POWERGRAMS

Weathering Heights Helping maintain and repair power lines while harnessed to the top of a 120-foot pole would strike fear in the hearts of many people. But for nine new Transmission utility assistants, the thrill of the job draws them. On April 2, the group graduated from Alabama Power's intensive Transmission Lines Boot Camp and, armed with the knowledge and skills they need, have embarked on the job. "Once you get used to the idea of working up there, it's not scary at all," said Jason Reynolds, remembering how he felt when he climbed the first few poles as part of his training. "It's exhilarating for most of us." Although not as rigorous as military boot camp, the Alabama Power training is a strenuous program, where trainees are given a true look into what to expect when they step into the field, said John Anderson, crew methods and training specialist, General Services Complex (GSC). "We give them the basic skills they will need on the first day of the job," said Anderson. "We teach them how to have a strong work ethic, how to work as a team and how to keep a good attitude. We teach them how to do the type of work Alabama Power expects from its employees." As soon as Transmission Lines utility assistants are hired, they head to the GSC Training Center where they spend the next nine weeks. Before the "real" Boot Camp begins, the new recruits attend Compliance training for a week to learn to administer CPR and treat minor wounds; study the Safety and Health Manual; and gain an understanding about what it means to meet the "Southern Style" standard. Boot Camp is a mix of classroom and hands-on training. Anderson, along with Jonathan Jordan, crew methods and training specialist, teach employees about the company's safety rules and procedures – knowledge they will need on every job site. Then, employees focus on perhaps the most important lesson – learning to climb 80-foot to 120-foot power poles. They get experience climbing poles made of wood, concrete and steel. They scale steel lattice towers, which support 500-kilovolt (KV) transmission lines. "The fear of heights is in everybody if they admit it or not, but we talk them through that fear," said Anderson. "We have everybody go up the pole at one time. If one person is slower, then they all wait on him and encourage him as he moves up the pole to where they are." When they become comfortable with that skill, employees next "play volleyball," passing it to one another while harnessed to the top of a pole in the GSC yard to help them learn how to balance and handle materials. They then start moving equipment and materials up the poles using chain hoists and hand lines. They learn to string wire and rig materials and equipment to the power lines. Anderson and Jordan introduce the class to bucket trucks, derricks and cranes, and show them how to raise and lower booms. The class travels into the field for a day, where they observe a Transmission Lines construction crew in action. "It's our goal to make sure these employees have the training they need to do quality work," said Allen Gray, crew methods and training team leader. "But foremost, we focus on safety and work to help them understand achieving Target Zero should always be their top priority." About 50 yards downhill from the Transmission training site, PD Distribution holds a similar boot camp, which has been training new utility assistants since 2007. Like their brothers in Transmission, this class of 32 new employees has been preparing for the first day on the job. "Although we also focus on teaching new employees to climb and set poles, one thing that makes our training different is that we teach them the importance of responding to a callout during a storm outage. At least twice during the seven-week boot camp, employees will be called out at all hours of the night for a simulated trouble call," said Jay Shockley, crew methods and training specialist, GSC. "The best way I can describe our training is that it's like the foundation of a house. A house will fall unless it has a strong foundation." On the final day of Transmission Boot Camp, this spring's crop of new utility assistants celebrated with a cookout. Before heading to their job sites across the state, they spent another week training to receive their commercial driver licenses. "Boot camp was great," said graduate Byron Hoyt. "The hardest part for me was trying to pack in all the information you have to know. The training is fast- paced, and you want to make sure you get it right then and not have to keep going back over the same things. I think it would have been a tough adjustment having to go straight to the crew without any knowledge about the tools and materials we would be using." Daniel Ellison, another graduate, was excited about his upcoming prospects. "I wanted this job because Alabama Power is a great company," said Ellison, who is working with a crew in Talladega. "There are a lot of opportunities for us to further our career and help us have a great future." By Carla Davis TARGET ZERO 3 TRANSMISSION WORKERS TRAIN NINE WEEKS BEFORE JOINING CREW Photo by Wynter Byrd Utility assistants work with power poles at GSC. Photo by Wynter Byrd

• Cover