Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC)

SPRING 2011 RODEO

2011-04-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

A Recent E-mail from Former Graduate

2011-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Randy

Hello Randy hows thing going down there? I was just letting u know that I have been moved up to Class B Lineman, I was hired on as a Class C Lineman. I have got to do alot of cool things and more hot work now that i am a B. I still get to climb a little every now and then. We are heading northwest corner of Missouri and Iowa, we have a 3 yr. contract of work up there. 4367 miles of line and about 2300 poles that have to be changed out, that have been there for 35 yrs. I cant express how feel that u guys giving me the opportunity to better me and my family in life, but mostly me. Randy I just wish I could put it in words that I can express my feelings about your school and teaching staff, u guys are the greatest in my opinion. You guys keep up the great work. I have tried getting guys sent down that way that have been talking about doing this kind of work. I just feel like that I am in your debt for your guys, for giving your time to teach and share your experience with me. Just remember that i will cherish and keep the experience, also u guys in my mind and heart forever. I will never forget u guys down there, u all are very good people wish it could have been longer. So Long and I will keep in touch.

Reality TV for Lineworkers

2010-11-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

TV Casting: America’s “Working” Icons for Inter-Generational Competition! A Major US Network and an Emmy Award Winning Production Company are celebrating the icons of America's workforce!
Now casting intergenerational hosts and contestants! We're looking for intergenerational "friendly rivals" to take part in a new adventure competition series – think Dirty Jobs meets the Amazing Race.
We want teammates - "friendly rivals" – from different generations! Father & Son, Uncle & Niece, Foreman & Laborer. You need not be related by blood or even in the same line of work: Dad could be a cop, Son a fireman, but the point is, whether you work or play together, you have rival approaches about how to get things done. Youth Vs Experience! New School Vs Old School!
Contractors, Carpenters, Firefighters, Engineers, Lumberjacks, Mechanics, Military... your team of two will go head to head with others, from various industries.
We want the gruff, the tough, the outspoken, adventurous and fiercely competitive. Sound familiar? Then contact us!
If chosen, you two will have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to travel the country, do the extraordinary, and bring home some very serious bacon.
You and your "teammate" should be AT LEAST 10 years apart – ideally 15 or more. Both should be over 18 years old.
Email a brief description of yourselves. Include your ages, professional backgrounds, and a note about your competitive rivalry. Attach photos and any relevant links. A casting producer will be in touch.

Casting Director:Jason WattLion Television304 Hudson St, Ste 505NYC 10013O: 212-206-8633 x3887F: 212-206-8636See More

Recent E-mail

2010-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Just a short note to let you all know that my son, - Graduate of the August 2010 Class, was hired on by Pike Electric Company and reports for work today! We are so excited for him and of course so thankful for the knowledge and discipline that you instilled in him during his 4 months of training. You have given him the ability to go forth in life and to know there still is the American Dream! He will always cherish his memories of the crew and experience of SLTC, it was a once in a lifetime chance. It was so nice to meet each of you at the graduation and rodeo. It was a GREAT presentation and everyone was so welcoming! We all had so much fun!! God Bless you all for taking care of our son and showing him the ropes! He talks of you all often and respects you all more than you will ever know, which is saying a lot from this generation of young adults. Wishing you continued success in all your future classes.

Top of the class - timesfreepress.com

2010-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Top of the class - timesfreepress.com

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/aug/13/video-lineman-rodeo-day/?localvideo-news

Hurricane Season Promises a Rough Ride, Weather Agency Says

2010-08-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

By Jeremy A. Kaplan
Published August 05, 2010
FoxNews.com

NOAA
Hurricane Bill hovers 820 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on August 21, 2009. Bill was a category 3 hurricane with 115 MPH winds at the time.

Despite a slow start, the Atlantic hurricane season still looks to be a doozy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency announced a revision to its Atlantic hurricane outlook Thursday, decreasing the overall number of forecasts it expects to see this year -- but stressing that the 2010 hurricane season will still be very severe.

"June and July activity is very difficult to predict, and conditions need to be extremely favorable" to generate the onslaught of hurricanes some had worried might strike, said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster with NOAA's Climate Forecast Center.

That didn't happen, with only three named storms to date in the Atlantic. But the conditions that led to the dire predictions from NOAA and others earlier this year are still in place, and the remainder of the season will be very rough, he said.

"We predict 2010 will become the 11th above-normal season since 1995," Bell said. "Conditions now in place are very conducive to hurricanes," he stressed.

