t about 8 p.m. on a brittle night in Manhattan, a lighted truck pulls up on a congested corner of Second Avenue and 60th Street. Traffic is so heavy that a policeman is directing the flow at the intersection.

A tall, well-built man gets out of the truck and makes his way to the nearest traffic-light pole. Then he reads off a stack of notes on his clipboard to a transmitter radio, pausing to listen to a static voice coming from the other end. Stanley Brown is constantly responsible for a life or death situation in this metropolis.

Stanley Brown on the job at Second Avenue and 60th Street. PHOTO: Irene Muchemi

Brown is a traffic-light maintenance man; his job is often taken for granted by New Yorkers,even though it allows them to get to their destinations on time—both drivers and pedestrians. "We change the lights, and we maintain the equipment," says Brown, a 42-year-old, light-heartedly. "The residents of this city don't realize how much is done, just to keep the city running and to keep them safe—the subways, the roads; It's not easy."

One of Brown's most important jobs as soon as he gets to a "problem" location is to get back to the dispatch at his company's headquarters in Long Island City with what a diagnosis of the the problem. The company, Petrocelli, is one of two in the city that take care of maintenance and installation of traffic-lights and street-lights, but the company also works with street-lights, phone booths and other such contracts.

Five to seven other companies have contracts for maintenance and installation of street lights, but because the nature of contracts is similar, companies often overlap in duties. These types of electrical maintenance companies normally bid for a contract from the city's Department of Transportation.

Dispatchers at the headquarters stand by 24 hours a day to receive calls from either concerned residents or inspectors assigned by the city. According to the seriousness of the call, the dispatcher will assign any of his men at or near the problem location. Serious calls include inconsistencies with traffic lights that can cause accidents, an uprooted traffic- or street-light pole and other such problems.

"We are notified there's a problem, get to the location and call the Department of Transportation headquarters-situation room," says Brown. "We inform them that we're on the location and that we're physically maintaining the system. There is a constant back and forth to make sure that proper repair is done. D.O.T also have people on call; we work together."

Brown gets busy in the traffic-light control box. PHOTO: Irene Muchemi

Brown, a Queens resident with a degree from Brooklyn College, works five days a week on eight-hour shifts that start in the afternoon. He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 3, a union for licensed electricians. "It guarantees a certain level of training and expertise on all the people that work in the system," says Brown, adding, "What most people don't know is that every unionized electrician must have a college degree."

After his shift has ended, Brown starts getting ready to leave his location but gets a message on the transmitter asking him to see to another problem on the Upper West Side. Brown, who seems committed to his job, and to his wife, whom he keeps talking about, desperately sends a message that his shift has just ended. After a repeated transmission from the dispatcher, Brown seems to change his mind. "Ok, I'm going to check it out." Later, when driving to the 113th Street and Broadway location, Brown gets another message that another man has taken care of the problem. "I'm already on my way there," he says. "I'll just swing by there and make sure he's all right."