Restoration, not beautification??

Restoration, not beautification? I'm sure most everyone has heard the phrase during storm. Well, after the smoke clears and everyone has power, we are sent out to bring the repairs made after a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy up to the company spec. Not the most glamerous job, chasing out these "trouble tickets." But after seeing how things are done on storm under the guise of getting lights back on makes me wonder, what is good enough when it comes to storm restoration? Is it just lights? Absolutely not! People come from all across this country to help out, so I get it that they don't have the same material. And what is normal for some is not necessarily the norm out here. And surely people have no idea about specs; and, for the most part, nobody to even ask, being that the bird dogs directing these huge forces of lineman really don't know much more than where the location is. Most, not all, where never even lineman. Being able to stay local surely plays a role in the quality of work we perform, but we are constantly and consistently coming across things that no self respecting lineman should do or even leave for the next poor sap. Phases that are all but burnt in half cautiously placed back on arms and re-energized, setting a trap for the next guy. The list is too long to give all the examples of what we come across. I'm thinking that next time you find yourself saying it's restoration, not beautification, or it looks good from my house, or any other clever saying, maybe we can ask ourselves, what about the next guy? And give that lineman a little respect, common courtesy, and not set a trap for them. Work safe!

Back from Storm

So I have been away for a bit and, honestly, am still not sure I am back. It usually takes a few days to shake the after-storm funk. We had a pretty good run this go around and, for the most part, feel we made out fairly well. All told, we worked about 17 days, most of them averaging about 16 hours a day. An exhausting schedule for sure. I think most everyone was ready to see it come to an end. I know the customers were. I am not sure if it was because we got hammered so bad by the storms last year, or what, but the customers this time around were better than I can remember them being. Of course, there were a couple brave individuals that would yell profanities our way as they speed by in a vehicle, and one that actually opened my door and refused to let it go. But for the most part, we were treated very well, at least on a local level. I have heard crazy stories about others that were less fortunate. To the ones who are still working or traveling home to their families, stay safe, my brothers. Work Safe, Eric

Free Lineman T-Shirts

My wife wanted me to give a heads up to anyone not currently aware of the Lineman Wear logo lineman t-shirt give away on Facebook.  All you have to do is submit a picture or "like" on Lineman Wear Facebook page and you are automatically entered into the weekly drawing for this very cool lineman shirt.  The drawings will last through the year.  There is a link to the Facebook page on www.linemanwear.com.

Lineman T-Shirt from www.linemanwear.com

Still a waiting game.

Well, if we know anything or have learned anything about these storms, it is that the weathermen are terrible at getting any of this stuff right.  Well, that's until it's standing on our doorstep beating down the door, then they get it right about 50 percent of the time.  Can you imagine how few lineman there would be if we did our jobs as bad as they do theirs?

That being said, the forcast is grim and, as of right now, they are calling for some serious rain and crazy sustained winds with gusts over 80mph.  All this, ladies and gentlemen, with leaves still on the trees, especially down along the shore.  Fill up your generators, this could go the distance.   Typically in the North East, when we see gusts to 40mph over a few hours, we can easily be looking at outages in the tens of thousands.  So sustained over two days with gusts double that....hmmmm.  Did I mention generator? 

Had a lineman from Chicago yesterday contact us through www.linemanwear.com to let us know he was on the road and heading our way.  We are going to need all the help we can get if these weather guys are even remotely close with their predictions.

Work Safe,

Eric

Tricks of the trade!

I have been getting some good feedback from the Tricks of the Trade that I put on www.linemanwear.com  So going forward, if you have a trick that you would like to share with other lineman, you can post it here.  E-email it by visiting  www.linemanwear.com and going to the contact us section, go to the Lineman Wear facebook page and message us, or just post it on the timeline.  I am going to continue to put one or two out a week going forward, so check back often.  When things slow down a bit, I plan on doing some of them on video and posting the links to YouTube.

