Flippin' the Switch
Flippin' the Switch
S5 E4: Lineworker Appreciation - Honoring the Unsung Guardians of the Grid
Ever wonder who braves the heights and hazards to keep your lights on? Step into the world of Blake McLamb, an apprentice lineman at Jones-Onslow EMC, who peels back the curtain on the high-voltage life of lineworkers. Our latest episode of Flippin' the Switch celebrates these unsung heroes, as Blake recounts his transformative journey from managing tree limbs to maneuvering power lines. He gives us a glimpse into the meticulous morning rituals, the tight-knit brotherhood that prioritizes everyone's safety, and the resolute focus it takes to update aging infrastructures. His tale is a powerful testament to the unseen guardians of our grid, punctuated by the tinkling of safety cones and the hum of well-prepped trucks ready for the day's challenges. Join us as we celebrate our lineworkers this month!
Run time: 24 minutes
Welcome listeners to another episode of Flippin' the Switch. During the month of April, we've been celebrating lineworkers and the incredible work they do daily to power our community. Today's guest is our very own apprentice lineman, blake McGlam. He shares his experience as a lineman here at Jones-Ondlo over the past several years, what this line of work means to him and his experience competing in the pull-top rescue competition. Keep listening to learn more about the ins and outs of being a lineman at JOEMC. And with that, let's start flipping the switch.
Speaker 2:April 8th was North Carolina Lineworker Appreciation Day and April 18th was National Lineworker Appreciation Day. Here at Jones-Onslaw, we celebrate lineworkers all month long, and today we have one of our lineworkers, blake McGlam. Welcome Blake.
Speaker 3:Hey how you doing.
Speaker 2:Blake, can you share a bit about your background and what initially drew you to become a lineman?
Speaker 3:bit about your background and what initially drew you to become a lineman. Yeah, I actually right out of high school, started working on the base cutting trees, had to trim trees around the lines and everything. And when an opportunity came available to get on the right-of-way, a couple guys I go to church with that work here actually told me about it and they told me they said you know, once you get on the right-of-way, if you want to, you can come over to the line site. You know, if it's something you're interested in, I came on done the right-of-way for a couple months and actually right around the National Alignment Appreciation or North Carolina Alignment Appreciation Day is when I started.
Speaker 2:So I think like a day or two after that worked out well and, like he said, a lot of our linemen do start on the right-of-way and then after a year they go into the Lyme program if there's an opening. And how long have you been with the company Blake Approximately?
Speaker 3:Actually, the anniversary of Florence will make six years for me, and then I'm wanting to say that April the 8th made, uh, five years on the line side okay, all right.
Speaker 2:So what does a typical day look like? Um for you as a lineman uh, I mean it varies.
Speaker 3:You come in in the morning first thing. First you're gonna pre-flash the trucks, make sure you got ice, everything's good. You look at your orders for the day, get what you're forming, find out what material you may need. A lot of the warehousemen already have it pulled. Certain things like poles, you know we obviously get ourselves. You'll make sure all your like I said, your material's loaded up, everything's ready to go and everybody gets together and goes to the first job, goes over your job briefing for the day, make sure everybody is on the same page and go from there.
Speaker 2:So what did your job look like today? What?
Speaker 3:did you work on, you and your crew? Today was actually a mess. We've had to fix some stuff that was done. Judging by the color of the pipe, that was in years ago.
Speaker 2:So it was basically updating old equipment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we had an issue where there was like a hole in the culvert and so we actually had to go in, dig around the culvert, make sure we didn't hit the cable. We had to spot the cable, the water lines and the culvert that had already been hit Completely, dig all of it out, move all of our stuff over, uncover the culvert, barricade it off so that they can come back and fix theirs. So I mean each day different jobs, different crews. It could be multiple things.
Speaker 2:So no, two days really alike.
