The Line Life Podcast: Recent Episodes
Amy Fischbach and John Dobberstein
Whether you are on the road to a job site or storm restoration effort or relaxing after a long workday, you can listen to stories about storm restoration efforts, best practices in linework and the men and women in the line trade. You will also have the opportunity to share your comments on topics covered in the podcasts. We invite you to subscribe to the podcast today and become part of our Line Life community.
James Respeto, lead supervisor, power delivery, for Avangrid. has spent nearly four decades in the electric utility industry, growing from a meter reader into an overhead line supervisor, trainer, mentor and safety leader. In this episode, he reflects on the career that has taken him across North America responding to major storms, rebuilding damaged electrical systems, and helping communities recover after disasters.
James discusses what it takes to safely work long restoration shifts, the importance of communication and trust during mutual aid assignments and why every crew member — regardless of experience — has both the responsibility and the authority to speak up about safety. He also shares his passion for mentoring apprentices, supporting ethical leadership within the organization and encouraging his own son to pursue a future in the line trade.
This week for the Line Life Podcast, we are releasing a bonus episode, originally aired for our sister podcast, T&D World Live. In this episode, Editorial Director Nikki Chandler sits down with Chad Schimpf, Operations Safety Supervisor at Ameren Illinois, to discuss a life-changing incident that transformed both his career and his mission. After spending more than two decades as a lineman, Chad survived a 7,200-V electrical contact that easily could have been fatal. Rather than hiding from the experience, he chose to openly share the decisions that led to the incident and the lessons that followed. Today, he has become one of the utility industry's strongest advocates for safety culture, leadership accountability and honest conversations that prevent serious injuries and fatalities. Chad explains how small shortcuts, overconfidence and the mindset of "that's how we've always done it" can create dangerous conditions — even in organizations with strong safety programs. He reflects on the physical and emotional recovery after the incident, the difficult conversations with his family and coworkers and how his faith helped shape a new purpose focused on helping others avoid similar mistakes. The discussion also explores why leadership plays such a critical role in creating psychological safety, encouraging employees to speak up, investing in ongoing training and building workplace cultures where stopping work or asking for help is viewed as a strength rather than a weakness. To learn more about safety in the line trade, make sure you attend the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Safety and Training Conference this October. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!
Utility strikes cost more than $30 billion annually in the United States alone. This ICYMI episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast explores how the Model for Underground Data Definition and Integration (MUDDI) and the UK’s National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) are harmonizing underground data to help utilities identify buried pipes and cables, reduce excavation risks and protect their field workforce. To read the article by Scott Simmons of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), visit theT&D World website.
In the line trade, lineworkers strive to work safely and efficiently, and new tools and technologies help to improve productivity and ensure they get home safely to their families every night.
During this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring guest Miles Bell, a journeyman lineworker with 11 years in the trade, who is now working as a tools and methods specialist. In this role, he supports crews in the field, makes job-site visits and analyzes tools and technologies for lineworkers.
He also shares an update on the Hurricane Helene restoration, his lessons learned for storm response and his experiences competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo.
If you want to be part of a future episode, swing by the T&D World booth at the 2026 International Lineman's Expo, where we will be giving out free T-shirts and temporary tattoos for line families. We look forward to seeing you there!
Our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast brings stories from the pages of T&D World to life as audio stories. This episode features an article from our February 2026 issue of T&D World magazine on lessons learned from Hurricane Helene. Glenn Edwards, manager, distribution systems for AEP's Appalachian Power, shares the story of how in just 10 days, his company's crews and mutual aid partners logged more than 1 million work hours, replaced 1,485 poles, installed 471 transformers and rebuilt 214 miles of wire.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Appalachian Power transformed storm response by adopting digital workforce management tools from Arcos. This episode highlights the shift from paper-based, bird dog-led workflows to shared, real-time coordination that improved safety, accelerated restoration and enabled efficient scaling of mutual aid resources.
To read the full story, visit theT&D World website.
Also, we at the Line Life Podcast wish all of our listeners a Happy National Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10. If you post at #thankalineworker, make sure you tag T&D World at Linemen World on Instagram or our other social media channels so we can put your crew in the spotlight. Thanks for all you do to keep the lights on and the power flowing!
Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is training aspiring lineworkers to build and maintain infrastructure in the rapidly growing Hill Country of Texas. During this Line Life Podcast episode, Josh Hanawalt, technical training manager, describes PEC's four-year, 8,000-hour apprenticeship program and the 2026 Apprentice of the Year award won by Benjamin Kent.
He also discusses the hands-on training center, climbing instruction, skill milestones and the emphasis on character, leadership and community engagement that set apprentices up for success. Listeners will hear how the program builds technical mastery and crew leadership, prepares apprentices for real-world storm response and system growth and spotlights the dedication behind keeping the lights on.
To listen to Part 1, which featured an interview with Benjamin Kent, tune in to this episode.
In this episode of the Line Life Podcast for our ICYMI series, we are featuring the second part of the Hurricane Helene series, which was published as the cover story of the February 2026 issue of T&D World magazine. The audio story describes how Duke Energy line crews and mutual assistance partners rebuilt infrastructure in Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, North Carolina, after catastrophic flooding.
Listeners hear first-hand accounts of line crews working without cell service or roads, using helicopters, track machines, drones and old-school line work to restore power. The International Lineman's Rodeo journeyman team of Miles Bell, Heath Burrell, and Jordan Henderson from Duke Energy also shares five valuable lessons learned about logistics, safety, teamwork and community resilience.
To learn more about the storm response, listen to Part 1 of the two-part series, "Hurricanes Helene and Milton: One Year Later." Stay tuned to Podbean or your favorite podcasting app to hear an interview-style episode with Bell with an update on the restoration in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Also, if your line crew just finished restoring power following a storm and you want to share your story, please contact Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Head of Content for T&D World. We look forward to hearing about your best practices and tools and technologies for storm response.
T&D World loves to put apprentices in the spotlight in its Faces of the Future department. For this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring the 2026 Apprentice of the Year for Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) in Texas. Benjamin Kent of PEC’s Canyon Lake district was honored for his dedication and commitment to excellence on and off the job. Kent was selected for his willingness to learn and embrace all aspects of the job, and for consistently going above and beyond to help his colleagues, members, and community.
If you have an apprentice you would like for us to feature in T&D World or on the Line Life Podcast, please email Amy Fischbach. We'd love to hear from you.
Also, look for Part 2 of this series, which will feature Ben's trainer, Josh Hanawalt, a journeyman lineworker at PEC. He will share more about his journey in the line trade, the Apprentice of the Year program and his training center.
In this ICYMI episode for the Line Life Podcast, Duke Energy lineworkers who responded to Hurricanes Helene and Milton share their stories about the long shifts, logistical challenges, and the teamwork that restored power and hope to devastated communities.
The episode also shares practical hurricane-response best practices, rapid-restoration achievements, and how local communities and crews supported one another during recovery. To read the story, which appeared in the January 2026 issue of T&D World magazine right after the one-year anniversary of the hurricanes, visit the website.
Also, if your line crew has just finished a storm restoration and wants to share your story, please email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Head of Content for T&D World, with high-resolution photos of the damage and restoration. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your best practices for storm restoration with our readers, subscribers and Line Life Podcast listeners.
Austin Carr, a lineworker for Lakeland Electric, said he has access to some of the best training programs available. He quickly discovered, however, that others in the line trade are not as fortunate. To share his knowledge and experiences with other lineworkers, he started posting videos on TikTok and became "America's Favorite Lineman." He has published hundreds of episodes so far and enjoys teaching others about best practices in the line trade on TikTok, where he has more than 115,000 followers and 1.8 million likes.
During this Line Life Podcast episode, he talks about staying safe and hydrated in hot and humid conditions in Florida, dealing with water snakes and alligators and being on call 24/7. He also shares how he balances his work and family life as a married dad of two young daughters. He gave a shout-out to his wife and other line wives for all they do to support lineworkers on the line. For more information about Austin and to view his training videos, subscribe to his TikTok channel or follow him on Instagram or Facebook.
If you know of a lineworker we should put in the spotlight, please email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast. Thanks for listening!
As lineworkers and pilots work "inside the wires" from helicopters, drones could soon be a part of this shielded airspace. Mike Starner of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and Heather Moran of Level Ascent Solutions explored the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rules regulating the use of drones.
This audio story, authored by Mike Starner of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and Heather Moran of Level Ascent Solutions, was featured in the January 2026 issue of T&D World magazine. Their story highlights safety concerns around rights-of-way and the need for rapid communication and coordination. It also shares how technologies can help if implemented with input from pilots, drone operators and utility safety professionals.
Listeners will hear why preserving human judgment and teamwork is essential as drone inspections and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations expand. It will also focus on why collaboration, standardized protocols and training are critical to safely modernize inspections above the power line. For more information, read the article on the T&D World website.
Join us for a roundup from the IEEE PES T&D 2026 conference in Chicago, featuring interviews with exhibitors about the rise of 765 kV transmission, the looming matting shortage for large build-outs and the growing power demand from data centers. Vendors and technology providers discuss solutions for improving grid reliability and resilience.
Hear conversations with Hubbell, Shemar, Sterling Site Access Solutions, Smart Power and Ayr Energy about local manufacturing, automated mat production, power-flow technologies and upcoming projects representing gigawatts of new capacity.
For more coverage and videos, visit www.tdworld.com and tune into our sister podcast, T&D World Live. You can also listen to our latest episode in our ICYMI series, "Powering Reliability: Inside the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Show" on Podbean or in your favorite podcasting app. Thanks for listening!
The T&D World team just returned from Chicago for the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition. This audio story in our ICYMI series previews the event, featuring a Q&A with Jackie Peer, director of industry outreach for the event steering committee, and Carla Frieh, co-chair of the local organizing committee.
Power engineering professionals from around the world came together in Chicago from May 4-7 to explore practical solutions for a more reliable, resilient grid. ComEd hosted the week of education and networking at the McCormick Place in Chicago, where attendees could browse exhibits on the show floor, attend technical and panel sessions and participate in technical tours and networking events.
To see more coverage of the event, stay tuned to the T&D World website and look for a future episode of the T&D World Live Podcast, which will feature a recap moderated by Christina Marsh with Amy Fischbach and Nikki Chandler of T&D World.
In the wake of Hurricane Beryl, CenterPoint Energy began modernizing its system through the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI). To improve resiliency and reliability, the utility is performing targeted undergrounding of its power lines, clearing vegetation and installing storm-resistant fiberglass poles in its service territory.
For this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Nathan Brownell, vice president of resilience and capital delivery for CenterPoint, shares how his utility is striving to have the most resilient coastal grid in the country.
For more information, read the cover story of the June 2026 issue of T&D World magazine. You can also stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to listen to a narrated version of this article in our ICYMI series.
Join the T&D World Line Life Podcast as we recap the record-setting 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week in Kansas City — a week of safety training, cutting-edge tools on the trade show floor, Trade Night traditions and the intense competition that showcases the best in the line trade.
Hear stories of resilience and self-preservation in the line trade from the safety and training conference and discover how the industry comes together to celebrate skills, innovation and community during the annual International Lineman's Rodeo Week.
Visit the T&D World website to read this story from the December print issue online. While you're on Podbean or on your favorite podcasting app, listen to another audio story for the Line Life Podcast about the results of the 2025 competition: "Lineman's Rodeo Rewind."
We look forward to seeing you in mid-October for the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week! Stay tuned to the field-focused Electric Utility Operations page for more information about the 2026 event and year-round coverage of the line trade. You can also subscribe to our Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletter on our website and visit the website for the International Lineman's Rodeo Association (ILRA) for more details.
In this special episode celebrating the 2026 National Lineman Appreciation Day, Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach shares favorite clips from past podcast interviews featuring lineworkers recounting why they joined the trade, unforgettable storms and the camaraderie that keeps the lights on.
Listeners will hear voices from across the industry — from apprentices to veterans — with stories of resilience, community response to disasters and the personal sacrifices line workers make to restore power.
If you have stories to share from the 2026 National Lineman Appreciation Day or would like to be a guest on a future episode of the Line Life Podcast, email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World.
For more than four decades, the International Lineman's Rodeo has brought the line trade together for camaraderie and competition. Last October, the Rodeo Week drew a record crowd of more than 5,000 attendees. Apprentices and journeymen lineworkers competed in the Pole Climb, Hurtman Rescue and mystery events that showcased safety, skill, tradition and teamwork.
This Line Life Podcast episode revisits top winners, memorable moments and special events ahead of the 2026 competition. Read the full article from the December 2025 issue and check out more coverage on the T&D World website.
You can also learn more about the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo, slated for Oct. 14-17, 2026, in Kansas City, by subscribing to our Lineman Life or Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters or by visiting the International Lineman's Rodeo Association (ILRA) website.
Because lineworkers are heroes and first responders, they have been celebrated in songs, books and movies. For this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are featuring an interview with William Wister Haines, Jr., the son of the author of Slim and the companion book, High Tension.
During this episode, William shares the story of how his father's book, inspired by his work in the line trade, became not only a national bestseller, but also a Hollywood movie starring Henry Fonda. Years later, he continued his father's legacy by bringing both books back into print. He now personally inscribes and ships copies to training programs and lineworkers nationwide. To order a copy of the books, go to his website.
This episode in our ICYMI series for the T&D World Line Life Podcast tells the story of the Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission Project. This $1.9 billion CAD Indigenous-led partnership connected 17 remote First Nations in northwest Ontario to the provincial grid, replacing costly diesel generators with clean, reliable electricity.
