The Line Life Podcast

Living the Line Life in Colorado: Featuring Apprentice Kris Onda of CORE Electric Cooperative

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. 

ICYMI: Lineworker Supplement: Powering Puerto Rico

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. 

Lineworker and Training Spotlight: MCC's Susan Blaser and Hydro One's Corry Ruch

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. 

ICYMI: Lineworker Supplement: Training Women on the Line

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. 

Lineworker Focus: Nick Cummins of IB Abel, Inc.

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. 

ICYMI: Lineworker Supplement: Mutual Aid Without a Storm

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. 

Part 2: LUMA's Island-Wide Work Plan in Puerto Rico

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. 

ICYMI: Make the Most of Mutual Assistance

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.