Speaker 3:Today was just a different day. Yeah, the day was a different day, it was not a normal day. Quote unquote.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what are some of the most challenging aspects and how do you overcome them? Not just you as an individual, but you as a you know, a team, your crew together.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, you know, and it takes everybody Again, it all depends on the job. I think one of the most challenging actually is like the safety side of it, because everything you do you have to make sure that you're 100% safe. You have to make sure that not only yourself, because this is like I was told the day I was hired. I mean, when you come into not only Jones-Onsley but doing line work, I mean you're coming into a brotherhood and so you're looking out for the man next to you, you're looking out for the man coming in behind you. You're making sure that not only you go home safe but he's able to go home safe.
Speaker 2:And you know he's doing the same thing for you too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, home safe and you know he's doing the same thing for you too. Yeah, you, I mean you have to know that as a team, as a brotherhood, you, you are looking out for each other, you're making sure that each other cause in the end. I mean you, you, you see these guys more than you do your own family sometimes. So, in order to get home to your own family, you have to know he's got your back and you've got his.
Speaker 2:Very good. Now, speaking of safety, tell us some ways you take precautions or training that we do to ensure our members and our crews remain safe.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean we try our best to go above and beyond at all costs. You know, chris and Timmy, they try to stay on top of things.
Speaker 2:And Chris and Timmy are our safety team.
Speaker 3:Safety team.
Speaker 2:Safety guys or safety guys Right.
Speaker 3:But they try their best to stay on top of everything so that we can stay ahead of it, not only for our safety but for the public's safety. I mean, you know, and it could come down to something as simple as putting cones around a truck. I mean, a lot of people think that it's you. It's kind of crazy to consider that a big safety deal, but I mean we've had instances where other vehicles may not be paying attention, a lot of these safety measures that come into effect. You can't protect yourself from the world, but it helps.
Speaker 2:You can do all you can to try to protect yourself and that's what we do.
Speaker 3:I mean, we try, just like before every job, we make sure we go over a job briefing, tailgate, safety, meeting, whatever and it's to let you know what precautions you need to be taking. Are there other people in the area working? Are there houses and just regular pedestrians walking by? Broke pole situations? Guys, you need to be careful because obviously this is not in its natural state. We need to make sure we're handling everything. We care. You know, once we get to where we can, we make sure everything's been tested, grounded, good to go so we can go to work and get the lights back on.
Speaker 2:Keeping on the topic of safety, one thing I'd like you to talk about is, for a member's sake, what to do if there's a downed power line. Should they approach it? Should they stay away from it? What should they and should they not do?
Speaker 3:Honestly, you know, because you can go out and you can ask some people and they couldn't tell you the difference between cable and power. And so, just to be 100% safe, if you come up and you see anything that you know was supposed to be on a pole and it's on the ground, stay away from it. Call, you know, your co-op call, whoever your provider is 9-1-1.
Speaker 2:You can call 9-1-1 um because you don't know if that line is uh, it's live or not you have no idea if that line's hot.
Speaker 3:I mean, like I said, some people don't even know if it's cable or not. So just to be safe.
Speaker 2:And even if it's hot, I mean, and they don't touch it if they get near it, they can still be electrified Would electrified be the correct word.
Speaker 3:Well, burnt, Burnt okay.
Speaker 2:They could still get injured by a hot wire?
Speaker 3:yes.
Speaker 2:I mean, and it could ultimately kill them too.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, yeah, Definitely. I mean, and, like I said, I mean they don't. You don't know. We a lot of times, even with some of the stuff that we have, we don't know until we go through our measures. So you know, in the end, yeah, the best thing to do is just call If you have to call 911, and they can get up with whoever the provider is Right, Just to be safe.
Speaker 2:And so this goes kind of with the challenging aspects and safety. I know we here at Jones-Lynesville know the equipment you guys have to wear, whether it's 20 degrees out, whether it's 100 degrees out, and so could you just briefly go over the equipment that you have to wear and I guess you call it the personal protection equipment.
Speaker 4:The PPE.
