The Line Life Podcast

ICYMI: Three Focus Areas to Build a Safer Network

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. 

Lineworker Focus: Salt River Project's Arthur William Muñoz Lights Up Navajo Nation

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!

Special Episode: Featuring T&D World Podcast's Interview with Alan Drew on Powering Progress in the Line Trade

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!

ICYMI: Mysterious Transformer Trips: Solving Three Mysteries

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. 

Training LUMA's Lineworkers in Aerial Rescue and Emergency Response: Featuring José Luis Campos Figueroa

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. 

ICYMI: Dominion Powers Through Tough Terrain

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: Empowering DEMCO: The Role of Southwire’s Data Analytics in Grid Management

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. 

Working as a Troubleman in the Pacific Northwest: Featuring Jon Backman of Puget Sound Energy

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.