Learn how 24 First Nations, Fortis and partners overcame remote logistics, governance challenges, and the pandemic to build 1,800 km of transmission lines and 22 substations, creating local ownership and lasting community benefits. To read the story, which appeared in the November 2025 issue of T&D World magazine, visit the website.
Also, if you are working on an interesting transmission, distribution or substation project, we'd love to hear about it. Email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast, with your project photos and description, and she will help you to share your story in T&D World magazine.
In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are highlighting Shawn Becker, a first-year lineman student at Ozarks Technical Community College and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard. Shawn shares how he discovered the line trade, got involved with the training program and made connections during the International Linemen’s Rodeo week.
Listen for stories about military service, the lineman community and brotherhood, safety and wellness in the trade and Shawn's goals for a future that balances career opportunities with family life.
In this ICYMI episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are sharing the narrated version of an article from the November 2025 issue of T&D World magazine on how Ameren Illinois is using new technology to inspect aging sub-transmission conductors and prioritize line rebuilds.
The utility manages more than 45,000 miles of power lines supported by about 1.3 million utility poles, including 2,000 high-strength composite poles. Ameren Illinois adopted the LineVue device to perform comprehensive, cost-effective inspections of conductor spans, improving accuracy over traditional visual methods. LineVue technology enables remote, real-time assessment of conductor health, identifying issues such as rust, pitting and broken strands on energized lines up to 500 kV.
To read the full story, go to T&D World's website.
In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Host Amy Fischbach interviews Zane Stephenson, a student in the lineman training program at Metropolitan Community College–Kansas City. Zane shares his training experiences, early memories of his grandfather's time in the trade and what drew him to line work.
The conversation highlights safety lessons learned at the International Lineman's Rodeo's Safety and Training Conference and Zane’s future plans, including contractor apprenticeship, storm response and his motivation to give back to his family.
In the electric utility industry, lineworkers often retire with years of experience and take that knowledge with them. Eversource discovered a way to bridge the knowledge gap by overhauling its electric and gas training using multimodal digital tools, e-books and mobile apps. This episode of the Line Life Podcast features a narrated version of the article "Eversource Advances Workforce Training" from the November 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine.
This audio story outlines the utility's plan to deploy roughly 85 custom training applications by 2026–27 across core programs like overhead and underground electric, substations, gas maintenance, corrosion and field communications. The episode highlights how tablet-delivered, interactive content preserves institutional knowledge, supports different learning styles and improves safety through virtual practice. It also provides scalable, just-in-time training to meet growing workforce demands and close the experience gap.
For more information, read the article on T&D World's website.
This episode of the Line Life Podcast features Susan Blaser, a 2020 International Linemen Hall of Fame inductee and the first female journeyman lineworker in Missouri. Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach interviews Susan about her career in the field, her role training students at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City and her work promoting safety and inclusion in the line trade.
Topics include on-the-job safety (hydration, heat awareness and best practices), bringing students to the International Linemen’s Rodeo for hands-on learning, encouraging more women to enter the trade and how new tools like drones and helicopters are changing line work.
Susan also shares personal highlights, including her daughter Randi’s path as a journeyman lineman at Ameren Illinois, her decades of field and teaching experience and the importance of mentorship and community in sustaining the profession.
The line trade gives apprentices the opportunity to earn while they learn and train for a lifelong career powering their communities. Before they even join an apprenticeship program, however, some high school graduates are learning the basics of line work through a pre-apprenticeship. For example, our latest ICYMI episode of the Line Life Podcast highlights the one-year Electric Utility Technology Program at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) in Iowa.
This article, "Training for a Future Career on the Line," which originally appeared in the October 2025 issue of T&D World magazine, spotlights two former students: Trevor Grefe and Kellen Miller. Grefe became interested in the line trade because he wanted to work with his hands, found the concept of electricity fascinating and wanted to help people. Miller learned about opportunities in line work as an intern at an architectural firm after seeing a photo of a lineworker hanging out of a helicopter, working on a transmission line.
For more information, visit DMACC's training program website or read the article on T&D World's website.
For the third part of our Line Life Podcast series on Lineman Hall of Famers, we are featuring an interview with Bill Bosch, vice president of apprenticeship and client solutions for Northwest Lineman College (NLC). He has worked in a variety of different operations, safety, training and management roles over his more than 45 years in the line trade.
He also founded the National Association of Journeymen Linemen to promote the brotherhood, sacrifice and dedication of the line trade. To further honor lineworkers, Bill introduced legislation in 2012 to establish National Lineman Appreciation Day, which is now celebrated annually on April 18. He is also working to get lineworkers officially recognized as first responders with the Linemen Legacy Act. This bill is now in the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. To push this legislation forward, Bill encourages all lineworkers to contact their local members of Congress to support H.R. 7610, the Linemen Legacy Act.
To listen to more stories of Lineman Hall of Famers, tune in to Part 1 featuring Robert Padgett and Part 2 showcasing Brandon Wylie and his song, "Highline Heroes." You can also learn about all the Hall of Famers dating back to 2006 by visiting the website for the International Lineman's Museum and Hall of Fame.
The powerline industry is entering a new era, shaped by the rise of smart grid technologies. These tools raise important questions. How will these innovations impact the job and how do line workers adapt to make the work safer and more efficient?
In this sponsored episode, managing editor Jeff Postelwait chats with Lea Maurer (Business Development Director at S&C Electric Company) about the push for more reliable, resilient power, and why utilities are turning to new technologies to modernize the grid.
This episode is sponsored by S&C Electric
By leveraging the power of AI, electric utilities nationwide are discovering ways to improve the efficiency and safety of their field crews. For example, the Grid Operations team at Southern California Edison (SCE) launched the AWARE system two years ago to mitigate outages, expedite restoration and improve productivity for the field workforce.
Listen to the narrated version of the October 2025 cover story to learn how the AWARE system monitors the health of the grid and alerts crews to early-stage faults. SCE and Edison International recently won the electric power industry's highest honor: the Edison Award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for the AWARE technology. To read the full article, which went online as "SCE Accelerates Fault Detection with the Power of AI," visit T&D World's website.
If your utility is using technology in an innovative way, we'd love to hear from you. Email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and the host of the Line Life podcast, to put your utility in the spotlight.
Brandon Wylie, who was inducted into the International Lineman Hall of Fame in 2023, is the guest for Part 2 of our Hall of Famers series. He has more than 27 years of experience in the power line industry and currently serves as a regional director of training for Quanta Services in the Southeast. In this role, he leads workforce development, safety and leadership training initiatives across multiple operating companies.
Before joining Quanta, he served as vice president of apprenticeships with Northwest Lineman College (NLC) and director of training and safety at Electric Cities of Georgia, where he spent more than 15 years designing and leading training programs for lineworkers and safety professionals.
He has served as a chair of the APPA Safety Committee, vice chair of the National Association of Journeyman Linemen and a board member of the International Lineman's Museum and Hall of Fame. He's a certified utility safety professional, and he's proud to be a second-generation lineman. He's also the writer of "Highline Cowboy," a song inspired by his life as a lineman that was later featured in "Storm Soldiers" and "Life on the Line," starring John Travolta.
Listen to this episode to hear the excerpt of the song and learn about his life and career in the line trade. Also, tune in to Part 1 of this series featuring Robert Padgett, who retired from Lakeland Electric before starting Padgett Poleline.
Every year, we try to feature a storm-related article in our annual T&D World Lineworker Supplement. The article, "Extreme Storms," pays tribute to the line crews who worked long hours on the line to restore power and rebuild infrastructure in the wake of severe storms in their service territories.
This audio story shines the spotlight on three major storms: a bomb cyclone in Washington, a historic ice storm in Michigan and tornadoes in Missouri and Illinois. Consumers Energy, Puget Sound Energy and Ameren Illinois and Missouri shared their best practices following these storms and how their line crews got the lights back on swiftly and safely.
If you're interested in more storm coverage, you can also listen to the recent two-part Line Life Podcast series on Hurricane Helene: One Year Later on Podbean. You can also email Amy Fischbach to share your story about your company's storm response in T&D World magazine.
The new location for the International Lineman's Museum and Hall of Fame may still be underway in Florida, but Journeyman Lineman Robert Padgett has been collecting historical tools and artifacts throughout his 31 years in the trade. During this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we kick off the New Year by featuring a new series showcasing Padgett and others inducted into the Lineman Hall of Fame.
Padgett started working for Lakeland Electric in 1988 in Lakeland, Florida, before founding Padget Poleline. He has trained hundreds of apprentices throughout his career, and he is dedicated to preserving the history of line work. He has also been competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo for years and was instrumental in starting the Florida Lineman's Rodeo.
To learn more about his career in the line trade and how he is giving back by serving on the museum's board of directors, listen to the audio story "Life After the Line," narrated from the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. You can also check out the website to read all the profiles of all those inducted into the Hall of Fame since 2006 and tune in to the Oct. 4, 2024, Line Life Podcast episode featuring Andy Price, the founder of the International Lineman's Museum.
If you want to nominate someone who has made notable contributions to the line trade and the electric utility industry, click here to find out more about the induction process. Thanks for tuning in to the Line Life Podcast, and go to Podbean to learn how to subscribe so you can listen to other parts of this series.
For our third and final part of our series on safeguarding mental health in the line trade, we are featuring the how-to sidebars from the article, "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders."
Discover ways to focus on your well-being, look out for your crew members, and heal following a near-miss or a tragedy by listening to this Line Life Podcast episode.
While you're on Podbean, also check out Part 1, featuring a narrated version of the full article in our ICYMI series and Part 2, which includes an interview with Jenny Lavin, the founder and CEO of Union Care Solutions.
Stay safe out there, lineworkers, and enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones!
For Part 2 of our Line Life Podcast series on mental health in the line trade, we are featuring an interview with Jennifer Lavin, the founder of Union Care Solutions, which supports mental health and peer support across the power industry.
She was featured in the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. Jenny also delivered the presentation, "Protection Under the Hard Hat: Mental Health and Safety in the Line Trade," at the 2025 International Lineman's Safety and Training Conference.
She has deep roots in the line trade. Two of her sons are fourth-generation lineworkers, and her father-in-law was the business manager for IBEW Local 47, and her husband is now in this role. As the CEO of Union Care Solutions, she is an advocate for critical incident response and suicide prevention. Her mission is to make care and connection part of the job — not an afterthought. For more information, visit her website, and if you or your coworkers need someone to talk to, call 988 to be connected to local mental health resources.
To listen to Part 1, which is a narrated version of the article from the 2025 Lineworker Supplement in our ICYMI series, go to Podbean. Also look for Part 3, which provides strategies and resources to help you get the support you need.
Line work is one of the most dangerous jobs in America, with fatality rates in the line trade more than six times those in all other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To come home safely to their families every night, lineworkers must not only follow safe work practices and wear proper personal protective equipment, but also safeguard their mental health. Oftentimes, lineworkers experience a near-miss themselves or the loss of a coworker, and the toll can be complete self-destruction, said Ken Lulow of Line Worker Solutions. Rather than trying to self-cope and hold it all in, they can reach out for help from their coworkers, company and community mental health professionals.
This episode, narrated from the article "Prioritizing the Mental Health of First Responders" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, delves beneath the surface of safety in the line trade to offer six strategies to help lineworkers focus on their mental health and wellness.
For more information, stay tuned to Part 2, which will feature an interview with Jenny Lavin, founder of Union Care Solutions and Part 3, which will offer more tips on how to break the silence on mental health struggles and get help. Line Life Podcast listeners in the United States can also dial "988" to be immediately connected to local resources in their community. Thanks for listening and sharing this special episode.
Hurricane Helene washed out roads and bridges, toppled trees and made it nearly impossible for line crews to access certain areas for restoration. Part 2 of our two-part series on this hurricane looks back at the storm response one year ago, when line crews had to rely on everything from paper maps to walkie-talkies to get the job done.
This episode features the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who share stories of working in the Bat Cave and Chimney Rock areas, setting poles by helicopter and partnering with the community and tree crews to clear fallen trees.
To learn more about the restoration, listen to Part 1 or look for a future two-part series in T&D World's print magazine. You can also tune in to the episode, "Hurricane Helene: Voices from the Field." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!
This audio story, narrated from the article "Line After the Line" in the 2025 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, highlights five journeymen lineworkers who have continued to serve their communities after their careers on the line. This episode, part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, features the stories of Robert Padgett, Randy Beckes, Rustin Owen, Rick Owens and Maximo Fuentes.
They share stories of their careers in the field and their ventures into new types of work following retirement from the line trade. The lineworkers also offered advice to other lineworkers who are considering retiring from their careers in line work.
Stay tuned to the ICYMI series to listen to the final two audio stories from the Lineworker Supplement: "Prioritizing Mental Health for First Responders" and "Extreme Storms." Thanks for listening and subscribing to the Line Life Podcast.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, we featured the Line Life Podcast episode, "Voices from the Field." For this new two-part series, we are featuring the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Duke Energy journeyman team of Miles Bell, Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell, who all responded to Hurricane Helene.
During this podcast episode, they discuss their careers in the line trade, their most memorable storms, and their memories of the Hurricane Helene response. They also share stories about how their families and communities came together to support the line crews as they worked long days to restore power and rebuild infrastructure.
Stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to hear Part 2, which will focus more on the damage caused by the hurricane and how the line crews worked together to overcome obstacles in the field. Also, look for a two-part article in T&D World magazine, "Hurricane Helene: One Year Later." Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!