Speaker 2:That you have to wear whether it's 20 degrees or 100 degrees, and how challenging that can be when it's 100 degrees. I don't think people realize that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean it is something that you know we have to get used to and, honestly, it's when you. This job is not for everybody. So when you take the job, I mean you take it knowing that you're going to go out there. On days that is so hot Nobody else wants to go outside. It's so cold that nobody wants to be out there.
Speaker 4:Raining so hard.
Speaker 3:You can't see. Um, we, okay, like, our everyday outfit is going to be a pair of FR jeans. Uh, it's going to be safety toed boots. Um, typically we have on an FR shirt If you're doing anything with hot, it's going to be all FR.
Speaker 2:And FR is flame retardant.
Speaker 3:And it's got to have a certain rating, like an art rating and everything to it. It can't just be any old plain Jane, 100% cotton or stamped FR On top of that. You know, we've got our safety glasses, we'll have our hard hats, and the big one that, in the summertime, really makes the difference is the gloves and sleeves. Like I said, it comes with the job. You have to have it. It can be aggravating and it is very hot, but it carries you home.
Speaker 2:And that's where frequent breaks come in handy or got to stay hydrated.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean as long as you know yourself better than anybody else. So if you feel yourself getting hot, there's not a soul out here that's going to tell you you're fine, get back up there, Right? We're going to tell you, hey. A lot of times you'll hear people hollering, you know. Hey, are you good? Do you need a break? You know. Do you need water, Gatorade?
Speaker 2:you need something, you know and that's going back to watching each other's back yeah, that goes right back to that, yeah, awesome. So, um, recently we or the state of North Carolina, if I'm not mistaken had a pole top rescue competition and you were, um, actually actually our top time, I don't know how to say it.
Speaker 3:Well, actually, you know, I will say it was Jared, then me and then Eric.
Speaker 2:So, jared Norris, you, blake McGlam and Eric Brown all qualified correct.
Speaker 3:Well, we were all within two seconds of each other.
Speaker 2:That's pretty close.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and Jared had actually told me he was like, because originally it was supposed to be Jared going and then me as backup, and Jared told me he was like man. He said I've been before. He said you go, enjoy it, do your best. So you know, he gave me the opportunity to be able to go, which I greatly appreciated.
Speaker 3:Eric went with me, you know, as the alternate and you know Eric helped me along the way, coached me through what he could. Chris and Timmy did, you know, everything they could to help me and so you know it was fun.
Speaker 2:What was that experience like? I mean, how many people were you up against, and I mean you placed pretty good in the overall competition.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, you know, Not to brag. Overall. You know I did pretty good, but I loved it. I hope to go back. It will definitely be something that you know I'll remember and again, just like what we do every day, it's something for me to strive to do better at next time. Everything we do is almost like a competition.
Speaker 2:Guys are generally competitive in nature.
Speaker 3:And, honestly, it's what makes us who we are. It's what makes us better.
Speaker 2:Makes you stronger too, sometimes right.
Speaker 3:And I mean we take pride in whenever we hear people telling us that they think that we're the best that there is. You know, I've I've got people from back home, originally from Clinton, and I've got people that tell me that they've got Jones-Onslow at their beach house and they wish they had Jones-Onslow at home. That's a nice compliment.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we've heard people from other co-ops, other states that you know have said and so that's why I say I mean a lot of what we do we're somewhat competitive at trying to not necessarily outdo each other but push each other.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, encourage each other, yeah and just friendly competition. Right.
Speaker 3:And I think that's what makes us you know what we are and who we are.
Speaker 2:Oh yes.
Speaker 3:And, like I said, it goes along with the Poletop competition. We are, oh yes, and, like I said, it goes along with the pole top competition. I mean, you know we'll give each other a hard time when it comes time for pole top. Here you got ones that's going to go back and forth. I know I will go two or three times trying to do better and better each time.
