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,...

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...

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...

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...

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. 

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....

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...