A Conversation with Alexander Novell - Our DURAHERO

An ex-Guitarist, a fire first responder, a NY Steamfitter, and an experienced Union Guy– Alex is a passionate steamfitter, who inspired me with his dedication to his work!

❝I used to play guitar and bass. I used to ride my motorcycle, but now, I live for my kids, just to see them grow –everything is a first. Just seeing their excitement now, it's all the world to me.” - Alex

Balancing life as a loving husband and doting father of two young girls, with a career as a union steamfitter working all over New York, Alex doesn't have much downtime. And his passion for caring for his family and doing his job to the best of his ability is what makes him a DuraHero.

Hey Alex, help us know you.
I was born on Long Island in New York, Valley Stream. I’m a driven steamfitter in New York local 638 and have been doing it for more than 20 years now! I started doing work with fire sprinklers back in 2000 when I was 20 years old.

Normally I would ask you more about the job first but, We read about your surgery in the review, tell us how are you now. What was the injury?

I had an injury in my foot back in October, I had an infection in my foot, which got me hospitalized for 14 days and put me off work for about 3 months!
Doctors say, I could’ve gotten it at work, while landscaping, or might have been just stepping on one of my daughter’s Legos!

But the infection got to a point where I couldn’t walk anymore - My foot had swollen up to the size of a football, the flesh was dying and the infection was getting into my blood –turned out it was a gas gangrene. I had to go through an emergency surgery and another one just two days later.
It was painful. The swelling took a long time to even start going down and I couldn’t start walking until January!

So getting back to work was a more painful story–
I went back to work and I had to wear steel-toe boots, but the job and the boots that I had just weren't cutting it. I went all around to every store that I could think of, I even went to the Red Wing store and tried on every single pair of boots they had; I went through Thorougoods– didn't cut it. I even asked the union colleagues and seniors, but I couldn’t get the comfort.

I stumbled across the Duraderos on the internet and I saw a bunch of great reviews, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I put them on and they already felt like they were broken in. The leather is so soft that you don't need a break in period. And because my foot was still swollen, I had to get a size larger than what I usually wear. So, they still provide plenty of room. I was able to have room for an extra insole for extra cushioning. And now that my swelling is going down and the size is reduced, I find that with two pairs of socks, I can make these boots fit. These are by far the most comfortable, flexible, and safe boots that I have ever worn in 30 years!

What's your job like, what’s it all about?
As steamfitters, we do anything pipe-related, hydraulics, pneumatics, sprinklers, and steam boilers. I have been fortunate enough to specialize in Fire Suppression for the past 20 years. I really love it because to me, in my mind, I'm the first line of defense before the fire department gets on site. So I helped the people escape the fires in the buildings prior to the fire department getting there. I love it. There's always a new job site with different views, New York City is famous for its incredible views!

What made you decide to want to join the union?

I got married in 2013. I have a six-year-old and a four-year-old daughter and a dog. I got my hands full and responsibilities grew as I advanced in my career.

I started out as a non-union guy, I was designated to fabricate the pipes and I learned the basics there, I explored service and testing later. What was very interesting to me was all these new and different things and techniques that we have to do. Understanding which structures have to comply with the FDNY, NFPA, and the New York City Rules and Regulations because our codes change almost on an annual basis, just to make it safer for the public.
About the non-union aspect, it was good pay and it was good medical, but I joined the union when I found out the difference in the package between the retirement, the medical, and the dental –Union Membership had significant advantages.

A steamfitter for 20-plus years and in the union for 16 years. What would your advice be to somebody who's looking at that as a career?

If you have a passion for it, then go for it!
When I first joined they were testing a head sprinkler apparatus and they asked if I wanted to try it out I was all soaked wet and they were dry and having fun about it but it’s all in good spirits, a good community, and a good learning experience, for sure.

I tell all the apprentices to take advantage of all the knowledge that they can learn from the Union. If you're young you have the opportunity to travel the country. I would tell anybody, in any field, if you don't love what you do, you are setting yourself up for frustration. I love what I do. I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

How did you decide to go for Duradero? What did you love the most?
I would typically spend anywhere from $80-120 on a pair of boots and would need another in the 6-8 months from the amount of walking that we do.
And I was good with that. But after I had the foot injury, comfort was first and foremost. I stumbled upon Duradero online and I gave it a shot, especially for the warranty. It's unmatched anywhere.

My favorite thing about Duradero –
There's a lot of times when we're crawling up into little crawl spaces or we got to get down on the ground to mark the floor with these positions you got to get your feet in. Duradero boots allow me to flex and turn, they give you that movement, and provide a ton of traction as well as safety! It may be a rare comparison but they feel like sneakers to me!

Do you think you'll be ready for a resole anytime soon?
These things take a beating and I don't know it might take a while before I need that resole.
I normally need a new boot in 6-8 months, but more than that has passed and I still see no sign of sending them back!
But these boots do take a licking and I'm trying to wear out the soles and we do a lot of walking on the job but they stand up!

Did the fact that Duradero boots are not entirely made in the US come into play in your purchase decision?

You get a Personal Touch with Duradero!

A lot of the Union guys want to stick with American-made and I understand that. But if you look closely at a lot of these products that say they're American-made they're actually not, so it wasn't that big a deal for me. With everything else that you guys do that's all in-house in California. And the human customer service hotline, it's all coming through, you are an American Brand, so it's fine with me. That's a home run.

But the infection got to a point where I couldn’t walk anymore - My foot had swollen up to the size of a football, the flesh was dying and the infection was getting into my blood –turned out it was a gas gangrene. I had to go through an emergency surgery and another one just two days later.
It was painful. The swelling took a long time to even start going down and I couldn’t start walking until January!

Just Curious, and this may help our readers too –Did our Quickscan work for you with the injury?

AI for the foot sizing, that kind of tripped me up! I was like wait a minute. I have a foot measure right here. So most of the magic was because I did the measurements and most of the measurements came out close to accurate. But like I said, due to the foot injury, my one foot was still larger than my other. So I got a larger size boot.

Thank you, Alex, as a Toe-ken of appreciation, we are sending you the boots that fit you right now! Thanks for a wonderful chat and an insight into your life, Alex. We also appreciate everyone at Steamfitters Local 638 for everything you all do.
Our Durahero series is all about celebrating the dedication and hard work you pour into leading an inspirational life, your persistence is commendable, we hope it motivates everyone in the industry! Cheers!

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