‘Project Heat’s On’ services 30 local veterans homes

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Project Heat’s On is a day full of volunteering to give back to local veterans. More than 35 service technicians from UA Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 434 out of Eau Claire went to 30 different homes to service and repair the veterans furnaces in their homes for free.

“It’s always important to check out your furnaces and service your furnaces every year for some of the common things of carbon dioxide to dirty filters, to flame sensors, to whatnot. So when it comes into the cooling season, that you don’t have a lot of problems”, says Russell Boos, a business agent from Local 434.

Through partnerships, Local 434 was able to find the veterans that needed this service.

“We work with the veterans offices in Oakland Down County. So we’re partnered up with them. We call the county veterans office and they round up homes for us from recent widows to people that have medical issues to whatnot, people that are in dire need of some service”, says Boos.

The technicians have come across furnaces that needed more work than expected.

“We’ve had had a few problems already with some burners being bad, flame sensors and a possible broke heat exchanger. So, so so it’s a good thing they’re checked because you don’t want a bunch of carbon dioxide going into the house and you know, it’s the silent killer”, says Boos.

Showing why members of local 434 wanted to help.

“To give back to the community. There’s no one more deserving than the veterans because they’ve sacrificed a lot in their in their past and it’s nice to give back”, says Boos.

This national project began in 1986, but this union started servicing veterans 8 years ago and have continued to ever since.

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