Keeping the lights on for more than three million Albertans is no easy task, especially from 82 feet in the air.
Our linemen often work in harsh conditions and for long hours, so it’s important that they go through regular training to ensure that they are well-prepared to quickly and safely make repairs and restore power in real-world situations.
At our field training facility in Langdon, our linemen go through classroom training and on-site practice before they are tested and evaluated. They learn how to repair and replace a variety of equipment, how to work on different structure types and voltages and how to perform work on energized transmission lines.
Yes, you read that right. Energized lines. This is called live line work and it involves using hot sticks to replace and repair equipment on a line without the need for an outage. If the thought of live line work makes you sweat a little, you can understand why this training is so important!
“It takes a lot of work to become a great lineman, and it takes years and years of practice to become good at what you do,” says Jordie Mackenzie, transmission line foreman. “With these accelerated training courses, we can give new linemen a head start on the different techniques they’ll be expected to use in the field that will allow them to complete work safely and effectively while keeping the power on.”
July 10 is National Lineworker Day. Help us show our appreciation for the amazing work our crews do every day by using #ThankALineWorker on social media.