Advocate Award Winner: Dennis Gleason

Dennis Gleason was nominated because of his tireless commitment to helping contractors prevent electrical on-the-job burn injuries after suffering serious electrical burns himself in the course of his work.

Dennis was a lineman at PECO when, in April of 1990, he came into contact with a power distribution line. He suffered second and third degree burns over 20 percent of his body, spent months in Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s burn center and then even more time in rehab during a difficult, painful recovery.

In an inspiring example of making the best of a devastating situation, Dennis became a safety trainer at PECO. For almost 20 years, he has shared his personal story with all new area line mechanics at PECO, contributing to the prevention of electrical contact injuries on the job. He recently wrote articles on electrical safety that were published in For Construction Pros and Electrical Construction & Maintenance Magazine, reaching thousands of electrical workers. He also speaks to other industry groups, including the American Society of Professional Estimators (ASPE) and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and has even spread the burn safety message internationally by speaking at multiple Inter-Utility Overhead Training Association (IUOTA) meetings.

Dennis has worked with the Philadelphia-based Burn Foundation to create the BurnSafe(tm) video library, particularly the DVD aimed at electrical contractors working around live wires. This DVD has been distributed to thousands of electrical contractors locally and in Chicago. Dennis volunteers at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, is a member of the Burn Foundation's Survivor Advisory Council, and serves as a mentor to other burn survivors. He has also served as a volunteer accompanying children to and from the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp, formed especially for young burn survivors.

On a personal note, the accident led to one happy outcome: Dennis met his wife, Kathy, while attending therapy at Moss Rehab where she has worked for years, helping numerous burn survivors recover from their burns.

Dennis has designated the Crozer Chester Medical Center’s Burn Center to receive the $5,000 prize.

A Word from Our Managing Partner

In everything our firm does, we’re working to ensure that individuals and their families are treated fairly and compassionately after they have been harmed. We’re proud to honor Dennis Gleason, who not only overcame serious burns himself, but who has since worked both to prevent others from suffering similar injuries and to support burn survivors and their families. The Anapol Schwartz Foundation will be presenting Crozer Chester Medical Center’s burn center – where Dennis was treated – with a $5,000 contribution in his honor.

And, we’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight our two other semi-finalists, Dr. Jean Klein and Rosemary Washington, who have also done amazing work to better the lives of those who have been injured by burns.

I encourage you to read all of their stories on our site. They are truly inspiring.

Future Anapol Advocate awards will focus on different care communities and their heroes. So, if you know someone like Dennis, Jean, or Rosemary who has worked to help victims affected by disabling injuries to lead better and more productive lives, tell us about him or her by writing to Beth Starrantino at bstarrantino@startoplin.com.

Sincerely,
Joel Feldman
Managing Partner, Anapol Schwartz