Safety and Speedy Response Time Promoted by Pole Top Rescue Training
Winners: Terry Barnes and Tracy Davis of Ashe County will attend Statewide Competition offering $1,000 Award
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Corporate Communications, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager:1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (August 13, 2003) – How to safely and quickly rescue an injured lineman was the focus of pole top rescue training recently conducted by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and the training department of the statewide association of electric cooperatives, North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation (NCEMC).
The program is part of Blue Ridge Electric’s overall safety education program to help employees deliver safe and reliable power to some 65,000 member-owners served by the cooperative.
“An accident or injury to a lineman can occur from shock but can also be due to natural causes such as a heart attack or an injury related to the work they’re performing on a line,” said Ronnie Jewell, safety and training manager for Blue Ridge Electric. “In pole top rescue training, we simulate an emergency such as this to time the response of the rescuer as well as evaluate how accurately they perform the appropriate rescue steps,” he explained.
Line technicians, who work in pairs in the field for safety precautions as well as efficiency, are trained to follow set procedures if they suspect an accident or injury has occurred. Pole top rescue training involves a “mock exercise maneuver” and is designed to provide linemen with refresher instruction on how to rescue an injured fellow lineman who is still on the pole. During the training, an actual lineman works with a 120-pound mannequin which represents an injured co-worker.
The clock starts ticking when the lineman jumps to action, making a May Day call on his two-way radio to let co-op dispatchers know an injury has occurred and where to send emergency help. The lineman then pulls his climbing gear out of his truck, surveys the area for potential hazards, and pulls on his climbing and safety gear. Next, he must quickly and accurately scale a 35-foot pole. At the top, the lineman finds the “injured” 120-pound mannequin, which he must lower to the ground with the help of a rope, known as the “lifeline”. Once the mannequin is at ground level, the lineman climbs down the pole, removes his high voltage safety gloves and climbing gear, and begins administering CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). To perform the exercise successfully, this entire procedure must be completed in less than five minutes. In real life, this timing would prevent brain damage to the victim resulting from lack of oxygen.
Winners of this year’s pole top rescue training who came in with the best performance time were: Terry Barnes, line technician in Ashe district, who placed first with a rescue time of 2:28. Tracy Davis, also a line technician in Ashe district, came in with the second fastest time at 2:42.
On November 12, Barnes and Davis will attend NCEMC’s annual statewide competition in Raleigh. Barnes will compete against other winners from electric cooperatives across North Carolina, with Davis as his back-up in the event he is unable to participate. The winner of the statewide competition receives $1,000 as the top prize.
