Seventeen teams and individuals from 13 electric co-ops, one municipal electric utility and a team of Lincoln Land Community College linework students participated in the annual AIEC Lineman’s Safety Rodeo. Held Sept. 8, the rodeo highlights the skills linemen use to work safely and efficiently.
Line personnel competed in five team and individual events: a 40-foot speed climb, hurt man rescue, H-structure obstacle course, transformer banking and a head-to-head climbing challenge.
Scores for each event are based on completion time, proper execution of the task and safety. Deductions were made to a team or individual’s overall performance score due to mistakes such as slipping when climbing poles, dropping tools or executing inappropriate procedures or methods.
Awards were presented to the top three places in both team and individuals in each event and an overall award to the top scoring team and individual. The Illinois Electric Cooperative, Winchester, team of Josh Davis, Kaiden Davis and Isaac Richard took the overall team award. The overall individual award went to Jared Wells, CWLP, Springfield. Dalton Spiller of SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative, Carrier Mills, was named the fastest and safest pole climber winning the head-to-head climbing challenge.