Speaker 2:So, bringing this together, it sounds like it made for great learning experience and a memory that will remain with you your entire career, oh yeah, oh yeah, for sure, nice, now Lyman, often work in teams. That's what we have, our crews. And can you discuss the importance of teamwork? I guess we kind of touched on this a little bit before. But teamwork and communication in your line of work?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean it's crucial. It's very important. You've got your foreman. He's going to come out and he's going to tell you, obviously, what you're going to have for the day. He's going to line everything up for you. You've got your journeyman there. They're going to be teaching as well as working. So I mean you know they've got a lot on them. And then together, you know, whenever you get all of us together, it is going to take communication and teamwork to make sure that the job's done, done right and done as safe as possible.
Speaker 2:Now you mentioned journeymen. There's different levels of linemen, correct? Could you just briefly tell what the different levels are and what it takes to become?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know, for different places you go, they label it different.
Speaker 2:But here at Jones-Onslow, how do we label it?
Speaker 3:For Jones-Onslow. You come in as an apprentice. Whether you come in green or you come in from a school or a contract or anybody, you come in as an apprentice. You'll go through your different steps in the apprenticeship. We have different tasks and goals we have to meet. We have to get signed off on different tests. We have to take um physical and written once you, once you get to a certain step, your steps are no longer six months, they become yearly um and I think there's I think the last three years are your yearly steps before you become a journeyman. And you have to be able to show that not only have you learned everything in your apprenticeship, but that you can teach it as well. You know how to troubleshoot different situations, how to guide the apprentices, that you can take care of yourself as well as somebody else, and then you can become a journeyman once you've passed that step.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot to learn, and I mean it's a very, I think, probably prideful job too.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, oh yeah. I mean you definitely have to have the will and the want to Stamina. Yeah, it's not for everybody and I would not. I wouldn't down anybody who realizes that they cannot, because sometimes it takes you doing it to say, hey, this ain't for me.
Speaker 2:You kind of have more respect for them to say it's not, for them to step out and say you know what, this isn't for me, before they end up injuring themselves or somebody else possibly.
Speaker 3:And that's the biggest thing. You don't want somebody to come out here thinking that you know, oh, I can be a lineman and I can do this, I can do that. And then they come out here and not only could they get hurt, but they could possibly end up hurting somebody. So how do you stay motivated and passionate about your work? I got hired like, I think, a day or two before Florence hit.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that had to have been a pretty challenging time for you, being a newbie here and then having to do something like that. That is not an everyday task.
Speaker 3:And I even got asked you know, are you sure you want to start now? You know you can wait, you know you have the job, but you can wait a week or two. And I said no.
Speaker 2:It would be a great learning experience.
Speaker 3:Yeah, better off starting now than never. Exactly, so there was probably long hours. Yeah, so there was probably long hours. Yeah, during Florence there was long hours. I mean, there was a lot of complications as far as getting from point A to point B and, like I said, I started on the right-of-way.
Speaker 3:so my job then was completely different from what the guys that were on the line side what their job was. We still had to work together. We had to help them in order line side what their job was. We still had to work together. We had to help them in order for them to do their job sometimes.
Speaker 2:So if you didn't clear, for instance, downed trees, they may not have been able to get to that downed power line.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and all the linemen. They have their own chainsaws, they have their own equipment. But it helps whenever you do have the right of way to come in and just like, if we've got several spans of wire down because trees are down, for them to come in and be getting the trees off the line for us and we can come in right behind them and do the work. That takes a lot off of us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's you know, like I said, comes back as the whole team. Right, not just in your, not just in different departments, but across the whole company, working in teams, as far as dispatch, communications, linemen, engineers, everybody works together as a team.
Speaker 3:Everybody ends up having to come in together as a team.
Speaker 2:Correct, nice. So to wrap it up, blake, what advice would you give to someone interested in pursuing a career as a lineman?
Speaker 3:Try it, I love it. I can carry you to the first transformer I ever opened, carry you to the first pole I ever climbed, carry you to the first span of wire where I ever put a hose on. I mean, it's just something that some guys may not admit, some of them may not remember you did.
