Ninth Year of Greater MI PMC/MSCA and UA 190 Taking Care of the Elderly

Project HEAT'S ON (Handicapped and Elderly Assistance to Service Our Neighbors), co-sponsored by the Greater Michigan Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors Association, Inc., (PMC) , and UA Local 190, Plumbers/Pipe Fitters/Service Technicians/Gas Distribution, was a resounding success.

In its ninth year in Washtenaw County, HEAT'S ON continues to be a community service project that not only provides free safety inspections and minor repairs of heating systems, but also helps to ensure the homeowner's safety with new smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

At a kick-off breakfast hosted by Local 190 and the PMC, volunteers were given jackets to identify them as Project HEAT'S ON participants. Then, service technicians were teamed with apprentices and other volunteers ready to spend their Saturday meeting the needs of the community.

The program cleaned and checked 65 furnaces along with installing Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Smoke Detectors. After the work of the day was done, everybody came back for lunch. It also gave the volunteers time for fellowship. Catching up with your friends is always important.

Members of the Greater Michigan MSCA's Student Chapter at Ferris State University had a contingent of five at the program, pictured left. This is the second year they have participated.

This year, we again ran into the need to replace furnaces, but, if we have to shut-down a furnace, our commitment is to always make sure the homeowner's furnace is up and running again.

Assisting Elderly In Need
Furnace Replacement

One of the intricacies to running the HEAT'S ON Project is the follow-up work that comes after the day. This year, we had to replace three furnaces. The replacements take a number of different configurations including assistance from the Family Independence Living departments, to the need for the Association to pay for the replacement.

The most difficult replacement this year was a project that involved enormous effort on the part of the apprentices who were working on the project under difficult conditions. The homeowner was very sick and had a furnace that he had begun replacing himself before he became ill. This necessitated a totally new installation, new ductwork, and a new furnace. The installation was complicated by the unbelievably small crawl space the apprentices had to work in to put in the new ductwork.