Pass & Seymour/Legrand recently threw a birthday celebration at its Solvay, N.Y.-headquarters, and the guest of honor was...a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the company’s invention, Michael J. Gambino, Pass & Seymour president, presented bronzed GFCIs to the members of the original engineering, design, and marketing teams who returned for the celebration.

“The GFCI has saved numerous lives over the past 30 yr and we are tremendously proud of our contribution to the safety of families and workers,” said Jack Wells, the company’s vice president of corporate development and the original product manager for the GFCI.

According to the National Electrical Safety Foundation, an estimated 400 million GFCIs are installed in homes and most private residences, apartments, hotels, motels, and public facilities.