This Line Life Podcast episode shines the spotlight on seven pre-apprentices, who are the future of the line trade. In the first part of this ICYMI series, we featured an overview of different training programs and the opportunities available in the line trade. Part 2 profiles recent and current pre-apprentices who are training to work on the line.
This episode shares the stories of Bryy Marriott, who won the Edison International Lineworker Scholarship and studied at LATTC; Matthew Miller, a former wildland forest firefighter who attended the Lineman Institute of the North East (L.I.N.E.); Klarence Pilinkington, who worked in the oil fields with his four brothers before becoming a student at American Lineman College; Wyatt McCauley, a pre-apprentice in the high-voltage training program at OSU Institute of Technology; Weston Fabian, a Marine Corps veteran who graduated from Northwest Lineman College (NLC); AJ Bruns, who is now working at Midland Power Constructors after wrapping up his training at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and Justin Gonzales, who attended American Lineman College and is following in his brother's footsteps in the line trade.
For more information, listen to Part 1 of this series or read the full story, which went online as "How Training Programs are Shaping the Future of the Utility Workforce, on the T&D World website.
This episode looks back at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo competition, which was the largest event in more than four decades. This episode features highlights from the opening ceremony and interviews live from the Rodeo grounds. For more Rodeo coverage, stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast and visit the T&D World website to view photo galleries, videos, articles and more. Congratulations to all the winners and competitors, and we look forward to seeing you during the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week!
T&D World's annual Lineworker supplement celebrates the line trade with in-depth feature articles about line work. For this episode in our In Case You Missed It series, we are highlighting the first article in the supplement, "Fast Forward to the Future of the Line Trade."
This article explores the pre-apprenticeship training opportunities available in the utility industry and how these programs are preparing up-and-coming lineworkers for a career in the line trade. For the first part of this audio story, we are focusing on the pre-apprenticeship programs. For the second part, we will highlight seven recent and current pre-apprentices who are aspiring lineworkers.
Stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to hear more audio stories narrated from our September 2025 Lineworker Supplement and interviews with guests at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo. For more Rodeo coverage, visit the T&D World website. Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!
The International Lineman's Rodeo Week is having its biggest year yet, with more exhibitors and competitors in its largest show to date. About 225 exhibitors and 5,000 people are at the event this year. This episode includes interviews with Sam Posa, exhibit and sponsorship sales manager for the International Lineman's Rodeo, and Zackery Gough, who recently topped out as a journeyman at Pedernales Electric Cooperative but won the apprentice division twice at the Rodeo.
Come join us at the International Lineman's Expo, where you can enter a drawing for a Milwaukee tool package, subscribe to the Lineman Life enewsletter, spin the wheel to win prizes and participate in a Line Life Podcast recording. Have a wonderful 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week, and stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast and www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations for more Rodeo coverage.
With the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week just around the corner, we are featuring the article, "Lineman's Rodeos: A Tradition Unlike Any Other," in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.
This article honors Duke Energy's lineworkers, who will be returning to compete at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo after spending the 2024 Rodeo Week on storm response following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
On the road to the international event, Duke Energy's lineworkers competed in regional Lineman's Rodeos in Florida, the Midwest and the Carolinas. The top finishers secured a spot to compete at the International Lineman's Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the 2025 Lineman's Rodeo Week. Make sure to stop by the T&D World booth at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo to participate in a recording for the Line Life Podcast, enter a raffle drawing for a Milwaukee Tool prize package and scan your badge and spin the wheel to receive prizes.
At the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, I had the honor of meeting many incredible lineworkers, including Shannon Skinner, foreman for NV Energy and the president of IBEW Local 396. Her step-father, two uncles and cousins worked in the line trade, and she became the first female lineworker west of the Mississippi in 1984.
When she first started working out in the field, she remembers hot sticking in a tank top and wearing men's workwear and PPE. Now that more women are entering the trades, they can stay safe and protected with garments and fall protection specifically made for them. She said NV Energy has taken good care of her throughout her career and given her the tools and equipment needed to succeed in the trade.
Along with serving as a foreman for NV Energy and serving on multiple committees, she also joins her coworkers to visit schools in the community to educate them about the dangers of electricity and raise awareness about the careers available in the utility industry.
If you want to be a guest for a future episode of the Line Life Podcast, stop by the T&D World booth at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo. Field Editor and Line Life Podcast Host Amy Fischbach will be interviewing lineworkers and their families on the trade show floor and featuring the interviews on Podbean. We look forward to seeing you In Kansas City for the International Lineman's Rodeo week.
Every June, T&D World publishes the annual Vegetation Management supplement in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). One of these feature articles explores how Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is driving biodiversity through its ROW and utility corridor management program in Northern California.
This article, authored by Dr. Anand B. Persad of Tetra Energy Sciences and Eric Brown of SMUD, is also available online on the T&D World website.
If you are interested in submitting an abstract for the 2026 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement, click here. You can also listen to two other audio stories narrated from articles in the 2025 supplement and interview-style episodes featuring Dr. Persad and Dennis Fallon, executive director of the UAA, on Podbean. Thanks for listening to the Line Life Podcast!
More than 1,500 utility vegetation management professionals joined forces in Knoxville, Tennessee, this September for the 2025 Trees & Utilities event, presented by the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) and the Arbor Day Foundation. During this episode, Dennis Fallon, the executive director of the UAA, shares his thoughts on trends and best practices in UVM and describes the highlights of this year's event.
For more information about the UVM industry, listen to the narrated articles from the 2025 Vegetation Management Supplement, which T&D World publishes each June in partnership with the UAA. You can check them out at linelife.podbean.com. Also, mark your calendars for the 2026 Trees & Utilities conference, which is slated for next September in Portland, Oregon.
T&D World publishes the annual Vegetation Management supplement in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) each June. For the 2025 Trees & Utilities week in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, we are featuring the audio story, "Monitoring Pollinators in ROWs by Drone."
This article explores research underway to leverage drone technology for responsible right-of-way vegetation management. It was written by Jill Rebuck of The Davey Tree Expert Company. To read more articles in the 2025 Vegetation Management supplement, visit the T&D World website. You can also submit an abstract for the 2026 supplement. We look forward to working with you to share stories about best practices, research and technologies in the utility vegetation management industry.
The Light Up Navajo program, which is organized by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the American Public Power Association (APPA), brings first-time electricity to homes on Navajo Nation. Lineworkers from across the country volunteer for one to two weeks each year to set poles and string lines as part of the humanitarian project.
This episode features guest Benjamin Charley, a journeyman lineworker who has worked for the NTUA for the last 17 years. When volunteer line crews come to Navajo Nation, he often shows them how to use pressure diggers to set poles in the rocky terrain. He invites lineworkers to join the project and help to power more homes on Navajo Nation in the future.
To learn more about this project, you can listen to the narrated version of the article, "Mutual Aid Without a Storm," from T&D World's Lineworker Supplement. You can also hear from two of the volunteer lineworkers who spent time on Navajo Nation: Arthur William Muñoz and Dean Frescholz, both section supervisors for Salt River Project (SRP) in Arizona. Lineworkers, thanks for all you do to not only power your own communities, but to support Light Up Navajo!
T&D Talk is a special series on the T&D World Line Life podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety. The third part of our 2025 T&D Talk series, sponsored by Southwire, focuses on grid resiliency and reliability during the storm season. Our guest is Dr. Yuhsin Hawig, vice president of Applications Engineering for Southwire.
During the episode, she discusses how the frequency and intensity of storms are impacting electric utilities and how they can improve the wildfire resiliency of overhead conductors and make their underground systems storm-ready. For more information about Southwire, listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of the series or go to linelife.podbean.com. Thank you for tuning in to T&D Talk on the Line Life Podcast channel!
In the electric utility industry, vegetation management plays an integral role in reliability and resiliency. For this episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring an interview with Dr. Anand Persad, the founder and director of research with Tetra Energy Sciences Research and Consulting.
I interviewed Dr. Persad at last year's Trees & Utilities conference in Fort Worth, Texas, to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in the utility vegetation management (UVM) industry. He has written several articles about UVM for the T&D World website, magazine and annual Vegetation Management Supplement, which we publish in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) each June.
To learn more about utility vegetation management, make sure to register for the 2025 Trees & Utilities conference this September in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 2025 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement will be available in the UAA booth. I look forward to seeing you there! Also, if you have an idea for an article for the 2026 Vegetation Management Supplement, please email Amy Fischbach.
Years ago, I first met Michael Stremel, who recently retired from a career in the line trade at Midwest Energy. He first started competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo as an apprentice back in 1988, and he has been involved in the event as both a competitor and a volunteer for the International Lineman's Rodeo Association (ILRA). ever since. He has about 49 years of experience in the electric utility industry and enjoys volunteering for the ILRA. Over the last few years, he has partnered with Doug Flick to pay it forward and raise funds for the ILRA Linemen Scholarship Fund through an annual gun raffle during the International Lineman's Rodeo Week.
Line crews often encounter wildlife while working in the field and constructing and maintaining infrastructure in their service territories. For example, Cooperative Energy in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, discovered a threatened population of gopher tortoises in their rights-of-way (ROW). After applying herbicides and investing in an integrated vegetation management (IVM) program, the utility was able to dramatically increase the population of these tortoises and carpet their ROWs in native grasses and wildflowers.
This article, which was authored by Logan Martin of Corteva Agriscience and Wes Graham and Brad Morris of Cooperative Energy, first appeared in the June 2025 Vegetation Management Supplement. T&D World partners with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) to publish this supplement each June. If you have an idea for an article for the 2026 Vegetation Management supplement, a comment on this audio story or a suggestion for a future guest for the Line Life Podcast, please email Field Editor Amy Fischbach. I look forward to hearing from you!
Line families have come to Kansas City for the International Lineman's Rodeo for years to support their lineworkers during the day of competition and enjoy the camaraderie of the line trade.
At the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, I had the opportunity to have a conversation with one of the line wives -- Kara Pollei, the wife of Logan Pollei, an apprentice lineworker for Duke Energy. After working in the police force, Logan is now working on the line and competing at the International Lineman's Rodeo.
To read a profile about Logan in our Faces of the Future department, click here. If you know of an apprentice who we should profile in a future department and related podcast, please email Amy Fischbach, Field Editor and Line Life Podcast host. We look forward to hearing from you and putting your apprentices in the spotlight!
Our wildfire mitigation coverage continues with the narrated version of the story, "Hawaiian Electric Sets Three-Year Action Plan," from the May 2025 special report in T&D World's print magazine. This article, which is part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, was written by Mark Asano, the director of integrated grid planning for Hawaiian Electric.
During the episode, he shares details about the four pillars of the utility's 2025-2027 Wildfire Safety Strategy: hardening and redesigning the grid, expanding and improving situational awareness, improving operational practices and strengthening stakeholder and community partnerships.
To read the full story, visit the Wildfire landing page on the T&D World website. You can also listen to two more audio stories narrated from the wildfire mitigation special report in our ICYMI series on Podbean: A Strategic Approach to Wildfire Risk Mitigation about Quanta Services and LUMA Energy and PGE Takes Holistic Approach to Wildfire Mitigation about Portland General Electric.
Thanks for tuning in and learning more about wildfire mitigation. If you have suggestions for future guests or comments on this or other episodes, email Field Editor Amy Fischbach, the host of the Line Life Podcast. I look forward to hearing from you!
Our guest for this episode is Chief Kevin Fischer, a member of the Delta Company for the U.S. Army 249th Engineer Battalion, a division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Fischer, who has 18 years of service, supervises lineworkers in the military.
During this episode, he describes the two different military occupation specialties (MOS) related to line work--the 12 Papa for generation and the 12 Quebec for distribution. He also describes overseas missions and how lineworkers respond to requests for individual combatant commands throughout the world.
As part of Prime Power, the lineworkers also have the opportunity to compete at the International Lineman's Rodeo. Each year, the U.S. Army brings journeyman lineworkers to Kansas City to compete in the military division.
For more information, tune in to a recent Line Life Podcast episode featuring SSG Christopher Garrett and go to Podbean to listen to other episodes focused on the military in the line trade. Thanks for listening, and we look forward to seeing you at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week in Kansas City!
For this audio story in our ICYMI series for the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are continuing our coverage of wildfire mitigation with the narrated version of the article, "A Strategic Approach to Wildfire Risk Mitigation." This story, which was written by Alireza Majzoobi and Zhenzhen Zang of Quanta Technologies and Daniel Haughton of LUMA Energy, was originally published in the May 2025 Wildfire Mitigation Special Report within the T&D World print magazine.
In this story, the authors share a proactive strategy, which integrates advanced technology, predictive modeling, data-driven decision making and adaptive infrastructure planning. For more information, you can read the article on the T&D World website. You can also listen to another audio story on wildfire mitigation, "PGE Takes Holistic Approach to Mitigation," from the May 2025 section by clicking here. For further updates and stories on wildfire mitigation, check out T&D World's wildfire page on our website. To subscribe to the Line Life Podcast and become part of our community, click here or follow the podcast in your favorite podcasting app. Thanks for listening!
For our Fourth of July episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are celebrating those who dedicate their lives to service, not only in the line trade but also through the U.S. military. Our guest, SSG Christopher Garrett, discusses the opportunities available to lineworkers through the U.S. Army Reserve and active-duty in the 249th Engineer Battalion or Prime Power.
