A Day in the Life of a Duke Energy Line Technician
Quick Facts
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Born in Longwood, Florida, and has a brother and a sister.
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Married to his wife, Jessica, for seven years. They have two children: Christopher Jr., 11, and Kinley, 8.
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Enjoys hunting, fishing, spending time with his family and cooking.
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Working on replacing a pad-mounted viper recloser due to damage to the existing equipment. His crew is also working on pole replacements and upgrading live front transformers to dead-front transformers.
Early Years
I was employed at the railroad and was looking for a long-term career. My friend, Chase Goldman, was an apprentice with Duke Energy, and he encouraged me to apply. I have no family within the trade. My first job with Duke Energy was as a groundman on the SL crew at the Jamestown Operations Center.
Day in the Life
As a line technician, my responsibilities are the safety of myself, my teammates and the public. I also help the line apprentices to progress so they will hopefully be one of my peers in the future. I also specialize in line construction and maintenance, overhead and underground facilities as well as troubleshooting and storm restoration.
Challenges and Rewards
The daily challenges with my job include adverse weather, long hours, work-life balance, continually changing specifications and work methods and the introduction of new and improved equipment. One of the rewards is passing on the trade to the next generation of line technicians. I also love to see the joy and relief our customers have when their power is restored after severe weather. Finally, I enjoy looking back at projects I have completed and take pride in the craftsmanship and quality of my work.
Safety Lesson
I have been an active member of the event-free committee since I first got employed by Duke Energy. I got a first-hand lesson on the importance of developing a safety culture as well as identifying hazards and implementing mitigating measures. I was able to see the importance of those lessons when we had an incident. A public vehicle struck a pole, which fell when we were on-site. The primary conductor had been covered, and everyone was out of harm’s way. This reinforced the importance of being alert and always maintaining situational awareness to lessen the effects of a potentially dangerous situation.
Memorable Storm
While I was restoring power following Hurricane Beryl, the scope of work was constantly changing. We did everything from picking up back lot wire to working out four-way junction poles. It was extremely hot and humid, which made the jobs even more interesting. The trip lasted 12 days.
Tools and Technology
Most of the battery-powered tools are great for helping with ergonomics and extending my career. As far as new technologies go, there is always a new piece of equipment that is better than the one before. The new tools and equipment improve safety and productivity.
Plans for the Future
I would do it 100 percent all over again and recommend it to anyone who is considering it. The career is challenging and rewarding and allows me to provide for my family like no other career I am aware of.
About the Author
Amy Fischbach
Electric Utilities Operations
Amy Fischbach is the Field Editor for T&D World magazine and manages the Electric Utility Operations section. She is the host of the Line Life Podcast, which celebrates the grit, courage and inspirational teamwork of the line trade. She also works on the annual Lineworker Supplement and the Vegetation Management Supplement as well as the Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters. Amy also covers events such as the Trees & Utilities conference and the International Lineman's Rodeo. She is the past president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and ASBPE and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University. She can be reached at [email protected].