New Line Life Podcast: Aerial Rescue and Emergency Response Training in Puerto Rico

To continue to provide resilient, safe and reliable power to its 1.4 million customers on the island, LUMA Energy has trained specialized lineworkers in Human External Cargo (HEC) work methods. This allows the trained lineworkers to access infrastructure in mountainous terrain, and the utility to place materials near work sites on the island.

At the heart of this program is José  Luis Campos Figueroa, director of operations aviation for LUMA Energy. After serving in the National Guard and spending 30 years in the industry, he now works to train and supervise his team at LUMA. Recently, the workers engaged in a training program, in partnership with Volo Mission, to practice aerial rescue techniques and learn how to respond to emergencies. 

Pilots and 18 transmission field workers across the island earned certification to perform rescues in remote areas. In addition, LUMA collaborated with the fire department to train the participants in aerial firefighting to protect transmission towers and critical power lines. They also learned helicopter safety during the training program. To learn more, look for a future feature article in T&D World magazine. 

To become part of the Line Life Podcast community, go to linelife.podbean.com and click "Follow" in the top right. If you have a suggestion for a guest for a future episode or comments, you can email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. 

Also, if you're working on an interesting project in the transmission and distribution industry or have an innovative training program underway, email Field Editor Amy Fischbach at [email protected], and she will help you to share your story in T&D World magazine.