BareHand

It was with great excitement I went to son's home the other morning to hear his stories of his past weeks' attending utility lineman's "Bare Hand" course. The course teaches Journeyman lineman how to work on electrical lines and structures while the lines are still energized.

The term "bonding on" refers to linemen becoming a part of an electrical circuit. In the photo above, a student is wearing a "Faraday cage" suit that protects him during the course of repair or construction work on energized power lines. This particular photo was taken as the students accomplished the specific requirements to work "hot" lines in the dark of night. 

Son explained that once bonded on and becoming a part of the electrical circuit, that it becomes a "whole new world... like stepping into another dimension..........I can hear what end of the line the power is generated from............I can hear where switches are thrown on or off and where they are located in the circuit--to the left or to the right of a line run-------I cannot raise my hands far above my head easily because the magnetic force field is pushing back....like being inside a balloon and pushing against the outer walls of the balloon..."

There are currently less than 800 linemen with his qualifications in the world. Yep, in the world.

(By way of explanation: Lawyers pass a bar exam and become licensed only to work in a given state. They cannot practice law in other states or parts of the world with that specific license. These linemen qualify out of schooling to practice their craft anywhere in the world. They are licensed to do so and recognized in the industry to do so) 

He said that there has never been an injury, accident or death within this elite group doing this kind of work. And after learning all that goes into prepping a job and job site, I better understand the safety record. This a very serious business and these are very serious, very highly trained and very skilled men.

There was a day I would have been most happy for this youngster to just clean his room and get laundry in a basket. Today I look at his work, math equation solutions, electrical line drawings and asked him how in the hell does he know how to do all of this? Where did all of this come from? He smiles and says he loves the work. The challenge. That algebra comes easy to him.  Algebra comes easy to him?? 

I learned from him early on that if he was interested in something, it "came easy to him." I think there is a lesson here.

I so wish I could take credit for some of this but cannot. 

In this crazy world we live in, there are still very special people doing very special jobs and continuing to build, maintain and protect the world we live.

There are a long line of hard working family fore fathers that are applauding this young man today, in the keeping of family histories alive.

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Thanks for the visit today. Have a very good week and as always, heads up.