Light Up Navajo: Volunteering for a Cause

Arthur William Munoz, journeyman lineworker for Salt River Project, volunteered with Light Up Navajo to provide first-time power to homes on Navajo Nation.  

Early Years

When I was 24 years old, I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. My dad worked for Salt River Project (SRP), and he told me I should try to get a job at the utility. I got a job as a trades helper on a construction and maintenance crew. I started my workday at 5:30 in the morning and performed cleanup for crews, added rock, removed trees and picked up oil. On the job, I could also see the line work that was happening, and I decided it was right for me, and if I worked hard, I could be an apprentice and see where the job would take me. I loved the camaraderie of the crew and the hard work that went into it. 

Moving from the Field into Leadership

After topping out as an apprentice, I became a lead lineman and eventually a working foreman. You’re always progressing, and you can tell in your mind when you’re ready for the next part of your career. When I got my working foreman job, I was totally ready for that and felt comfortable in that role. After a year, I moved into a section supervisor position, and I’ve been in that role for about seven years now. I had to learn how to talk and listen to people and lead senior linemen and working foremen. It was eye-opening and difficult at times, but we respected each other. 

Day in the Life

Right now, I’m at Tempe Line Maintenance, our maintenance division at SRP. My usual day starts at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. We maintain the whole distribution system valley-wide in Arizona and have a big territory. We also have a preventative group, a pole replacement group, support services, digger operators and a construction and maintenance division. 

Responding to Trouble Calls

I’m on the reactive side right now, and my day consists of maintaining the system and responding when someone hits a pole or does an underground dig-in. From the preventative side, we try to prevent things from happening like swollen elbows in an underground transformer or downed overhead conductors. It can change at any point during the day, so we have to be extremely flexible. We try to schedule as much work as we can, but we definitely have to leave room for any major unforeseen circumstances that can create a hazard for the public. Every five weeks, I’m on on-call duty for a week at a time. Your shift starts at 11:30 a.m. through 4 a.m. Monday through Friday. The dispatchers can call you at any time until 4 a.m. for a broken pole or a transformer that blows. When the weekend comes, you become the loneliest man in the Valley because at SRP, you’re the man for everything until Monday morning. If I need help, however, my supervisor or other counterparts will jump in if I need it. 

Memorable Experience

When I was a fifth-step apprentice, I participated in a climb-and-shake inspection. The helicopter pilot would long line me down from the chopper on to the very top of the tower. When I climbed down, I would inspect the steel for any kinds of loose bolts or rattling, and then I would make note of it. It was scary, but also extremely cool. Since then, I got to ride in a helicopter after a huge microburst came down into the Valley and took out a lot of transmission poles and towers and distribution poles. Because SRP has its own helicopters, I was also able to ride in them for other inspections as well. 

Working Storms

Every summer season, the storms pick up with the different temperatures and climate in the air, and we can have a microburst, which is kind of like a mini tornado. We also have these huge dust storms, which can create havoc, and 60 to 70 poles can go down. When that kind of major damage happens to the infrastructure, it’s like all hands-on deck. Our guys are phenomenal, and we do an excellent job of restoring power in a reasonable manner for our customers. One of my most memorable storms happened early in my career, when we had transmission and distribution poles go down in farming areas. It was hot as heck, and it was just insane. I’ve advanced so far since that storm. 

Focus on Safety

You just can’t think of line work and not even think of safety at the same time. That’s something that has been passed down to me from the guys above me. Some try to cut corners to try to get everybody back in power in a reasonable time, but I have never compromised safety. I preach that to my crews. There is no job that is important enough to compromise your safety. 

Plans for the Future

I’m open to an opportunity as a manger or director. I’m taking a break now, but I’ve already spent a year working on my bachelor’s degree in business management from Grand Canyon College. 

To learn more about him and his experiences with Light Up Navajo, listen to the Line Life Podcast at linelife.podbean.com.