CWA Everyday Hero: Norm Howard, CWA Local 6012

CWA Local 6012 hero Norm Howard, standing right, is part of the bargaining team for a first contract for 250 city workers in Stillwater, Okla. Local President Cindy Mills is to his left.

Norm Howard didn't hesitate for a moment last week when he saw smoke about 50 feet away from his city water department truck in a Stillwater, Okla., neighborhood. He backed up, spotted flames coming from a single-story home, called in the fire and ran toward it.

"I walked around the house trying to see anybody, hear anybody," said Howard, who recently helped organize his water utility department in Stillwater with support from CWA Local 6012. "I was calling out and beating on doors and windows, then I heard the victim."

A 55-year-old man was near the back door, overcome by the thick, dark smoke. Howard broke open the door and found the man burned on his face and arms, gasping for air. He tried to lift him to safety outside, but the victim was too badly injured for Howard to move by himself.

Howard got him as close to the door and fresh air as he could, then got a hand from his coworker, Steve Cunningham, also a new member of Local 6012.  Cunningham had been working on water meters on a street nearby and heard the fire call. "Steve was there within a couple of minutes," Howard said. "It seemed like a real long time, but I know it really wasn't."

Firefighters arrived just a couple of minutes later, finding the two utility workers with the burn victim in the back yard. They checked Howard and Cunningham for smoke inhalation, but both were OK. The man died of burn injuries three days later.

Howard is a member of the bargaining committee negotiating a first contract for 250 newly organized city workers, including 25 water utility workers.

"None of us who know Norm were surprised by his courageous, selfless response to the situation he found himself in," said CWA District 6 Staff Representative Judy Graves. "He is a leader in the truest sense of the word - in his workplace and his community."

Do you know a CWA Everyday Hero? Send the information to news@cwa-union.org.