National Lineman Day! Colorado Springs Utilities gets KRDO13 up in a bucket truck
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KRDO) - Linemen with Colorado Springs Utilities put KRDO13's Bradley Davis inside a bucket truck and walked him through training drills to give an inside look at how they keep the lights on in the 719 in anticipation of National Linemen Appreciation Day on Friday.
"It’s like a giant jungle gym. You get to play on the heights everyday, and you get the satisfaction of keeping the lights on," head lineman Denton McCombs said.
The linemen said they wanted to help the public better understand what they do. They work with voltage of up to 230,000 volts. That's compared to the 120 volts in your standard outlet.
They say they do about 70% of their work managing high voltage switchers in the ground. When they do go up, they still have to climb by hand and harness when bucket trucks can't reach the line.
It's a hard job, but it's one all the linemen who spoke with KRDO13 said they love to do.
It’s the best job ever. I wish I could be up here more," lead foreman Jay Underwood said.
Watch the story to get an up-close look at some of the most dangerous maneuvers the Southern Colorado linemen are trained to do so that residents have power when damage strikes.
