This week has been a mixture of field time, office time, and HOLLYWOOD time!
Monday we were out with the crew and we were at the hog farm–they were running new lines to have more houses. It was a stinky, but informative, experience. I was able to see the linemen pull line and hang line to prepare it for service.
We didn’t actually SEE any hogs, but we smelled them, and they didn’t smell as cute as this one looks.
Here are some highlights from my time in the field Monday:
Before any job is started there is ‘tail gate meeting’ that ensures everyone on the crew knows exactly what will be happening– which lines will be ‘hot’ and appropriate safety reminders for the specific job at hand. Everyone on the job site has to sign or initial the work order acknowledging they are aware of the plan and potential dangers.
At the hog farm there were new lines hung up. This required line to be pulled off of the spool and put on the ground, before they were hung at one end and pulled up and attached at the other end. It is a lengthy process– but one that went fairly quick once it started happening.
Working ‘in the field’. Literally. In the corn field!
Safety first– When the crews are working on ‘hot’ lines there is extensive safety measures taken to ensure the line men go home to their families each night. Here they have line insulators, rubber sleeves, and multiple layers of protection that AREN’T pictured here– including a grounded line and their harnesses are attached to the bucket.
Tuesday we were back in the office. Monica and I reviewed the Volunteer Action Committee minutes from the last meeting and she prepared for the next meeting that will be the last week of the month. I also spent some time working on curriculum and polishing up the ‘ol blog.
Wednesday …. oh Wednesday. Lindsey from NCEMC (‘statewide’) came with a camera crew from Amazing Studios and they were… well…. amazing. We were filmed while we were out with the crew, and even though I was a tad uncomfortable with the cameras that close and constantly on me, I know that the video they create from the footage the shot will be great. We actually did stuff while out with the linemen- I became and expert outrigger putter-downer and picker-upper (those are technical terms, by the way) and we watched the linemen (Allen and Bobby) switch service from one phase to a different phase. We were also interviewed by the guys at Amazing Studios and got a glimpse into the challenges of outdoor shooting (noise/heat/bugs/lack of power).
Thursday we were back in the office for awhile in the morning– I talked to Gary and Thomas about outages and metering. I never knew there were so many different types of meters!
Monica and I also went to an event hosted by the Edgecombe County Library where local children came out to see trucks including firetrucks, police cars, bucket trucks, and even a Pepsi Truck.
Thursday afternoon I spent time in accounting– this department was friendly and welcoming just like the other departments and I learned more than I ever even knew existed in the world of business– from accounts payable to taxes to payroll– the amount of number crunching that goes on is unreal. I’ll be updating with a link to a post about capital credits and some of the other business benefits of co-ops in the next week or so– I learned enough for a whole post on that!
Friday we were visited by Tia and Amneris from Kenan Fellows Project. I am so happy that they had the opportunity to see some really cool stuff out in the field. The crew we were with had to ‘retire’ two poles and set two new poles. One line was hot while the other was not, so it was interesting to see the different approach for different scenarios. Today I was able to nail the copper ground onto a wire, help fill the hole, help with pole attachments, and turn the pole once it was set in the ground. So again, picture heavy below, but if you have questions please feel free to ask 🙂
A shady spot for the tailgate meeting
“So you’ll nail these funny shaped nails into the pole…”
A pole turner tool! The holes in the pole have to line up just right to make all of the connections properly.
I became an expert at nailing, so they let me supervise.
It has been another GREAT week at Edgecombe-Martin EMC. I am so thankful for the hospitality that has been shown. I will be working diligently in the next few weeks to bring together the lessons I’ve learned and create curriculum that will be able to be shared with other teachers that will hopefully inspire our young people to pursue careers in the energy industry. This will benefit teachers by providing engaging, exciting, and relevant lessons. Edgecombe-Martin EMC will benefit from having a member base that is exposed at a younger age to cooperative principles and energy education.