The Line Life Podcast

2023 Lineman’s Rodeo Week, Part 2: Line Families and Climbin for Kids

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.

2023 Lineman’s Rodeo Week, Part 1: Competitors and Supporters

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

T&D Talk, Episode 5: Undergrounding High-Voltage Transmission Lines

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.

New Line Life Podcast: Celebrating a Lineman’s Rodeo Championship Team

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. 

T&D Talk, Episode 4: Maximizing FR Protection for Your Field Workforce

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. 

T&D Talk, Episode 3: Fiber Through the Grid: Addressing the Challenges of the Grid Today

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.

Lighting Up Navajo Nation

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. 

Protecting Birds with Drone-Installed Flight Diverters

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.