So what about Sandy??  She is looking like she may be the real deal.  Several models I have watched this evening show from bad to worse scenerios.  I guess we will just wait and see.  I got word today that some linemen from Chicago were already heading this way to standby.  Another report I heard, they are bringing in 2000 guys to standby.  It's going to be interesting.

Work Safe

Eric

Storm Coming??

A satelite picture taken from space about this time last year, at night, showed the results of what happens when New England gets two feet of snow when there are still leaves on the trees. On the East Coast, where there should of been lights...blackened.  Almost a million people alone in Connecticut without power.

In the weeks following the storm we worked around the clock and managed to turn the majority of the people back on in record time.  Regardless of what the media said or some of the customers thought our response to one of the worst natural disasters this state has ever seen was simply amazing, and every lineman that helped should be proud.

Now with a tropical storm possibly heading our way is this going to be Round 2?  Only time will tell.

Work Safe,

Eric

www.linemanwear.com

Lineman T-Shirt from www.linemanwear.com

If you're looking for some really cool Lineman TShirts and clothing, give www.linemanwear.com a look.  The shirts are all original and look at the trade from a different angle than anyone else is "currently" doing.  There are more long sleeve versions on the way, as well as a hoodie and a couple things for the line wives.  We are excited about the positive response we have received thus far, and are looking forward to see what the future brings.  So, again, if you're in the market for lineman clothing, give us a look.  Even if you're not looking to buy, I'm sure you will enjoy the catchy tag lines and graphics on these shirts.  This is one of our Lineman t-shirts.  Hope you enjoy.

Linework in the fall.

Probably one of my favorite things about my job this time of year in New England is the leaves changing colors.  We are pretty boxed in out here, but if you stand your bucket straight up in the air at times you can get a pretty stellar view.  I guess it's the small things in life. But for a guy who always finds himself looking west, a view is something not taken for granted.  Maybe if the rain lets up I'll take the family for a drive this weekend and look for some color.  Dead stick season is right around the corner and we will not see any color until the spring.

Conversions in the fall!

On another note, my younger brother just had his second kid, daughter Abigail!  We are very excited for him and his new family and look forward to spending some time with them this year. 

www.linemanwear.com is generating more and more interest and seems to be picking up some steam, and the lineman t-shirts are heading out all across the States.  It is cool being in contact with so many guys and gals that are in our industry.   We are all in this together and we are really the only ones who can grasp what it takes to do it.

This time last year!

Well, the leaves are changing and we had our first frost last night.  Not sure about others, but I can smell hunting season in the air.  About this time last year I was back in Idaho elk hunting.  Probably one of the better elk hunting trips I have been on because it was the first time my baby daughter got to experience elk camp.  Not to mention we were very successful.  My older brother got a huge 6 by 6 heard bull and I also got a big 6 by 6.  My nephew, who was 12, got his first bull, a respectable 5 by 5.  We were also able to get a couple of cows and then we stopped.  That is enough meat for the entire family for the whole winter.  Not buying any beef here!!

This year we were a little busy with everything to make it back home to hunt with the family.  Oh, yeah, we also didn't draw any tags.  So I have not heard from the family yet, but know they are in the woods hunting for elk as I write.  I've got my fingers crossed for them.  Maybe next year.

Till next time, work safe!

Eric,

If you are a hunter, you might be interested in a new camo flex fit lineman's hat by linemanwear.com. Click on link below.

Check out this new camo flex fit lineman hat!

Not much sleep!!

Long hours, early starts and a daughter that is teething; a recipe for an almost zombie state of mind.  Thank goodness I'm not doing anything complicated at work lately.  Still doing prep work for conversions, 4.8kv to 13.8kv, and that should carry us through the end of the year.  It is nice being on a job that you can sink your teeth into.

My wife has been getting a very good response to the website lately.  If you're looking for unique lineman t-shirts that are quite a bit different from anything else on the market, check it out at www.linemanwear.com  If you want to see some cool pics of what other lineman across the states are up to, check out the Lineman Wear Facebook page and let us know what you think.