He traveled from Fort Belvoir in Virginia to Kansas City for the International Lineman's Rodeo Week to support the competitors and teams in the military division and create awareness about the training and work opportunities available through Prime Power.
To learn more, you can stop by their booth at the 2025 International Lineman's Expo, visit their website or listen to Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of our Veterans in the Line Trade series on Podbean. You can also read a story called Veterans in the Line Trade, which explores opportunities for military veterans to become trained as lineworkers.
Thank you for tuning in to the Line Life Podcast, and Happy Fourth of July to lineworkers and your families!
T&D World covers wildfire mitigation year-round, but each May, we devote a special section or supplement to this topic. This audio story in our ICYMI series examines how Portland General Electric (PGE) is adopting a holistic approach to mitigation, setting a model for preventing wildfires in the Northwest.
To read the full story, which was authored by Ben Felton, executive vice president and chief operating officer of PGE and narrated by Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast, visit the wildfire page on the T&D World website. Also, subscribe to the Line Life Podcast channel to listen to more audio stories about wildfire mitigation from the May 2025 special report in the print issue. We'd love to have you as part of our podcast community. Thanks for tuning in!
T&D Talk is a special series on the T&D World Line Life podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety.
For Part 2 of a three-part series sponsored by Southwire, we are featuring the episode, "Novel Innovations in T&D to Ensure a Reliable Electric Grid." This episode focuses on innovations in transmission and distribution to ensure reliability and resiliency. Our guest is Charles Holcombe, director of overhead systems and solutions for Southwire.
To learn more about our guest and the topic of this episode, visit the T&D World website. You can also listen to Part 1 of our series by clicking here. Part 1 focuses on the role of Southwire's analytics in DEMCO's grid management.
Alman Kerste, a father of three kids, grew up in California and worked for Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) before relocating to the Kansas City area, where he now works for Evergy. He has spent nearly two decades in the line trade, most recently as an evening troubleman and a journeyman lineworker for a C&M crew in a district.
During this Line Life Podcast interview, he talks about responding to outages caused by thunderstorms in his home service territory and traveling to provide mutual assistance following Hurricane Helene. He also shares his experiences as a competitor and a volunteer for the International Lineman's Rodeo.
The clean energy transition is expected to create as many as 150,000 new jobs in Illinois by 2050. As ComEd builds its workforce, the utility is taking steps to reflect the vibrant communities it serves, which comprise more than 9 million people who speak more than 50 languages and reside in both rural and urban areas. In this audio story for T&D World's Line Life Podcast's ICYMI series, ComEd shares four strategies to recruit and train talented and local candidates and keep them safe in the field.
This story, which was originally published in the May 2025 print issue of T&D World magazine, explores how the utility is focusing on trades training and STEM education; expanding internal and external training programs: enhancing recruitment to reach more women in the line trade and ensuring inclusivity and safety by expanding equipment and clothing offerings for its field workforce.
For example, ComEd has launched all-female climb clinics to help women practice climbing poles and prepare for employment testing. In addition, the utility has partnered with vendors to explore how safety gear, including fall protection and flame-retardant clothing, can better fit and protect women while working overhead. Click here to read the article on the T&D World website.
For our 110th episode of the Line Life Podcast, we are highlighting David Hernandez, the regional operations supervisor at Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). He worked for Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC) for 22 years before he joined PEC in 2020.
In this interview, recorded at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, he discusses how he first got involved with the Rodeo in 2000 and became hooked. At the 2024 competition, he and his journeyman team finished fourth place in the REA division at the International Lineman's Rodeo.
He also described what it was like transitioning from a journeyman lineworker to a supervisor in the line trade and how he is keeping his crews safe in the field.
To learn more about David, read the Lineworker Focus department on our website. If you would like to nominate a journeyman lineworker or field supervisor for this department, email Amy Fischbach, T&D World Field Editor and host of the Line Life Podcast. We look forward to hearing from you!
In the line trade, storm restoration is a part of the job. Lineworkers work through the night in severe weather conditions to rebuild infrastructure and restore power. In our May 2025 issue of T&D World, we featured the story, "Entergy Shares Strategies for Storm Response," to highlight best practices. The article, which was written by Bill Perry, explores four tactics for better restoration from Entergy's 2024 hurricane season.
To learn more, you can read the article on the T&D World website or check it out in the May 2025 print issue.
T&D World's Faces of the Future department highlights up-and-comers in the line trade. For this week's episode, we are highlighting Vincent Napolitano, an apprentice for Ameren Illinois and a competitor at the International Lineman's Rodeo. During his apprenticeship, he is learning new things every day and also helping others who are just starting in the line trade. He trains both in the classroom and the field and works out of the operating center in Peoria, Illinois. His crew specializes in overhead and underground and works mainly on distribution. When storms hit, he focuses on troubleshooting, and when he tops out as a journeyman, he may be interested in assisting with mutual assistance calls.
To prepare for the International Lineman's Rodeo in 2024, he trained with other apprentices to take practice tests and test his skills alongside the journeymen on the training grounds. In the future, he wants to stay out in the field, and he says the crews he works with are like a family.
To learn more about Vincent, you can read the Faces of the Future department in our June 2025 T&D World print magazine and soon on our website. Also, if you are an apprentice lineworker who is interested in being profiled, fill out this online form and email a photo of you by a bucket truck, competing at the Rodeo or working out in the field to Amy Fischbach, Field Editor of T&D World magazine and host of the Line Life Podcast. Journeymen lineworkers are featured in our Lineworker Focus department and need to fill out this online form. All featured lineworkers receive a free tool package from Milwaukee Tool for their dedication to the line trade.
For our latest episode in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, we are airing the audio story, "Investigating Power Line RFI," from the May 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the T&D World print magazine. In this article, Jon Backman, a journeyman lineworker with 20 years of experience in the line trade, shares strategies on how lineworkers can find and eliminate the noise. Because power companies have the legal responsibility to respond to RFI issues caused by their system, their lineworkers can become trained in RFI troubleshooting to perform these investigations properly.
As a first response troubleman for his utility, Jon responds to power outages, electrical emergencies, public safety concerns and customer needs. At one point during his career, he was offered the opportunity to work as an RFI responder, and in this role, he has had the opportunity to learn and evolve. In this audio story, he describes his experiences with training and troubleshooting and also offers seven steps to investigating RFI location.
For more information about Jon, who is also the founder of Making Connections, LLC, listen to the episode, "Working as a Troubleman in the Pacific Northwest," or read his profile on the T&D World website.
If you would like to share your story in T&D World magazine or be featured on the Line Life Podcast, email Field Editor Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast.
Ryan Lucas, who was born in British Columbia, Canada, grew up around the line trade and spent 15 years in the field, five years in management and then instructed line school students. During his career, he worked in remote, urban environments and also specialized in helicopter and barehand work. In March 2019, he launched the Powerline Podcast as a way to share stories about the line trade. During our podcast interview at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, Ryan talked about his favorite guests he's had on the show--from an astronaut to a decorated military veteran--and how he can give back to the trade through podcasting.
To listen to the Powerline Podcast, which is powered by Quanta, you can follow it on YouTube or subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting app. You can also see a vlog of Ryan exploring the International Lineman's Expo on the T&D World podcast page. To subscribe to the Line Life Podcast, follow it in your favorite podcasting app, and to listen to past episodes, go to linelife.podbean.com.
For this Line Life Podcast episode in our ICYMI series, we are featuring the narrated version of the article, "Three Focus Areas to Build a Safer Network," by Jason Marsh, damage prevention supervisor for New York State Electric & Gas Corp (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. (RG&E). This story, which was originally published in the March print issue of T&D World magazine, shares strategies from NYSEG and RG&E for reducing damage to underground utilities. Their best practices led to a 39% reduction in fiber installation damages in New York. To read the full story on T&D World's website, click here.
To listen to other episodes in our ICYMI series, go to T&D World's podcast landing page, where you can also find episodes of our new T&D World Podcast, which covers transmission, distribution and everything that affects the power grid.
You can also become part of the Line Life Podcast community by clicking "Follow" at the top right of linelife.podbean.com or subscribing to the Line Life Podcast on your favorite podcasting app. If you have comments on this episode or suggestions for future guests for the Line Life Podcast, email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Field Editor for T&D World magazine.
Happy National Lineman Appreciation Day to all our Line Life Podcast listeners! To celebrate all the hard-working lineworkers out there, we are releasing a special episode today focused on Arthur William Muñoz, a journeyman lineworker for Salt River Project (SRP) in Arizona. He has been in the trade for 23 years and progressed from a trades helper to a lead lineman and working foreman to a section supervisor.
During this episode, Art talks about what it was like to win the "David G. Hollis Award for Outstanding Apprentice at SRP," overcome his fear of heights to scale the 80-ft "Godzilla" pole and restore power following monsoons and microbursts.
He is also one of several SRP lineworkers who has volunteered his time and skillset for the Light Up Navajo project. For 2025, SRP sent two crews to the Navajo Nation to join lineworkers from 44 utility companies across 20 states. The volunteer lineworkers are connecting homes to the grid in remote areas of the Navajo Nation, where 70% of all US households without power are located. Of the 56,000 homes on the Navajo Nation, about 10,470, or about 25%, do not have electricity.
To learn more about Light Up Navajo VI, look for a future article in T&D World magazine and listen to the audio stories in our ICYMI series for our Line Life Podcast. Thanks for listening!
T&D World, which produces the Line Life Podcast, just launched a brand new podcast--the T&D World Podcast--to focus on the rest of the audience served by the magazine. Because one of the recent episodes is about line work, we are excited to share it with our Line Life Podcast listeners. This bonus episode features an interview between Christina Marsh, senior editor of T&D World magazine, and Alan Drew, a technical consultant for Northwest Lineman College and the author of The American Lineman and Spanning the Straight.
During the episode, Alan talks about his career in the line trade. He also discusses the history of line work and how construction methods, materials, safety and tools have evolved over the decades.
To listen to past episodes of the T&D World Podcast and Line Life Podcast, go to the T&D World podcast page. You can also learn about new episodes that are being released by subscribing to the Energizing and Lineman Life enewsletters. Thanks for listening and subscribing to our podcasts!
Transformer trips are a common problem, but the solution is sometimes not immediately obvious. This audio story, narrated from the April 2025 cover story of T&D World's print magazine, shares three stories from the field from Mose Ramieh of CBS Field Services. These examples illustrate that regardless of the complexity of the situation and system, it is often the simplest of solutions that is the hardest to find. Listen to the episode to hear the three mysteries: "Two Trips, One Input," "Blame it On the Rain" and "A Mind of Its Own."
For more information, you can read the full story, "Mysterious Transformer Trips," on the T&D World website or look for the article in the April 2025 issue of the print magazine. Also, if you have any stories about new technologies or projects underway at your utility that you'd like to share in our magazine or on this podcast, email Amy Fischbach, Field Editor for T&D World magazine and host of the Line Life Podcast.
To continue to provide resilient, safe and reliable power to its 1.4 million customers on the island, LUMA Energy has trained specialized lineworkers in Human External Cargo (HEC) work methods. This allows the trained lineworkers to access infrastructure in mountainous terrain, and the utility to place materials near work sites on the island.
At the heart of this program is José Luis Campos Figueroa, director of aviation operations for LUMA Energy. After serving in the National Guard and spending 30 years in the industry, he now works to train and supervise his team at LUMA. Recently, the workers engaged in a training program, in partnership with Volo Mission, to practice aerial rescue techniques and learn how to respond to emergencies.
Pilots and 18 transmission field workers across the island earned certification to perform rescues in remote areas. In addition, LUMA collaborated with the fire department to train the participants in aerial firefighting to protect transmission towers and critical power lines. They also learned helicopter safety during the training program. To learn more, look for a future feature article in T&D World magazine.
T&D World has shared stories of construction projects and best practices for decades to help its readers and subscribers to discover innovative work methods and technologies. For the cover story of the February 2025 print magazine, we featured the article, "Dominion Powers Through Tough Terrain."
A narrated version of the article is now part of our ICYMI series on the Line Life Podcast platform. The audio story shares how the utility overcame numerous challenges while rebuilding its Mt. Storm to Valley line. For example, the construction team faced access challenges due to extreme mountainous terrain, limited roads and multiple stream crossings. Other issues included environmental mitigation and changing regulations. During the project, the crews replaced more than 260 structures in remote terrain.
Bobby Capehart and Matthew Vinson of Dominion Energy Inc. authored the article, which is also available on the T&D World website. If you have comments on this article or thoughts on other stories we should narrate for our ICYMI series, please email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Field Editor for T&D World magazine.
T&D Talk is a special series on the T&D World Line Life podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety.
For Part 1 of our new three-part series sponsored by Southwire, we are featuring the episode, “Empowering DEMCO: The Role of Southwire’s Data Analytics in Grid Management.” It features two guests: Mark Phillips, chief engineering and operations officer for Dixie Electric Membership Corporation (DEMCO), a member-owned, Louisiana-based electric cooperative and Ray Kasten, vice president of digital solutions for Southwire.
Southwire's data analytics platform has become an indispensable tool for DEMCO, particularly for measuring and enhancing grid performance. By leveraging advanced analytics, DEMCO can gain insights into various aspects of grid operations, from identifying potential issues to optimizing performance. This proactive approach helps maintain a reliable and efficient grid, ensuring that customers receive uninterrupted service.
To learn more about the episode, visit the T&D World podcast page.
