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Linemen Continued from Page 20


come with some needed certifications, such as a commercial driver’s license, for example. Graduates also come to the field with knowledge in technical areas including the ability to climb poles, bucket work experience, knowledge of electrical theory, transformer con- nections, trouble shooting and equipment hook-ups.


Although acquiring an associate degree in Linework Technologies is the recommended path for securing a position as a lineman, Guffey says there are occasional instances in which a utility may hire a non-degreed lineman to conduct on-the-job training. Upon hiring, most groundmen—a common name for new crewmembers who work on the ground—at electric cooperatives attend a Lineworker Certification Program produced by Northwest Lineman College and facilitated by the OAEC Safety and Loss Control Department. The program is comprised of 10 units per year, for a total of four years. The course is offered as a continuing education opportunity for a lineman, whether he or she has earned an associate degree or has conducted on-the-job training. Through the program, participants study and answer review questions in preparation for written exams. Participants who complete the first two years, commonly called “Apprentice 1” and “Apprentice 2,” may get a raise at their respective positions. When participants complete the third and fourth years in the program—Apprentice 3 and Apprentice 4—they will be promoted to journeyman lineman. Lineman Derric Cullinane, who started working for Northwestern Electric Cooperative in September 2012, is going through the program right now.


“It [the program] gives us the technical information we need to complete a lot of the work that we do; it helps us to be a lot safer. The program is really well designed and well put together—everything we need to go over for a test we find on the specified sec- tions,” Cullinane says.


According to Guffey, industry predictions are that there will be a shortage of linework- ers in the next five years due to the retirement of many field workers. Guffey says he personally attributes the shortage to the fact that a lineman’s career is not an eight-to-five job.


“When storms come, linemen may be required to work for days and have to spend time away from their families. This may not be attractive for young men,” Guffey says. On the flip side, there are many advantages one should consider when choosing line- work as a career path:


3 Work is hardly ever redundant 3 Outdoor job 3 Extremely strong bond with co-workers 3 Make a good living 3 Secure job (a lineman can go anywhere in the country and find a position) 3 Opportunities for advancement (see sidebar on Page 21)


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3Rewarding job (fulfillment in being part of a team that helps a community) “Most of our superintendents and directors of operations came from humble begin- nings,” Guffey says. “But they worked hard and are very fulfilled by what they do.” Guffey can surely attest to that. He started his career as a journeyman pipefitter for a refinery in Texas. His uncle, who worked for Farmers Electric Cooperative in Newport, Ark., invited him to apply for an apprentice lineman position at the cooperative. It was the beginning of Guffey’s career in the electric cooperative field. Seven years later, he took the position of safety instructor at the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Corporation, Inc. Years later, he was invited to help build up OAEC’s Safety program in Oklahoma as a safety instructor—an opportunity he gladly accepted. In 2002, Guffey became director of safety and loss control at OAEC, a position he holds to this day, working with virtu- ally every co-op lineman in the state of Oklahoma. And he has nothing but praise to give the linemen.


“They are hard working, honest folks. Each one of them will go the extra mile for you. They’re the type who will stop on the road to help someone with a flat tire,” Guffey says. “They take pride in what they do and have high integrity and family values. They’re close friends—very loyal to each other. We like to call ourselves a ‘brotherhood.’”


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