According to the revised forecast, there is a 70 percent probability of 14 to 20 named storms, 8 to 12 hurricanes, and 4 to 6 major hurricanes -- designations that conform to Categories 3, 4, and 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

NOAA and other weather-forecasting agencies had previously said that the 2010 hurricane season would be one of the strongest seasons on record, with as many as 23 named storms and 3 to 7 major hurricanes.

The revision is not unusual; the agency traditionally revises its forecast in August to reflect the events of the season to date, explained Bell.

Three factors play into the new forecast, said Bell. The agency monitors multi-decadal signals, 25- to 40-year patterns of activity; the continued warm Atlantic water temperatures, which are 2-3 degrees above normal; and the La Nina weather pattern, a cooling of tropical waters that favors reduced wind sheer -- too much wind sheer would cut down on hurricane formulation.
All three factors point to a dangerously strong season.

NOAA's revision remains in line with that of other forecasters, though it is the only agency to revise down the number of overall storms predicted for the year. Colorado State University meteorologists Philip Klotzbach and William Gray revised their annual forecast on Wednesday, and continue predicting a severe season as well.

"We have maintained our forecast from early June and continue to call for a very active Atlantic basin hurricane season in 2010 due to unusually warm tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures and the development of La Niña," they explain. "We anticipate a well above-average probability of United States and Caribbean major hurricane landfall."
And Accuweather.com hurricane guru Joe Bastardi is sticking with his predictions of 18 to 21 named storms this year.

"The bottom line is, it is way to early to be yanking down forecast number of named systems in the Atlantic Basin," Bastardi said.

Bell stressed that the decrease in the high end of the forecast doesn't mean people can relax; all it takes is one storm in someone's area to cause disaster.

"People want to know what the season will bring. Hopefully this brings more likelihood that people will get a preparedness plan in place -- to be ready for the season."

GRADS READY TO CLIMB

2010-05-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Fast-growing Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., often feels hard-pressed keeping qualified lineworkers flowing into its employee ranks. Fortunately, it can breathe easier when manpower needs come through Georgia-based Southeast Lineman Training Center (SLTC).

By using SLTC, CHELCO gains ready-to-roll apprentice lineworkers.

"Our seasoned lineman get to work with apprentices-not just help rookies get their feet wet," observes Donny Fugate, Vice President of Operations. "SLTC graduates are more likely to complete their apprenticeship programs and advance to journeyman status in much less time."

SLTC's pre-apprentice training program turns raw recruits into efficient line crew members in 15 weeks. Graduates from the Electrical Lineworker Program are field-competent in equipment operation and climbing with substantial training in overhead distribution. They are also schooled in transmission, substations, and underground distribution facilities and hold commercial driver's licenses and certification in first-aid and CPR.

"Rural Electric Magazine", Connections, April 2010

For original article please visit:
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nreca/re0410/index.php?startid=S-6

Hurricane Activity Looms in 2010

2010-03-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Activity Looms in 2010
Above-average storm count seems likely

By Steven Johnson | ECT Staff Writer
Published: March 11th, 2010

The latest projections for the 2010 hurricane season appear to confirm earlier analyses―above average storm activity is in the offing.

The Gulf Coast and western Atlantic could see a spate of hurricane activity this year. (Photo By: NOAA)
The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center said March 10 that five hurricanes could make landfall along the Gulf Coast and western Atlantic, with two to three of them reaching intense Category 3 status.

“This year has the chance to be an extreme season,” said Joe Bastardi, the company’s chief long-range meteorologist and hurricane forecaster. “It is certainly much more like 2008 than 2009 as far as the overall threat to the United States’ East and Gulf coasts.”

The AccuWeather numbers mirror projections issued in December by the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University. Researchers there predicted six to eight hurricanes will form in 2010, with three to five of them reaching Category 3 status.

In 2009, only three hurricanes formed, none of which made landfall in the United States. The season saw just nine tropical storms, the lowest total since 1997.

This year, Bastardi said 15 to 18 tropical storms could arise, mostly in the Atlantic basin and Gulf of Mexico.

Chief among the reasons behind the forecast is a weakening El Niño warming pattern, which tends to depress hurricane formation.

Additionally, temperatures are warmer in the Atlantic tropical breeding grounds, AccuWeather reported. Tropical storms tend to draw energy from warm water.

The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and continues through Nov. 30. The National Hurricane Center will issue its seasonal outlook in May.

AISI Steel Pole Training in Trenton, GA

2010-03-05T11:05:00.001-08:00

What Utilities Have Learned From Smart-Meter Tests...

