Lineman Jason Marcum takes pride in serving others, both on and off the job.

During the past several years, he has volunteered to build Habitat for Humanity homes, helping six families experience the joy of homeownership.

“I really enjoy working on the Habitat houses,” Marcum said. “You spend one day and it changes somebody’s life forever.”

Alabama Power lineman Jason Marcum helps build houses and keep the lights on from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Marcum grew up in Winfield and has worked near there for about 13 years. His career has taken him to Tuscaloosa, Centreville, Fayette and Jasper, and Marcum now is a lineman in Haleyville. When customers have a problem, he is a first responder, troubleshooting requests for the service department. Marcum works broken poles, metering issues, outdoor lighting and anything associated with electric service to houses.

He volunteers at schools, teaching fourth-graders to stay safe around electricity through Safe-T-Opolis, Alabama Power’s free public safety awareness program.

“Safety is the most important tool we use on our jobs,” Marcum said. As a member of the Safe-T-Zone group, he visits fire departments to educate their personnel about being safe around electrical line. Safe-T-Zone is a partnership between Alabama Power Risk Services and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which benefits firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies.

“We spend more time with each other than we do at the house,” said Daniel Headrick, Field Service supervisor, who has worked with Marcum for three years. “We’re a family, we know each other and we respect each other.”

Jason Marcum enjoys volunteering to build houses with Habitat for Humanity because you can change someone’s life with a day’s work. (Dennis Washington/Alabama NewsCenter)

Jason Marcum enjoys volunteering to build houses with Habitat for Humanity because you can change someone’s life with a day’s work. (Dennis Washington/Alabama NewsCenter)

Jason Marcum and his co-workers regard their Alabama Power line crew as a family that works together safely to keep people’s lights on or restore power as quickly as possible following an outage. (Dennis Washington/Alabama NewsCenter)

Jason Marcum and his co-workers regard their Alabama Power line crew as a family that works together safely to keep people’s lights on or restore power as quickly as possible following an outage. (Dennis Washington/Alabama NewsCenter)

Habitat for Humanity, founded by University of Alabama alumnus Millard Fuller, has changed many lives. (Dennis Washington/Alabama NewsCenter)

Linemen are a physical representation of Alabama Power to customers, who know they can call on them any time.

“The best part about being a lineman is the people you work with. It’s not a job; it’s more of a career,” Marcum said.

Alabama Power has more than 1,300 Transmission and Distribution employees who work to keep the lights on every day. Though not all their titles are “lineman,” all work on the system to ensure the lights stay on in Alabama.

Leading up to Alabama Lineman Appreciation Day in June, Alabama NewsCenter each week will spotlight line workers and their contributions to the company, and the role they play in elevating Alabama communities.