This Line Life Podcast episode highlights the 25-year career of Jon Backman, an IBEW journeyman lineworker, troubleman for Puget Sound Energy and founder of Making Connections, LLC. The graduate of Northwest Lineman College started in the line trade in the utility line clearance program before joining an apprenticeship program at a municipality in Washington State. When he topped out as a journeyman, he worked as a lineworker for a PUD in Washington State and then moved to Puget Sound Energy to work as a troubleman or electric first responder. In his current role, he responds to storms and outages and serves his community.
To learn more about Jon, read his profile in the April 2025 Lineworker Focus department and his article about RFI troubleshooting coming up in T&D World's May 2025 Electric Utility Operations section. If you know of a journeyman lineworker we should consider profiling in Lineworker Focus and have as a guest on our Line Life Podcast, email me at amyfischbach@gmail.com. Also, listen and subscribe to the Line Life Podcast at linelife.podbean.com to become part of our community.
Our latest episode in our In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) series takes us to New York, where the New York Power Authority (NYPA) is streamlining its maintenance program with AI technology to detect anomalies and prioritize tasks in the field.
This article, which was originally published in the March 2025 issue of T&D World magazine, explores how the utility is using drones and cameras to capture visual data, which is then analyzed by AI-driven computer vision technology. This technology expedites inspections by analyzing vast numbers of images quickly to detect issues, said Atena Darvishi, R&D director for NYPA.
To learn more about the technology, go to theT&D World website to read the full article online. You can also check out another narrated story in our ICYMI series about NYPA: "Line Monitoring, New York Style" on our Line Life Podcast platform. Also, if your utility is using technology in an innovative way, we want to hear about it. Email Field Editor Amy Fischbach with your story of how your utility is improving safety and productivity in the field through the use of technology. Thanks for listening and subscribing to the Line Life Podcast!
For Part 8 of our Faces of the Future podcast series, we are highlighting Luis Gutierrez, an underground apprentice for ComEd in Chicago. During the episode, Luis describes what it's like to work in manholes as part of the underground crew, how he is learning new skills at ComEd's underground training center and what he sees in the future for the line trade. He also shares his safety strategies while working underground and tips for success in an apprenticeship.
To learn more about Luis, check out the March 2024 Faces of the Future department in T&D World magazine. If you'd like to nominate an apprentice lineworker for the Faces of the Future department and related podcast series, send an email to amyfischbach@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!
Tree crews and lineworkers often work side by side, especially following storms. This T&D World Line Life Podcast episode explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) on utility vegetation management and the electric utility industry.
Guests include Phil Swart of Clearway Industries; Jason Grossman, manager of vegetation management for Liberty Utilities and Lawrence Kahn, adjunct professor at Tulane University Law School.
To learn more about UVM, subscribe to T&D World's Vegetation Management & Wildfire Mitigation enewsletter and check out our June 2025 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement, published in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). Also, make plans to attend the 2025 Trees & Utilities Conference presented by the UAA and Arbor Day Foundation Sept. 9 to 11 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Brian Lozano, a journeyman lineworker for Midwest Energy, shares his story of working on the line in Hays, Kansas. The 28-year-old father of two started working for a contractor in Colorado in 2016, and six years later, he moved to central Kansas to work for Midwest Energy.
In his service territory, he responds to wind and tornadoes, but he has also provided mutual aid when he worked for a contractor. He says it's rewarding to help communities in need and work with other lineworkers to get the lights back on. He says in the line trade, safety is very important, and he strives to work safely to come home to his family every night.
To learn more about Brian, who competed for the first time at the 2024 International Lineman's Rodeo, check out the March 2025 "Focus: a Lineworker's View" department in T&D World magazine.
This episode of the Line Line Podcast takes us to Nebraska, where Brittany Grammer is studying to become a lineworker at Northeast Community College. Todd Pfeil, an instructor of the Utility Line Courses and an alumnus from the program, shares the story of the 36-year-old mother of four and the only woman in her class of 48 future utility lineworkers. The episode, which is part of our ICYMI series, is narrated from Todd's story, "Training on the Line" in our February 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in T&D World magazine.
For Part 7 of our Faces of the Future series for the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring Bryce Zahn, an apprentice lineworker for Capital Electric Line Builders. For this episode, he shares his story about restoring power following Hurricane Helene and spending two weeks in North Carolina helping Duke Energy get the lights back on following flooding and mudslides. Bryce describes what it was like to stay in a man camp in a semi with a separate bed space, air conditioning and a sleeping bag after working 16-hour work days.
At the end of the episode, you'll hear from his 10-year-old son, Caleb, who competed with his two brothers in the first annual International Power Line Kids Rodeo, hosted by Missouri Valley JATC and Buckingham Manufacturing. Caleb, who wants to follow in his dad's footsteps and become a lineworker one day, prepared for the event by climbing trees. He said he was happy to have his dad back from storm duty in North Carolina just in time for the International Lineman's Rodeo Week.
Bryce is also featured in our December 2024 Faces of the Future department in T&D World magazine. View our playlist on the Line Life Podcast YouTube channel to listen to other apprentices in our Faces of the Future podcast series.
Apprentice lineworkers, if you're interested in being featured in a future Faces of the Future department, fill out this online form and email a photo of yourself working out in the field to amyfischbach@gmail.com. Journeyman lineworkers and field supervisors are highlighted in our Lineworker Focus department. We look forward to hearing from you!
Lineworkers and their loved ones came from all over the world to celebrate the line trade at the 40th anniversary of the International Lineman's Rodeo. While the competition is always the Super Bowl of the line trade, participants can enjoy several days of camaraderie and networking before the competition even begins on the Rodeo grounds.
Every December, T&D World celebrates this event not only online and in social media, but also in its December print issue. This year, we featured one article on the winners, which we recently narrated for our ICYMI series for this episode, and another article exploring the events of Rodeo Week from the Safety and Training Conference to the Trade Night. Listen to this audio story to hear about how lineworkers learned to stay safe during the one-and-a-half-day conference, explored tools and technologies at the Lineman's Expo and swapped shirts and stories during Trade Night.
Also, stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to listen to future episodes featuring interviews from the trade show floor in the T&D World booth with special guests in the line trade. If you want to be on a future episode, email us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.
As we continue airing new Faces of the Future podcast episodes in 2025, we are kicking off the New Year with an episode highlighting Lexie Bryant, apprentice lineworker for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). Five years ago, she won the International Lineman's Rodeo Association's Jim Hamilton Scholarship, which was sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric.
Today, she works as an apprentice lineworker for OPPD, and she is learning the skills of the line trade. During the interview, she shares how her career plans changed from pursuing a career as a lawyer to a lineworker, and how being in the line trade was the best decision she's ever made. To learn more about Lexie, look for her profile in the February 2025 print issue of T&D World magazine and on our website.
If you have an apprentice lineworker you'd like to nominate for a future department and podcast episode, please email us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.
The International Lineman's Rodeo celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024 with more than 1,000 competitors. Listen to the narrated version of the article, "2024 Lineman's Rodeo Roundup" from the December 2024 print issue of T&D World magazine to hear all about the winners of the events across the apprentice and journeyman divisions. Congratulations to all the competitors, especially those who crossed the awards stage at the annual banquet.
In addition to providing an overview of the events at the 2024 competition, this episode includes a special shout-out to lineworkers with musical excerpts from Blane Howard, a Nashville independent recording artist, singer and songwriter. He kicked off the International Lineman's Rodeo awards banquet by singing parodies of famous country songs with lyrics focused on the hard-working line trade. To see the video of his performance, visit our YouTube channel for the Line Life Podcast.
Lineworkers and your families, we look forward to seeing you at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week from Oct. 15-18, 2025. Learn more by visiting the website.
As LUMA Energy continues to improve resiliency and power reliability on the island of Puerto Rico, the utility is training new apprentices to work alongside its field workforce. In June 2021, Quanta Services Inc. and ATCO launched LUMA Energy through a joint venture.
To train tomorrow's workforce and meet the need for more lineworkers, they later brought in a Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship program to replace the existing in-house training by the previous administration. During this Line Life Podcast episode, Lindsey Petteplace, LUMA's workforce transition manager and Jorge Olivero, apprenticeship coordinator for operations for LUMA, share the story of how the program has continued to evolve to prepare the apprentices for long-term and financially rewarding careers in the line trade.
These apprentices study and train at LUMA College, a chapter of Northwest Lineman College in Puerto Rico. At the training facility, they learn how to scale everything from wood to steel to concrete and fiberglass poles and train on the TransBanker mobile transformer training simulator. After they successfully finish the 13-week Utility Lineman Program, they then start working in the field on projects to power Puerto Rico.
The final episode of 2024 highlights those who have given back to their communities. It begins with an interview with John Andrews of Prysmian, which donated $25,000 to Hurricane Helene relief efforts and sent a truck full of necessary supplies to help those affected by the hurricane in South Carolina. It also features a narrated version of an online article about how Ameren Illinois lineworkers set up wire spools in a sensory garden at a local animal shelter.
This episode also features an interview with Paul Koehler and Jason Novak, lineworkers for Ameren Illinois, who talk about how the line trade came together in 2024 to support the Climbin4kids fundraising program and how they can continue to donate in 2025. Finally, we are featuring a brief overview of the Digging for a Cure campaign sponsored by Terex Utilities at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo and a recap of Salt River Project's holiday toy drive to brighten the holidays for children in the community.
If you are a lineworker who is giving back to your community, we'd love to hear about it. Reach out to us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com.
Part 2 of our series featuring guest Peter Fuhr of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory explores the drone research underway at ORNL. He shares the story about testing the technology at EPB in Tennessee and describes how the drones are not only capturing imagery but can also measure electromagnetic fields and the sounds of arcing.
Through an ORNL research project called Autonomous Information Measurement Systems and Systems (AIMS), drones can communicate with one another to identify a problem on the grid. For example, a scout drone can first fly out to take images, and then if necessary, call out a specialist drone to take more measurements to determine whether or not it's necessary for a line truck to roll out to the location to make repairs. As such, it helps save time for a utility's field workforce.
For more information, check out Part 1 of this interview series and stay tuned for an article about this research and technology in T&D World magazine in 2025.
For our 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, we featured the article, "Problem Solvers." To bring a narrated version of this article to life so our readers can listen to this story on the go, we are featuring it as a two-part audio story series for our Line Life Podcast on Podbean.
The first part highlighted Robert Seekell, who has seven patents; the lineworker who invented the Hook Holster and James Coleman of Meta Design Manufacturing and Gabe Dowdy of Pinnacle Power Services. To listen to Part 1, click here.
The second part of this ICYMI series features two lineworkers-turned-inventors: Bruce Thompson of Effective Safety Products, who invented the StepUp to allow lineworkers to improve pole positioning and Tim Barat of Gridware, who worked with UC-Berkeley alums to invent the Gridscope to monitor the grid for faults and wildfires. To read the full story, visit the T&D World website.
For many years, electric utilities have used drones to inspect infrastructure and assess damage during storm response. Listen to this episode to hear Peter Fuhr, the technical director of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), discuss the latest research on drone technology and how it can help utilities to save time in the field, reduce truck rolls and take a proactive approach to maintenance.
For Part 1, you'll first learn about Peter's first-hand experience with Hurricane Helene in Florida and his background as an apprentice lineworker in Minnesota. He'll also give an overview of the evolution of drone technology that inspired new research at ORNL.
Tune in to Part 2 in the near future to hear Peter take a deeper dive into the research and learn how far drone technology has come in the world of electric utilities.
The narrated version of the final article of the 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, "Problem Solvers," showcases former and current lineworkers and their inventions for the line trade. Part 1 highlights Robert Seekell, who holds seven U.S. patents for his products; James Coleman, owner of Pinnacle Power Services, who partners with his lineworkers on inventions through his design firm, Meta Design Manufacturing; and a journeyman lineworker and inventor of the Hook Holster.
In the near future, look for Part 2, which will feature Bruce Thompson, a retired SCE foreman and owner of Effective Safety Products, who created the StepUp to improve work positioning on poles; and Tim Barat, a lineworker turned inventor and CEO who is helping utilities to monitor their systems for faults and wildfires through his company, Gridware. You can also listen to interview-style episodes featuring Bruce and Tim at linelife.podbean.com or read the full article on the T&D World website.
For the Line Life Podcast, we are continuing our International Lineman's Rodeo Week series with a focus on Trade Night and the International Lineman's Rodeo. The night before the big competition, lineworkers and their families swap shirts and stories during the annual Trade Night and BBQ. The next morning, they head to Bonner Springs, Kansas, to compete in the pole climb, hurtman rescue and two mystery events. By listening to the episode, you can hear the voices of lineworkers at Trade Night and the competitors and supporters on the Rodeo grounds.
For more Rodeo coverage, stay tuned to the T&D World website and check out the December print issue of T&D World magazine, which features articles about the 2024 International Lineman's Rodeo Week. Thanks for listening!
For our latest audio story in our ICYMI series, we are featuring a narrated version of the third article in the 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, "Lineworkers to Leaders." This article explores how lineworkers can make the move from the field to the corporate world by owning their own companies or rising into executive management.
The story highlights Aaron Palmer of AMP Utility Company, LLC; Tim Greenwood of Powerline Construction Services, LLC and Patrick Smith of Ameren Illinois. It also offers Chad Dubea's eight tips for launching a successful business in the line trade and Smith's advice for aspiring executives.
To read the full article on the T&D World website, click here.
The International Lineman's Expo brings vendors and lineworkers together on the show floor at the Overland Park Convention Center. Lineworkers can try out new tools and technologies and voice their opinions on what works and doesn't work regarding products for the line trade. For 2024, the event had a record number of exhibitors, which showcased everything from workwear and PPE to power tools and more.
