 6,000 FirstEnergy employees, contractors and support personnel worked tirelessly to clear hazards, repair damage and restore power to customers. These were multi-day restoration efforts during which crews worked 16-hour shifts and spent days away from their families. 

Throughout these two events, our crews repaired approximately 724,869 feet of downed power lines, 1,864 broken poles, 2,791 cross arms and 1,017 transformers. These numbers demonstrate the unwavering commitment of our line workers to keep power flowing to customers, even in the most challenging circumstances.

"Some of my crew members did not have power at home, so they had to find in-laws or other families to live with,” said Todd Shafer, one of the hundreds of FirstEnergy line workers who was engaged in storm restoration. “There’s nothing that makes you feel better than rolling down a street with no lights and customers coming out clapping, waving and bringing you treats and snacks. That’s what keeps you going.”

#thankalineman

Line workers are more than just workers, they are heroes. They are the ones who keep the lights on and who help keep our communities running. On this Lineman Appreciation Day, we say THANK YOU to the FirstEnergy line workers and to all the line workers around the country. Their hard work and dedication are truly appreciated.

You can celebrate with us on social media using #ThankALineman.