They walk the line and fix the line. But keeping the lights on and the power going is not as easy as it may appear
“Safety is a big part of this job,” line crewman Scott Playford said. “The general public thinks this job can be done in a quick manner, but there are certain safety measures that we need to take, and this sometimes means a longer time working on the line.”
The power line crews for the Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities (BPU) consistently maintain the electrical system for the city of Hillsdale and the surrounding area, and, at times, the crew might travel around the state to help other utilities if possible. Line crewman Eric Sheffer said the line crew wants to build strong relationships between sister utilities.
Sheffer started at BPU 16 years ago after he left the Marines. Playford received the opportunity to work for BPU five years ago after working as an apprentice electrician for some time.
“This is not a job that you just decide to do,” Sheffer said. “You first have to go through four years of training.”
To gain the proper certification, Playford is attending American Electric Power (AEP) in Columbus, Ohio. He is required to keep a daily logbook of all his work and then have it signed by his supervisor once a month. Every six months, Playford travels to AEP to have a review of his training.
Sheffer said he does his best to make sure that Playford knows the essentials that he needs to know. This process also provides the chance for Sheffer to make sure that he knows his own stuff.
Playford will have achieved 7,000 hours of on-the-line training by the time his certification process is complete.
“You never can learn it all,” Playford said. “It does not matter how long you have been doing it; whether it is 10, 20, or 30 years, there is always something new to learn.”
Once on the line, it is all about safety. Line crews face traffic hazards, wires on the ground, and theft. When it comes to theft, there is the slight chance that the copper could become electrified.
“Generally, you do not get many chances with this job,” Playford said.
When restoring power or fixing power lines, the crew has to work in a certain order, starting with the direct lines into the city and then moving outward . Electricity into the city has to be restored before the line crew can restore power to individual neighborhoods.
“You have to get the power going in the city first,” Sheffer said. “It is not because only people live in and work in the city, but it is how the system works, you have to fix the big fish before we can fix the small fish.”
There is no preferential treatment regarding power restoration – except the hospital, which always comes first. Playford said a lot of times the line crew has to return to homes without power just like the rest of the community.
“After working 16 hour days, many men have to go home and sleep in cold houses,” Playford said.
“At the end of the day, we try to do our work as efficiently as possible,” Sheffer said. “But safety always comes first because we do not want someone to lose their life.”