This episode features the voices of Sam Posa, sales manager for Endeavor Business Media, who works with the exhibitors at the Expo; Scott Woodruff, an apprentice at Eversource Connecticut who was attending Rodeo Week for the first time; Greg Holmes, formerly of Huskie Tools, the sponsor of the Line Life Podcast; and Bruce Thompson, a long-time Rodeo competitor and new exhibitor at the Expo.
For more information, check out a video and photo gallery from the Lineman's Expo, and look for Part 3 of this series to air soon for the Line Life Podcast. We will also feature 2024 Lineman's Rodeo coverage in our December 2024 print magazine and on our website.
For the second part of the audio story, "Lighting the Way for the Line Trade," from the 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, we are featuring more lineworkers who are making a difference in their communities.
By listening to the episode, you can learn about Chad Dubea, the founder of the Fallen Linemen Organization, who was recently inducted into the National Lineman Hall of Fame. You can also hear about Melissa Dawe, who is not only an apprentice lineworker, but also a volunteer firefighter. Finally, you can listen to how Paul Koehler and Jason Novak, journeymen lineworkers for Ameren Illinois, are raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through Climbin4kids. At the end of the episode, we feature an interview with Paul and Jason at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo and include ways you can donate your time and talents to support the causes and give back. Read the full story on the T&D World website.
Every year, the International Lineman's Rodeo Association (ILRA), in partnership with its sponsors, presents a free one-and-a-half day Lineman's Rodeo Safety and Training conference for attendees. This year, the speakers focused on the importance of staying hydrated, recognizing the dangers of heat stress and being situationally aware.
During this episode, you can hear from a few of the ILRA organizers and presenters of the 2024 conference. For more information, stay tuned to T&D World's website in the near future to view a photo gallery and videos from this event. Lineworkers, thanks for staying safe out in the field!
For the first part of our audio story, "Lighting the Way for the Line Trade," in our ICYMI series, we are featuring two volunteer projects involving lineworkers: Light Up Navajo, sponsored by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and American Public Power Association, and the NRECA electrification project in Guatemala.
By listening to this episode, you can hear how two lineworkers: Arthur William Muñoz of Salt River Project in Arizona and Billy Patterson of CKEnergy Electric Cooperative in Oklahoma donated their time and talents to help provide first-time power to communities both at home and overseas.
Stay tuned to Part 2 to hear the stories of Chad Dubea, Melissa Dawe, Jason Novak and Paul Koehler and how they are lighting the way for the line trade.
Stop by T&D World Booth #73 at this week's International Lineman's Expo to pick up your copy of the 2024 Lineworker Supplement to read this story or check it out online. Also, swing by the booth to participate in a live podcast recording, and we will feature you on a future episode. Line Life Podcast listeners, we look forward to seeing you in Kansas City for Rodeo Week!
Hurricane Helene hit the southeastern United States just two weeks before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida. For this special episode of the Line Life Podcast, listen to lineworkers and field managers for Duke Energy talk about the storm response in the Carolinas from working with helicopters to bringing in a mobile substation and providing power to a VA hospital.
For more information about the storm response to both hurricanes, stay tuned to T&D World's website, which features a photo gallery from the Hurricane Helene restoration and storm updates.
Lineworkers, if you want to be part of a future Line Life Podcast episode about the hurricane response, email us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com. You can also fill out this form to enter to win a new Storm Jaw from Huskie Tools, the sponsor of the Line Life Podcast. Pick up your Huskie Heroes T-shirt in Booth #617 at the International Lineman's Expo and make sure you stop by the T&D World Booth #73. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City for the International Lineman's Rodeo Week. Stay safe out there!
Tree crews often work alongside lineworkers, especially during storm response, when arborists clear the roads ahead of line crews. For a special episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are highlighting guest Dennis Fallon, executive director of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA). The UAA partners with T&D World on the annual Vegetation Management supplement.
Field Editor Amy Fischbach interviewed Dennis during the Trees & Utilities conference in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, Texas, for the 25th anniversary of the event. The conference, which is presented by the UAA and the Arbor Day Foundation, brings together utility vegetation management (UVM) professionals from across the country for three days of networking and education.
For more information, check out the photo gallery from the event or visit the website.
The International Lineman's Museum started in 1996 in Shelby, North Carolina, in a display case at American Safety Corporation. Over the years, as the collection of historic photos, tools and signs grew, the exhibits moved upstairs into a 2,000-sq-ft space. In mid-2025, the museum, Lineman's Hall of Fame and FLO's memorial statue will have a new home in Leesburg, Florida. To hear Andy Price, the museum's founder, share his story about the collection and what to expect at the new location, listen to this episode and visit the website.
With the 40th anniversary of the International Lineman's Rodeo only a few weeks away, we are airing the audio version of the story, "Cheers to 40 Years," from the September 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement. This story explores the history of the event and how volunteers come together each year to provide a week of fun, competition and camaraderie for the line trade. Pick up your copy of the supplement at the Expo, read the story online and stop by the T&D World Booth #73 to participate in a podcast recording. We look forward to seeing you there!
For Part 2 of our series featuring Chad Dubea, we are highlighting the Fallen Linemen Organization (FLO), which helps families of wounded or fallen lineworkers in their time of need. After working in the line trade, Chad was looking for a way to give back to the industry he loved, and he founded the FLO to help families of lineworkers.
During the episode, we also explore his role as the executive director of the 2016 movie, "Life on the Line," starring John Travolta and Sharon Stone, as well as his work to promote the line trade through the Drivin' for Linemen 200 NASCAR truck race.
In addition, he describes the plans for moving the bronze lineworker memorial statue to Florida, the new home of the International Lineman's Museum. To learn more, stay tuned for a future Line Life Podcast episode featuring Andy Price, the founder of the International Lineman's Museum.
Also, check out the 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, which features Chad in two stories: Lineworkers to Leaders and Lineworkers Light the Way in the Line Trade. You can read the digital edition here.
Finally, don't miss Part 1, in which Chad shares his tips for lineworkers to start a business in the line trade.
The August 2024 cover story of T&D World is now an audio story in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast. The article, authored by Lewis Bates of SSEN, shares how a combination of drones, robots and specially designed visual signals can divert birds from Scottish power lines.
To protect its power grid from birds, SSEN Transmission installed a visual warning to allow birds to alter their flight path. The Scottish utility worked with FulcrumAir to install the Power Line Sentry Hawk Eye BFD diverters by robot and drone.
To read the full story, go to T&D World's website.
For our Line Life Podcast, we will soon resume with more episodes in our "Faces of the Future" series highlighting apprentice lineworkers. In the meantime, we are featuring the first part of a two-part series featuring Chad Dubea, a journeyman lineworker, the former CEO of T&D Solutions, founder of the Fallen Lineman Organization (FLO) and executive director of "Life on the Line," a movie about the line trade starring John Travolta.
The first part will focus on his experiences growing up in the utility industry and his early years as a lineworker. After starting his own contracting company, he is now helping lineworkers, both union and non-union, to launch their own businesses. He shares tips and strategies for lineworkers to launch successful companies to serve the utility industry.
Learn more by picking up a copy of the September 2024 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, which features the article, "Lineworkers to Leaders," at T&D World's booth #73 at the 2024 International Lineman's Rodeo this October. We look forward to seeing you there, and having you as a guest on the Line Life Podcast.
Duquesne Light Company (DLC), a utility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, aimed to improve underground cable monitoring. The company opted to conduct an open innovation challenge, and it shared its story in the July 2024 issue of T&D World magazine.
The article, which was authored by Kartik Ganjoo, Josh Gould, Dave Montz and Richard Sapporito of DLC, is now part of our In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) series for the Line Life podcast. Learn more about the project by reading the full article on the website.
Kendra Secerin, an apprentice power line technician for Hydro One, first went to college for electrical, and then she moved into the power line program, loved it and has been working in the trade ever since. As a Level 4 apprentice, she is working on a transmission crew and has the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. She was the first woman to graduate from both the electrical and power line program at St. Clair College, and she is now on a committee to encourage more women to join the trades.
For more information about Kendra, look for the Faces of the Future department in T&D World's field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the October 2024 issue and online at www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations. If you have an apprentice lineworker you would like to nominate for a future department, send an email to amyfischbach@gmail.com.
Utility professionals looking to work as consultants or trade allies after retiring should start planning now, according to the article, "Taking the Next Step in Your Utility Career," which originally appeared in our June 2024 Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World.
This article, which is now available as part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, is authored by Mike Zappone of Tempest Utility Consulting. He shares the stories of three recent retirees from the utility industry and their journey from working full-time to consultants: Anthony Hurley, who retired from FirstEnergy's Jersey Central Power & Light; Philip Wright, the former vice president of distribution operations for Appalachian Power; and Carlos Torres, who retired from his position as vice president of emergency preparedness and business resilience at Consolidated Edison. They discuss best practices and pitfalls to avoid when making the transition from working for utility companies to making their own way in the consulting world.
Our Faces of the Future podcast series continues with Melissa Dawe, an apprentice lineworker for Connect Atlantic Utility Services in Canada. She first discovered the trade as a traffic controller when she saw the Nova Scotia Power line crews in action. After enrolling in a Utility Line Work Construction and Maintenance course at a community college, she joined her local union and pursued a career in the trade.
As a fourth-year apprentice, she is now looking forward to earning her journeyman ticket and inspiring the next generation of women lineworkers.
To learn more about Melissa, check out her profile in T&D World magazine as part of our Faces of the Future department or look for the article, "Lighting the Way for the Line Trade" in our September 2024 Lineworker Supplement.
The May 2024 cover story of T&D World, "The Winds of Change for St. Lucia's Electric Grid," is now an audio story in our In Case You Missed It series for the Line Life podcast. In the article, Randall Wood and Mike Allison of Power Engineers, Inc. describe the major hurricanes that have hit the region in the past and then share how St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd. (LUCELEC) is focusing on grid resiliency and reliability when faced with bigger and stronger storms. Click here to read the article online.
For Part 3 of our Faces of the Future series for the T&D World Line Life Podcast, we are shining the spotlight on Joshua Hohenberg, apprentice lineworker at Evergy. He started out his career as a superintendent carpenter before launching his career in the line trade on the contractor side. He then walked on for a Boot Camp at Evergy to get his foot in the door. During this episode, he shares the story about restoring power following a tornado, when roofs were ripped off from homes. He also talks about the day in his life as an apprentice for Evergy and how he's learning how to be safe and productive in the field.
For this episode in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, we are featuring the story, "A Slice of Life in the Florida Keys," which was originally published in the May 2024 Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine. The story was written by Arborist Jason Richards, who oversees the vegetation management program for Florida Keys Electric Cooperative (FKEC).
In the story, Richards shares how FKEC connects with the local community on vegetation management. To learn more about vegetation management, check out T&D World's Vegetation Management Supplement, which is published in partnership with the Utility Arborist Association (UAA).
Part 2 of our Faces of the Future series for the Line Life Podcast takes us to western Kansas, where Theron Tucker is a fourth-year apprentice about to top out as a journeyman at Midwest Energy. Tucker, who competed at the International Lineman's Rodeo for the first time in 2023, was the PLP's Armor Rod Install Challenge champion at the 2023 International Lineman's Expo.
After graduating from Northwest Lineman College, he landed a job at his utility close to his hometown. During this episode, he talks about how his experience growing up on a ranch and operating farm equipment helped him in his career in the line trade.
To learn more about Theron, check out his profile, which appeared in T&D World magazine in our new Faces of the Future department. If you have an apprentice you would like to nominate for this department, email amyfischbach@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.
In May 2024, T&D World not only included articles about wildfire mitigation in the annual Wildfire Supplement, but also in the print issue of themagazine. For this In Case You Missed It episode on the Line LIfe Podcast platform, we are featuring an audio version of the article, "Cutting Wildfire Risk."
In this story, Thuan Tran, Jesse Rorabaugh and Andrew Swisher of Southern California Edison (SCE) share how their utility is taking a multi-layered approach to effectively mitigating the wildfire challenge. For example, SCE is driving down the wildfire threat by hardening the grid to avoid or prevent faults that can result in potential ignitions.
Learn more by listening to the narrated version of this story on Podbean or reading the article on the T&D World website.
To honor the up-and-coming lineworkers in the line trade, we launched a new department called Faces of the Future in T&D World magazine. Through this new podcast series, you can now hear the voices of these apprentices, who talk about their inspiration for working in the trade and their experiences learning on the job.
The first up is Zackery Gough, a fourth-year apprentice for Pedernales Electric Cooperative in Texas. Zack won the apprentice division not once, but twice, at the International Lineman's Rodeo, and he's eligible to compete in the division once again this October. He talks about training at Northwest Lineman College, working in the intense Texas summer heat and working out in the field to keep the lights on for his community.
To learn more about Zack, you can read his online profile, which appeared in T&D World magazine.
For our latest episode in our In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) series for our Line Life Podcast on Podbean, we are showcasing a narrated version of T&D World's April 2024 cover story, "LUMA Embarks on Island-Wide Work Plan."
This article explores how LUMA Energy is aiming to boost reliability and resiliency by focusing on vegetation clearing, automation and substation modernization in Puerto Rico.
For more information, you can listen to a recent two-part series on our Line Life Podcast on Podbean featuring Dr. Shay Bahamirad, senior vice president T&D Strategy and Sustainability for LUMA Energy.
