Whether it’s raging summer storms or driving winter blizzards, our FirstEnergy line workers brave challenging conditions to make sure our customers have power when Mother Nature turns ugly.

July 10 is National Line Worker Day, a day set aside to show appreciation for the dedication of the women and men who work day and night year-round to ensure that customers have reliable and safe access to the energy they need to power their lives.

From the power plant, the grid crisscrossing the region both above and underground, right up to the meters on our homes, our line workers build and maintain the complex system that keeps our nation running.

As the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and other industry leaders honor line workers nationwide as part of Line Worker Appreciation Day, we want to salute our line workers who exemplify our FirstEnergy mission of commitment to our customers… like Ohio Edison’s Brian Berry.

“In the winter, you can dress up for the cold,” said Brian, “but you can’t really dress down on this job for the summer heat. It’s just like working in a sweat suit all day.”

The work is even more challenging now, when new health requirements test even the most seasoned of line workers. They have adjusted to new social distancing and face mask requirements while working to keep the power on – including to essential services like hospitals, grocery stores and schools that provide meals. Electricity is critical during a time when many people now live, work, eat, teach, learn and play almost exclusively at home, every day.

With an emphasis on safety, our line workers are on the front lines of keeping our nation powered, adopting new technology into their daily routines to make their work more efficient and the energy grid stronger, more reliable, and more secure.

On this Line Worker Appreciation Day, we salute them!