Work Safe,

Eric

Construction picking up

Well, maybe not so much on a local level, but industry wide there seems to be an uptick in construction linework lately.  Seems to be geared more toward the transmission side of the trade, but jobs are jobs and many linemen are glad to see them.  Improvements into our infrastructure are long overdue and much needed.  

While talking with other lineman across the United States and asking them what the systems are like that they work on, you can start to see some similarities.  Capital improvements are not keeping up with an aging electrical system and the demand placed on the system due to a higher customer base and a larger overall consumption of electricity.  The system is red lined, and yet it's pushed further and further. How many life expectancies should we expect to get from the equipment?  How long can this "run your car without adding oil" approach be sustained?  Could it really be cheaper to replace an engine than to add some oil?  I guess we are in the process of finding out.

Work Safe,

Eric

10-3-12

Well, the rain pretty much threw a wrench into the works so far this week.  Not much new and definitely nothing exciting on the work front.  Tomorrow is looking like more of the same.  Basically just jumping from area to area prepping, framing and pulling wire to get areas ready to be converted.  We sure have been getting rid of a lot of this 4.8kv over the last few years. Glad to see it go!

On the other hand, my wife's website is starting to gain some steam.  Getting some orders on t-shirts and hats coming in.  Not too bad being it's only a week old.  The general response has been very positive and encouraging.  She's offering a raffle of sorts for the remainder of the year on the Lineman logo t-shirt for people who post pics or hit the "like" button.  Every Sunday a winner will be picked.

Work Safe,

Eric

Monday, Can't believe it is the first.

Not sure where the year is going or has gone for that matter.  Today was interesting, and a nice job goes out to Ken with Arbor Master for the chainsaw course.  Definitely learned a thing or two about chainsaw; they got it down to a science!  Ended up with a really cool hand saw for climbing or to have in the bucket.  Probably going to do more in the way of clearing shooting lanes with it for bow season. 

Prepping for a conversion at work tomorrow.  One residential section to get converted from 4.8kv to 13.8 before Thursday, then on to convert the commercial customers at the end.  It sure is nice when you can chunk sections out.

Work Safe,

Eric

Crazy busy Sunday!

With so much going on, it seems like there needs to be more hours in the day.  Helping the wife with the website and being a lineman, you can probably imagine I am, like most, not very tech savvy.  But we are very happy with how things are looking and the amount of support we have gotten in such a short period of time since it's been up and running.

Tomorrow will be a first for me as I am going to be attending chainsaw training.  I hear it is a good class and very informative for the open-minded; but I have cut a lot of trees in my life and my fair share of pole tops, without incident, so maybe I'm doing something right?  Seems like this industry is getting a little carried away with the red tape lately.  Makes it kind of hard to do our jobs, but gives the company a paper trail so they can show how safety is so important to them.

Off to put my daughter to bed.  Going to cherish that; it is going fast.

Work Safe,

Eric

Linemanwear.com

Well it has been awhile in the making but our website is finally live!!  Who would have thought it would take so much to get something like this off of the ground.  It has been a learning experience and we are just getting started.

Going forward I will be posting about life, hobbies, construction linework and what we are up against as lineman. So basically from shark fishing to setting poles and most everything in between.  I  will also post any specials my wife may be offering on Lineman T Shirts, clothing products and lineman accessories on  .www.linemanwear.com

Work Safe...

Eric

Linemanwear.com offers creative, catchy, and unique t-shirts and other items to proudly display their trade.  

Plus, TRICKS OF THE TRADE, where lineman can read and possibly learn new methods of doing old things.  We are not looking to re-invent the wheel, so to speak, so some tricks you have probably heard of, others maybe not; some obvious, some not so much.  From big to small, highline to substations to distribution, we look to make your life a little easier.  We will be drawing off of a huge network of  linemen from the East Coast to the Midwest to the West Coast in search of that exciting little trick to make your life as a lineman maybe a little bit easier.

Watch this space...and checkout linemanwear.com today!