Part 1: LUMA's Power Grid Transformation in Puerto Rico
Part 2: LUMA's Island-Wide Work Plan in Puerto Rico
We also published the article, "Powering Puerto Rico," in our 2023 Lineworker Supplement, and it is available as an audio story in our ICYMI series.
Bruce Thompson, a retired journeyman lineworker, has worked for Southern California Edison and line contractors nationwide. After serving as a line foreman and training crew foreman, he invented a new product called the Step-Up to help fellow lineworkers to get in proper positioning when working on poles.
During this episode, he shares his story about going to work with his dad, a lineworker, in Florida; working across the country in the line trade; training the next generation of lineworkers; and inventing a product to help lineworkers to improve safety and efficiency in the field.
For this audio story in our ICYMI series for T&D World's Line Life Podcast, we are featuring the February 2024 cover story, "Line Monitoring, New York Style." The story, which was written by Alan Ettlinger, senior director of research, technology development and innovation at New York Power Authority (NYPA), describes how the utility is using fiber-optic sensing, based on the principles of distributed acoustic sensing, to identify power line conditions in real time. Click here to read the article on T&D World's website.
For Part 1 of our new Problem Solvers series for the Line Life Podcast, we are highlighting Tim Barat, who worked as a sparky (electrician) before training to become a liney (lineworker) in Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
While working in the line trade in 2009, Tim experienced Black Saturday, a day he will never forget. Wildfires took the lives of 173 people, injured 414, burned half a million acres, consumed 3,500 buildings and killed more than 1 million animals.
The wildfires impacted him personally and professionally and changed the course of his career. He moved from Australia to California, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California-Berkeley.
Tim and two other UC Berkeley alumni, Hall Chen and Abdulrahman Bin Omar, then invented Gridscope. Lineworkers install the device on transmission and distribution poles to provide continuous real-time asset monitoring even during outages. After securing a patent, the team founded the company, Gridware.
Listen to this episode to learn how Tim built his own electrical grid in California to test the technology and how he and his team took the product from a concept to reality.
In the aftermath of a fatal tornado in Mayfield, Kentucky, Mayfield Electric & Water Systems navigated devastation and outages. By listening to this narrated version of an article, which is part of T&D World's In Case You Missed It series, General Superintendent Marty T. Ivy shares how his utility was able to swiftly respond after a tornado with wind speeds reaching up to 190 miles per hour demolished nearly 500 homes, killed 22 people and knocked out power to most residents. To read the online story, published in the March 2024 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine, click here.
Jason Mendoza, a journeyman lineworker for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), served in the military before pursuing a career in the line trade. After working for utilities in the Midwest, he and his family moved to California, where he is now on a transmission crew at SDG&E. Listen to this episode to hear his stories of working from a helicopter and undergoing barehand training at his utility.
At Salt River Project, the transmission group strives to work smarter, not harder. After identifying tasks in pole maintenance and construction with room for improvement, JD Newham, transmission group supervisor for SRP, worked with LineWise, a product development company, to invent specialized tools to help the line crews improve productivity and safety. Read the full story published in the Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine here.
Milton Draper, a journeyman lineworker and foreman for Ameren Illinois, married into a family of lineworkers. After working in the construction industry, he has worked in the line trade for the last 15 years, and he currently runs a three-member crew with two apprentices. He also divides his time between his work in the field and mentoring the next generation of lineworkers at the training center. In addition to being a lineworker, he has also been married for 15 years and is the father of two children: Preston (9) and Vivienne (6). His son, Preston, is also featured on this episode of the Line Life Podcast.
In this ICYMI episode, three top journeyman teams share their tips, techniques and memories from years of competition at the International Lineman's Rodeo. The event, which will mark its 40th anniversary in 2024, gives lineworkers and their families the opportunity to come together to celebrate the line trade. Listen to this Line Life Podcast episode to learn more about:
- Two-Time Champs: the Southern California team of Ramon Garcia, Jacob Lybbert and Wil Robinson
- Florida Trio: the JEA team of Robert Hess, Michael Corbitt and Brian Gregg
- Carolina Competitors: the Duke Energy team of Sandy Barnhill, Jay Tipton and Keith Griffin
For more information about the Lineman's Rodeo, check out the website. We look forward to seeing you this October in Kansas City!
Kris Onda, a fourth-step apprentice for CORE Electric Cooperative in Conifer, Colorado, is an International Lineman's Rodeo competitor and the first lineworker in his family. During this episode, he talks about focusing on wildfire mitigation and wildlife protection and servicing his cooperative's members living on cliffs up in the mountains.
He also shares his experiences with the International Lineman's Rodeo, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024. Learn more at linemansrodeokc.com. Also check out the Spotlight on the Line Trade featuring Kris and Part 1 of our recent Lineman's Rodeo-themed episode, which highlights Kris and other competitors and supporters.
This narrated version of the third article in the September 2023 T&D World Lineworker Supplement, "Powering Puerto Rico," explores how LUMA's lineworkers are building a next-generation electrical system to increase grid resiliency and reliability.
The audio story is a follow-up to the two-part Line Life Podcast series featuring Dr. Shay Bahramirad, senior vice president, T&D, Strategy and Sustainability, for LUMA. It is also a precursor to a brand new article, LUMA Embarks on Island-Wide Work Plan," which will appear in the April 2024 issue of T&D World.
To read the online version of the "Powering Puerto Rico" story, visit the T&D World website.
This Line Life Podcast episode features two special women who have made their mark on the line trade.
Susan Blaser, the lead line technician program coordinator at Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City, spent 21 years at Kansas City Power & Light (now Evergy) as a journeyman lineworker and in the training department before joining MCC 15 years ago to prepare the next generation of lineworkers for careers in the line trade.
The second interview features Corry Ruch, a power line technician for Hydro One and an International Lineman's Rodeo competitor who has been working in the field for the last 35 years.
For this In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) episode, we are featuring the second article in the 2023 Lineworker Supplement, "Training Women on the Line."
This narrated article provides four strategies for electric utilities to attract, train and retain female lineworkers. It also gives tips for women to succeed in the line trade and reflects on the history and future of female lineworkers.
Click here to read the full story, which appeared in T&D World's 2023 Lineworker Supplement. Also, be sure to check out the Line Life Podcast's four-part "Women on the Line" series on Podbean to learn more about the women mentioned in the narrated article including Joanne Ward, Susan Blaser, Alice Lockridge and Randi Blaser.
Nick Cummins, a superintendent for IB Abel, shares his story about working for two decades in the line trade and being the son of a lineworker. He and his father, David "Check Check" Cummins, traveled the country to perform line work. During these projects, Nick learned new strategies and techniques, which he is now sharing with his field crews.
Volunteer lineworkers are bringing first-time electricity to American homeowners through the Light Up Navajo project, organized by the American Public Power Association and the National Utility Tribal Authority.
Listen to this narrated version of an article published in T&D World's 2023 Lineworker Supplement to learn how the line trade is joining forces on the humanitarian project. Lineworkers are constructing new lines on the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah with 300,000 residents and a total of 55,000 homes.
For Part 2 of our two-part series about LUMA, a utility in Puerto Rico, we are shining the spotlight on vegetation management, automation devices and substation work.
Dr. Shay Bahramirad, senior vice president, engineering, asset management and capital programs for LUMA, continues the discussion about the grid modernization projects. For example, the utility's field workforce is clearing right-of-ways, installing new poles and automation devices and modernizing substations damaged by the recent hurricanes.
When severe weather strikes, lineworkers respond as part of mutual assistance programs. For the December 2023 cover story of T&D World, "Make the Most of Mutual Assistance," ComEd shares its best practices for coordinating crews and managing resources during storm restoration and using management teams as part of a utility's restoration strategy.
This episode of ICYMI on the Line Life Podcast platform features a narrated version of this story, which was written by Timothy McThenia, who has more than 36 years of experience in the utility industry. He provides managerial oversight to the ComEd management team, which won the Edison Electric Institute Emergency Response Award for its response to Hurricane Ida in 2021.
This Line Life Podcast episode features guest Dr. Shay Bahramirad, senior vice president of engineering, asset management and capital programs at LUMA Energy, the power company responsible for electric service in Puerto Rico.
With its multiple tens of billions of dollars of investment, rebuilding the electric grid in Puerto Rico is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country and among the most ambitious power industry projects undertaken in this century, according to LUMA.
Listen to the episode to hear how LUMA is increasing resiliency and reliability through grid modernization projects including the deployment of a modern energy management system, an advanced metering infrastructure, island-wide distribution automation and new substations and transmission lines. Also, look for Part 2 of the interview series, which will air on Feb. 16, 2024.
This In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) episode features a narrated audio version of the article, "2023 Lineman's Rodeo Roundup" from the December print issue of T&D World magazine. By listening to the episode, you can learn about some of the top winners in each division and discover more about the record-shattering event, which brings the line trade together for competition and camaraderie.
For more Lineman's Rodeo coverage, visit www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations.
Aspiring lineworkers who want to serve their country and learn the line trade at the same time can join the U.S. Army's Prime Power program through the 249th Engineer Battallion.
By working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army soldiers can train for future careers in line work while serving as soldiers in the military. In this podcast episode, SSG Dalton Kruse, a combat engineer for the U.S. Army, dives into the two options: Army Reserve and active duty.
To learn more, listen to the episode featuring Rustin "Nemo" Owen or read the articles, "Veterans in the Line Trade," or Military Linemen at www.tdworld.com. Also, make sure to email us with your comments on this episode and suggestions for future podcast guests to linelifepodcast@gmail.com.
New for 2024, T&D World is featuring audio stories on the second and fourth Fridays of each month and interview-style episodes on the first and third Fridays. To kick off the "In Case You Missed It" (ICYMI) series, we are featuring an article from the December 2023 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World. This article titled, "Line Trade Unites at 2023 Rodeo Week," was narrated and written by Field Editor Amy Fischbach. Email us with your comments on this episode and suggestions for future guests to linelifepodcast@gmail.com.
This episode of T&D World's Line Life Podcast features Rustin Owen, a U.S. Army veteran who has worked in the power industry for 20 years. Rustin started working in the line trade in the U.S. Army's Prime Power Unit. During his time with the military, he traveled the world providing power to U.S. forces and helping in natural disasters. He was also one of the founders of the U.S. Army Power Line Distribution Course to train Army lineworkers.
Rustin competed at the International Lineman's Rodeo before serving on the sidelines for the International Lineman's Rodeo Association safety committee. He also worked as a safety professional for an IOU before moving on to his current role at Honeywell Salisbury.
David Mendonca worked in the line trade as a lineworker for 16 years before founding the Show Up Dad Foundation. He is a husband and father of three who is helping other dads in the line trade to reignite engagement with their families. He is also the host of the Show Up Dad podcast, which has two special series: the Lineman Chronicles and Marriage on the Line, Lifeline. His show, which is available on all major platforms, releases new episodes each Monday. His podcast is also aired on a national radio show.
Lineworkers must work in challenging conditions and in the middle of the night to keep the lights on for customers. During one special week each year, however, line families can come together to celebrate the line trade at the International Lineman's Rodeo.
This episode shines the spotlight on line families. It features interviews with Crystal Tompkins, the wife of a Jackson EMC senior team competitor and Eddie (Frank) Hutter, the dad of David, a Duke Progress apprentice lineworker. It also features the voices of line kids including Kale Lindquist; Esteban and Isabella Byrd; Preston Draper; Kipton Koehler and Bristol Novak.
In addition, this episode features a segment on the Climbin for Kids program, which is organized by Ameren Illinois to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Lineworker Paul Koehler, who recently lost his daughter, Guiliana, to childhood cancer, speaks out about how the program helped him and his family. He also shares how the line trade can continue to support the fundraiser to help other families.
If you would like to donate to the Climbin for Kids fundraiser, you can email Climbinforkids@ameren.com or visit the new page on Instagram or the fundraising website.
The 2023 International Lineman's Rodeo shattered records across the board with 1,316 competitors, 292 teams, 440 apprentices, 541 judges and 100 volunteers. To bring the event coverage to life, we conducted live interviews in our T&D World booth at the Lineman's Expo.
Everyone from line kids to competitors and event judges stopped by our booth to share their stories about why they were participating in the Lineman's Rodeo Week.
Part 1 features interviews with competitors and supporters, while Part 2, which will air in November 2023, will focus on the line families and the Climbin for Kids fundraiser. Visit the T&D World website for more event coverage and to see a photo gallery of those featured in this episode, visit https://tdworld.com/21275912
For our latest episode of T&D Talk, a special series on the T&D World Line Life podcast channel, we are focusing on the installation of high-voltage transmission lines. Our guest is Randy Denmon, director of high-voltage services for Southwire. He has been in the industry for 25 years and is responsible for the safe, quality installation of 69 kV through 500 kV underground transmission projects. For more information, visit Southwire's website or T&D World's website.
With the 2023 International Lineman's Rodeo Week right around the corner, we are building excitement for the competition with a Line Life podcast episode highlighting a past championship team. Two years ago, Duke Energy's journeyman lineworker team of Sandy Barnhill, Jay Tipton and Keith Griffin rose to the top of the competition and won the championship title. The trio share their memories from their years of competing at the Rodeo. For them, the Rodeo is both a time for competition and to spend time with their families and friends in the line trade.
