Home telephone, all calls screened: 699-8833. Area code? That's 301.
Please call between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern, except in an emergency.
I receive faxes only by pre-arrangement.
I don't text.
What do I offer?
I have two businesses and a few volunteer involvements—plus a labor of love,
or at least homage.
After introducing these and providing links, I will talk very briefly about
what I bring to my work from my education and former professions.
Electrician
I have been in business for over 40 years as Safety First Electrical. My electrical
business has its own web page; tap
this link.
The short-short version:
I'm not in business to sell my sweat, but rather my knowledge and skills.
Although I have held on to my electrical license, I don't expect to take
on further contracting work, with a couple of exceptions. Mostly I'm in business as
a consultant. As for installation, I now focus on jobs where I teach and
work closely with special, safety-motivated homeowners, as I often have.
After another year or three, I may stick to consulting, along with my ongoing work to improve safety standards.
I'm authorized by Maryland's Fire Marshal to perform electrical
inspections. Right now, I don't
inspect for any city or county.
I worked as an authorized Third Party Inspector in Washington,
D.C., but let that go in 2012 after they changed procedures.
Shifting toward
my other line of work . . .
Electrical Code History
My third book,
Behind the Code, was a labor of love for a mentor, written with him. It explains
how many modern electrical rules came to be
and traces their development. You can order it at
this link.
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In mid-2010, a multiyear effort culminated in the publication of W. Creighton
Schwan's final project, which I co-authored.
Many electrical experts find the stories in Behind the Code interesting simply as niche
history. There's more to it. The book flows together three streams:
story-telling, explaining, and documenting progress. Electrical inspectors
and consultants say that the detailed histories help them make decisions about
whether to grandfather installations. To grandfather is to
accept a system, to allow its continued use even though it falls short—sometimes far short—
of complying with today's safety standards, because it was legal at the time it was
installed, and has not deteriorated dangerously.
Writer/Editor
I have been in business as a writer and editor since the mid-1980s.
My writing, editing, and fact-checking business has its own web
page; tap this link. It describes my values
as a writer, my focus, and my publication history. You'll also find
reviews of my books, references, and more.
The short-short version:
I've . . .
published
hundreds of feature articles;
multiple magazine columns, including one that ran 20-plus years;
three books;
edited or evaluated (as an independent—not on payroll)
one technical book;
a book proposal for a major publisher;
a research journal;
a long-running newsletter:
. . . and performed fact-checking, conference and seminar reporting,
this and that.
Volunteer Activities
Local Engagement: I sit on Greenbelt's
Ethics Commission, and I work on the local newspaper, the Greenbelt News-Review.
← Open details Safety: I've a long-term commitment to improving public safety,
especially electrical safety.
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I express my commitment to safety through work with the National Fire
Protection Association on these standards:
NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code: I've submitted many public inputs
(proposals) and comments; some led to rule changes.
NFPA 73, the Standard for Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings:
I serve as Special Expert on the Electrical Maintenance committee.
and work with Standards Committees associated with ULSE, the
standards-development arm of UL.
I serve on the panels responsible for four standards adopted in slightly
differing forms by ANSI/UL in the U.S., CSA in Canada, and ANCE in Mexico.
In the past, I served a number of additional groups:
American Council for Electrical Safety (recording secretary).
International Association of Electrical Inspectors (board member, Eastern U.S.)
Mensa's Special Interest Group for the electrical industry, eieio (coordinator, newsletter publisher).
I also participated in development of the 2022 UL/ANSI white paper on evaluating the impact of
voluntary consensus health and safety standards.
Former Careers and Personal Story
My education and the other careers I've explored built
skills and experience that enhance my current activities.
I learned how to:
Write and edit scientific papers;
Put together lucid articles for lay audiences;
Dig up research, understand it, and explain it;
Interview experts, and listen to non-experts;
Teach a range of classes, serving a variety of students;
Work my way through legalistic documents so I could understand rules—and try to improve them;
Work with my hands and tools a whole lot of ways.
You can read more about my education, earlier work and personal history,
and philosophy on my personal page.