Speaker 3:It was one thing that stuck with me. I heard somebody tell me right before I got started he was actually working for a contractor and he said man, you're going to love it. He said the first time and don't take this wrong when you grab the wire you don't actually feel anything. But he said, whenever you actually finally grab a hold of 7,200 volts.
Speaker 2:With your gloves on? Yeah, obviously With your safety gear.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he said you'll never forget it. He said and it's going to send something. You know through you, that you'll love it or you'll never want to do it again. And so it was just like I said. It was something that when I'd done it, I never want to do it again. And so it was just like I said, it was something that when I'd done it, I remember in high school saying I would never do it, but I can carry you back to that pole. And I said, yep, this is what I'm going to be doing the rest of my life. It gives me butterflies just hearing you talk about it. All in all, if we didn't love it, you would not see this parking lot get filled like you do every day.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and just like any job, um, you have your good days, your bad days. Oh yeah, work through it, yeah, and it's just part of life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean that's anywhere you go in life, you're going to have good days and bad days.
Speaker 2:but, like I say, it's just, it's something about it that you know the entire country for what they do to help us keep our lights on and make our lives a bit more simpler.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 4:Spring is here and it's time to get outside Making plans for a new outdoor project. Hitting a buried line while digging can disrupt utility service, cost money to repair or cause serious injury or even death. Make no bones about it All members who plan a digging project should call 8-1-1 before you start in order to protect yourself and your community. You can also submit a request online at call811.com. Know what's below before you dig.
Speaker 1:Hi everyone. Natalie here to let you know what's happening at the co-op this month and things you need to know as a member of Jones Onslow. Our 2024 annual meeting of members was a huge success. It was great to see everyone gathered together at River of Life Church. The event featured electrifying entertainment, including the soulful tunes of Curtis Hyler and Jubilation, whose vibrant performance filled the venue with joy and energy. Members also enjoyed the mesmerizing tricks of magician Brian Sanders, who kept everyone on the edge of their seats with his mind-bending illusions.
Speaker 1:In addition to the entertainment, there was a business meeting where JOEMC provided updates on the year's progress. Attendees were treated to complimentary food, exciting giveaways and an unforgettable evening of celebration and fellowship. If you missed the 2024 annual meeting, you can watch the recording and the intro video featuring local co-op member Lula Hunter on JOEMC's YouTube channel. Thank you to all who attended this year's meeting. As we gear up for the 2024 hurricane season, which officially kicks off on June 1st, it's crucial to remember the lessons learned from previous years and be prepared. At JOEMC, we urge all our members to take proactive steps to safeguard themselves and their families against potential storms, especially given North Carolina's vulnerability to hurricane damage, To learn more about how to stay storm ready, visit our website at wwwjoemccom. Want to know more about what's going on at your co-op? Visit our website to view our spotlight newsletter, and that's what's happening at JOEMC.
Speaker 6:It's the perfect time of year to spring into energy efficiency around your home and with these six tips, you can save both energy and money. First, service your air conditioner. Easy maintenance, such as routinely replacing or cleaning air filters, can lower your cooling system's energy consumption by up to 15%. Second, open your windows, creating a cross breeze allowing you to cool your home without turning on the air conditioner. Third, cook outside and keep the heat out of your home by using an outdoor grill instead of indoor ovens. Fourth, install window treatments. Energy-efficient window treatments or coverings such as blinds, shades and films can slash heat gain when temperatures rise. Fifth, seal cracks around your home to keep warm air out. And finally, bring in the sunlight by opening curtains and using the windows and skylights to brighten your home. For all of our spring energy-saving tips, visit our website at joemccom. Energy-focused efficiency-driven. That's our co-op.
Speaker 5:Well, folks, that'll do it for this episode of Flipping the Switch Until next time. If you don't currently follow us on Facebook, instagram or any of our other social media channels, consider doing so. It's the best way to keep informed about what's going on with your cooperative. Thanks again.