Flame-resistant (FR) clothing can be lineworkers' last line of defense against arc flash hazards. To help our field readers stay safe in the field, T&D World is devoting a T&D Talk podcast episode to the proper care, use and maintenance of FR clothing. Our guest for the September 2023 episode is Derek Sang, senior technical training manager for Bulwark FR. He has been involved in the FR clothing industry in various roles from the service, manufacturing and garment sides of the business for more than 25 years.
In today's electric utility industry, utility companies face many challenges from aging infrastructure to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, they are faced with new opportunities including renewable energy projects and new energy demands, says Seán Adam, vice president of market strategy and innovation for AFL. In our third T&D Talk podcast, Seán explains how Fiber Through the Grid technology will continue transforming the grid both today and in the future. For more information about AFL's Follow the Power approach, visit www.aflglobal.com.
For our August 2023 Line Life Podcast episode, we are highlighting Light Up Navajo, a humanitarian project that launched in 2019. Lineworkers from across the country have volunteered to provide first-time electricity to the homes on the Navajo Nation, a 27,000-square-mile region spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Our guest for this episode is volunteer lineworker Dean Frescholz, section supervisor for Salt River Project.
Ameren Missouri recently installed high-visibility flight diverters on distribution and high-voltage transmission lines over Bagnell Dam at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. With bald eagles flocking to the area, the flight diverters help to prevent collisions with overhead lines.
In other parts of the service territory, lineworkers have installed covers, deterring not only eagles but also other large birds from striking multiple energized phases at the same time. Through its avian protection program, Ameren is not only protecting wildlife but also the integrity of its distribution system.
For T&D World's July 2023 Line Life Podcast, which is sponsored by Huskie Tools, Field Editor Amy Fischbach has a conversation with Kurt Rakers, supervising engineer at Ameren Missouri, about how the utility used drones to install the bird diverters.
T&D Talk is a new special series on our Line Life Podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety.
For our second episode in our T&D Talk podcast series, Ray Kasten, vice president, digital solutions, for Southwire, focuses on digital grid resiliency assessments. With lower O&M dollars and more customers working from home, utilities can conduct a 30-day assessment to measure the health of their network, identify areas of improvement with the highest ROI and improve reliability and resiliency with limited dollars. For more information, visit www.southwire.com.
For the first three parts of our Women on the Line series for our Line Life Podcast, we focused on the history of women in line work. Now we are looking to the future with Part 4, which features Lineworker Randi Blaser of Ameren Illinois. With both a mom and dad in the line trade, Randi grew up in the industry and remembers watching lineworkers compete at the International Lineman's Rodeo as a child. It wasn't until she was in college, however, that she decided she wanted to pursue a career in the trade. She recently topped out at Ameren Illinois, and during this podcast episode, she shares the challenges and opportunities for women in the line trade.
Back in the 1970s, Joanne Ward became interested in non-traditional job roles for women, and she applied for a position as a line crew helper for Seattle City Light, where she later served as a crew chief and crew coordinator. Years after her retirement, she published a poetry book titled, Utility. For Part 3 of our Women on the Line series, Joanne recites some of her poems, including "1978: Affirmative Action," "Utility" and "Cable Terminations." She also shares her memories of working as a high-voltage electrician in substation maintenance and construction and offers tips on crew leadership for women who are currently working in the line trade.
Our guest for the April 2023 Line Life Podcast is Alice Lockridge, who helped to prepare some of the first women lineworkers at Seattle City Light for a career in the line trade. In Part 2 of our Women on the Line series, Alice shares tips on how utilities can attract, train and retain women in the field workforce.
T&D Talk is a new special series on our Line Life Podcast channel. For each episode, companies can share their stories about how they are supporting the electric utility industry. Through their tools, technologies, products and services, they are helping lineworkers and fieldworkers improve their productivity and safety. Episode 1 focuses on the cable rejuvenation process by Southwire Cable Rejuvenation Services, formerly Novinium Underground. It features Wayne Chatterton, director of strategy for the services industry and James Steele, director of engineering, for Southwire. For more information, visit www.southwire.com.
For Women's History Month in March 2023, we are featuring Susan Blaser, the lineman program coordinator at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. Susan was the first journeyman lineworker at Kansas City Power & Light (now Evergy) and she now trains students for future careers in the line trade. In this episode, she shares her experiences about what it was like working as a female lineworker and discusses the opportunities for women in today's field workforce.
Our February 2023 Line Life podcast shines the spotlight on Parker Worth's career and his life on the road as a substation superintendent. He shares his experiences managing large-scale substation projects and also talks about issues including deterring copper theft and wildlife intrusion at substations. During the early part of his career as a journeyman wireman, Worth also traveled the world performing electrical work. He talks about what it was like upgrading electrical systems in 20 different countries and what he learned during his overseas adventures.
About a century ago, lineworkers erected steel lattice towers in Pennsylvania without the heavy equipment and modern tools that line crews have today. In our January 2023 Line Life podcast episode, two project team members from Duquesne Light Company (DLC) describe the process of modernizing this infrastructure with the latest technology and work methods.
The BI-Crescent project began in 2021 and is planned to be wrapped up by 2027. In the early stages of the project, Jason Hartle, former senior project manager; and Meenah Shyu, general manager of engineering, talked about Phase 1, which was completed last summer.
Today, the project has moved on to the second phase, which plans to be completed by May 2023. Line crews are currently replacing 20 structures and about four miles of transmission wire circuit length. To learn more about the project, read the story, "Lineworkers Rebuild Century-Old Infrastructure" on the T&D World Web site at https://tdworld.com/21245988.
For the 2022 International Lineman's Rodeo, a record number of competitors and spectators traveled to Kansas City for a week of competition and camaraderie. This episode, which is sponsored by Huskie Tools, features highlights from the Safety & Training Conference, Lineman's Expo, Trade Night and the Lineman's Rodeo. It includes interviews with competitors, organizers and supporters of the 38th Lineman's Rodeo.
The third and final part of the Veterans in the Line Trade series features an interview with Jonathan Harmon, executive director of the UWUA Power For America Training Trust Fund in Charlotte, Michigan. He describes the opportunities for military veterans in the utility industry, what makes them successful in the trades and how they can get trained for civilian careers at the training center.
Part 2 of our Veterans in the Line Trade podcast episode shines the spotlight on Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC) in Georgia. T&D World Field Editor Amy Fischbach first talks with Jared Anders of SLTC followed by Joey Abdou, a recent Marine veteran who is now working in the line trade.
After serving the country in the military, veterans are exploring careers in the line trade. With their dedication, perseverance and strong work ethic, they can often be successful as lineworkers, where they can continue to serve their communities by keeping the lights and power on for customers.
For our September 2022 Line Life podcast, which is sponsored by Huskie Tools, we are highlighting two employees of Duke Energy, which has won several awards for its support and employment of veterans. The company currently employs 2,000 military veterans, and this episode highlights interviews with Tyler Klemas, senior business development specialist and U.S. Marines veteran, and Troy Ross, an underground network specialist who served in the U.S. Army.
The August 2022 Line Life podcast episode, sponsored by Huskie Tools, focuses on increasing diversity in the line trade. Edison International, in partnership with IBEW Local 47, launched a four-year, $1 million pilot scholarship program in 2021 to promote greater diversity among Southern California Edison’s lineworkers.
Scholarship recipients not only earn free tuition to Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, but through the LA-based nonprofit Brotherhood Crusade, they also receive support services. Once they complete the power line mechanic certificate program, obtain their Class A driver’s license and complete any SCE pre-employment requirements, they are eligible for a groundman entry-level position within SCE’s 50,000-sq-mi service area.
The August 2022 episode features an interview with Djon Greer, a 2021 Lineworker Scholarship winner who completed the one-year program, met the requirements and recently started a career as an SCE groundman.
The line trade can be an adventure. Just ask Brandon Block, journeyman lineman for Source Power Services, who has traveled the country for line work. For example, he spent a week in Yellowstone National Park as a lineman, and he is now working on the central coast of California inspecting power lines. As the son of a master plumber and electrician, Block always wanted to work outside and with his hands. He has enjoyed his career and the camaraderie of the line trade, and he can't imagine doing anything else for a living.
Greg McGriff, a recently retired shift serviceman for Entergy Mississippi, won an award for providing exceptional service following Hurricane Ida. Listen to the June 2022 Line Life podcast episode to learn about his response to the storm, his family legacy of line work and his memories of working as a lineman and troubleman in Mississippi.
Maximo Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Consulting, LLC, and a former journeyman lineman and supervisor for Sacramento Municipal Utility District, helps utilities to train their field workforce. He has evaluated the hurtman rescue training at utilities, and he offers his suggestions on how companies can improve their methods and enhance the safety of their lineworkers.
For the April 2022 Line Life podcast, Bob Hall, a journeyman lineman for IBEW Local 1393 in Indiana, shares his experiences about life in the line trade, working with the NSUJL on a lineman-themed license plate for Indiana lineworkers and consulting on the 2015 "Life on the Line" film starring John Travolta as a lineman.
For our March 2022 Line Life Podcast, Field Editor Amy Fischbach talks with Jeff Laninga, live-line and electrical effect section head at Manitoba Hydro, about ongoing research on flashovers on HVDC lines. Linemen worked with a vendor to install monitoring equipment on the towers, and the company is working on studying the flashovers in its high-voltage laboratory.
When they close their eyes, every lineman can go back to relive their most memorable storm. For Bladimir Rodriguez, a general foreman for E-J Electric in Staten Island, New York, Hurricane Maria was an unforgettable experience. Back in November of 2017, he and his team traveled to Puerto Rico to restore power. When they arrived, many of the homes and power poles were simply gone, and the damage was beyond repair. In many locations, the linemen had to start from scratch and rebuild. For our February 2022 Line Life podcast, Field Editor Amy Fischbach caught up with Rodriguez, who shared his experiences restoring power in not only Puerto Rico, but also in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida.
www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations
www.utilityproducts.com
Back in 1991, when he was 28 years old, Tennessee Lineman Lee Shelby experienced an electrical contact accident. After spending 28 days in the burn unit, seven months in rehab and 10 months and 23 days away from work, he learned how to navigate his "new normal" following the amputation of his hands and the use of prosthetic limbs. Today, Shelby, the author of "No Hands, No Excuses" and "Consequences: Workplace Safety is Not Optional," travels around the country to share his story. For the January 2022 episode, Field Editor Amy Fischbach had a conversation with Lee at this home in Tennessee about his rehabilitation journey and words of wisdom for linemen about safety in the line trade. For more information, visit www.leeshelby.com.
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www.utilityproducts.com
After a “Lost Year” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, linemen competed at the 37th International Lineman’s Rodeo from October 14-16, 2021. Stick around after the full story for an interview with Ted Gyhra, a journeyman lineman with Omaha Public Power District who won the four pole climb apprentice competitions. Ted was a regular on the awards stage in both 2019 and 2021, and after topping out in November 2021 he will return to compete in the journeyman competition next year.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products.
Hear from a collection of lineman, organizers, sponsors, line wives and more as you take a tour around the expo hall and the rodeo grounds during The International Lineman's Rodeo that took place October 13-16, 2021 in Kansas City.
Contributors include (in order of appearance):
- Rick Childers, The International Lineman's Rodeo Board of Directors (retired)
- Robert Padgett, Lineman
- Daniel Aeschleman, Lineman, LEDWP
- Admad Ababneh, VP Major Projects & Programs for Electric Operations, PG&E
- Alex Benoit, Apprentice Lineman, National Grid
- Tim Jones, Evergy
- Russell Smith, Journeyman Lineman, Hotline Construction
- Andy Price, Founder, the International Lineman Museum & Hall of Fame
- Christopher Hedges, Electrical Contractor
- Amy Fischbach, Field Editor, T&D World
- Bruce Akin, Vice President, Transmission and Distribution, Evergy
- Sgt Lucas Remillard
- Katie Ward
- Stasha Ferguson
- Lynne Swayne
- Mike Hayward, The International Lineman's Rodeo Board of Directors
- Dale Warman, The International Lineman's Rodeo Board of Directors
This episode is brought to you by Huskie Tools.
New training program gives students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to pursue a career in line work.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products.
First, you'll hear about six women linemen with a love for the line trade and the drive and determination to get the job done. Second, our field editor Amy Fischbach interviews Emma Landherr, a lineman that we connected with as she arrived in New Orleans at the start of restoration efforts after Hurricane Ida.
This episode is brought to you by Milwaukee Tool.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products.
BHI Energy’s crews perform energized insulator replacements in the Florida Keys.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products.
Learn more & register now for the International Lineman's Rodeo at www.linemansrodeokc.com
Part 3 of the Storm Stories series moves to Virginia, where ice-covered lines led to power outages and downed lines.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products.
Learn more & register now for the International Lineman's Rodeo at www.linemansrodeokc.com
A load shedding event affected 1.4 million CenterPoint Energy customers in Houston during Winter Storm Uri.
Produced by T&D World and Utility Products
After nearly half of PGE’s customers lost power during a winter blast, 400 crews responded through the utility’s largest mobilization effort.
Linemen work around the clock in severe weather conditions to bring light and power to their communities. T&D World and Utility Products are celebrating the hard work, spirit and passion of the line trade with a new podcast series called, “Line Life.” These short audio stories will allow you to take “EUO on the go” by listening to articles from the field-focused Electric Utility Operations section of T&D World magazine. Whether you are on the road to a job site or storm restoration effort or relaxing after a long work day, you can listen to stories about storm restoration efforts, best practices in line work and the men and women in the line trade. You will also have the opportunity to share your comments on topics covered in the podcasts. We invite you to subscribe to the show today and become part of our Line Life community.