2010-02-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

What Utilities Have Learned From Smart-Meter Tests...
...And why they aren't putting those lessons to use

By REBECCA SMITH

Utilities have learned a lot about how smart meters can compel consumers to save electricity. Unfortunately, too often they aren't putting the knowledge to good use.

The Journal Report

See the complete Energy report.

Smart meters are more precise than traditional meters in that they send readings on electricity usage to utility billing departments throughout the day. Not only do smart meters provide customers with a clearer picture of how they use electricity on a daily basis, they also make it possible for utilities to charge more for power when demand is highest—in the afternoon—and less when usage falls off—at night.
By making variable pricing plans possible, smart meters are expected to play a big role in getting customers to reduce their peak-hour energy consumption, a key goal of utility executives and policy makers. Electricity grids are sized to meet the maximum electricity need, so a drop in peak demand would let utilities operate with fewer expensive power plants, meaning they could provide electricity at a lower cost and with less pollution.
Utilities have run dozens of pilot tests of digital meters and found that people cut power consumption the most when faced with higher peak-hour rates. But utility executives and regulators have been reluctant to implement rate plans that penalize people for too much energy use, fearing that if customers associate smart meters with higher bills, they will stall the technology's advance just as it is gaining traction. Only about 5% of U.S. electric meters are "smart" today, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, but that figure is expected to grow to about one-third in the next five years.
So, many utilities are trying an approach that is less controversial, but also less effective: offering rebates to customers who conserve energy in key periods of the day. By doing things like turning off clothes dryers and adjusting air conditioners on hot summer afternoons, customers earn credits that can reduce their electricity bills.
Preventing Rebellions
"Most CEOs struggle over this issue more than anything else," says Ted Craver, chief executive of Edison International, the Rosemead, Calif., parent of Southern California Edison, which is in the midst of a massive smart-meter rollout. "You could have a real rebellion" if smart meters push up customers' rates, especially if utilities' other capital expenses are increasing, he says.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co., a unit of PG&E Corp., got a taste of the public-relations risk last summer when it installed smart meters in Bakersfield, Calif., as part of a broad upgrade in its Northern California service territory. When customers—who weren't participating in any sort of experimental rate plan—received dramatically higher bills shortly afterward, they blamed the meters for what they assumed was faulty billing. The San Francisco utility investigated and concluded that the meters were functioning properly. It found that the higher bills were simply a case of unfortunate timing: An increase in conventional rates had taken effect just ahead of unseasonably hot temperatures.
"What it told us is that people aren't really knowledgeable about smart meters coming down the pike and they don't pay much attention to rate changes," says Dian Grueneich, a member of the California Public Utilities Commission, which is monitoring the situation. "It told us there needs to be a lot of consumer education" before making big changes.
PG&E now has a voluntary program in which customers agree to pay higher peak rates of 60 cents a kilowatt-hour for no more than 15 days a year, in exchange for a discount of three cents a kilowatt-hour for electricity used at other times. So far some 26,000 customers have signed up.
Journal Community
discuss
“ If you can give me an easy way to change my behavior and save money, sure, I am interested. Otherwise, the smart grid is going to be just one more electronic device suffering from ESO: equipment superior to operator. ”—Susan Gilbert

To date, 16,000 to 18,000 people have participated in more than five dozen pilot tests involving smart meters and experimental rate plans, according to Ahmad Faruqui, a consultant with the Brattle Group who has helped utilities develop some of the programs. He says that while it is sometimes disheartening to see utility executives ignore their own findings, he understands the desire to move slowly until people become comfortable with smart-meter technology.
Pepco Holdings Inc. recently did a pilot test in Washington, D.C., of three rate plans designed to gauge how customers respond to different price signals. One plan pegged the price, which ranged from a penny to 37 cents a kilowatt-hour, to the wholesale cost of electricity. One charged a "critical peak price" of 75 cents a kilowatt-hour during certain hours on a handful of days, and 11 cents per kwh at other times. The final plan gave customers 75 cents for each kilowatt-hour of energy saved and charged 11 cents per kwh for power used.

Results showed that people responded most when threatened with the 75-cent-per-kwh peak pricing. Those customers cut their overall energy consumption between 22% and 34%, depending on whether they also had programmable thermostats that could automatically change temperature settings. Customers offered rebates reduced their usage 9% to 15%—again, with the deeper cuts among those who had smart thermostats.

Despite evidence that sticks are better motivators than carrots, the utility intends to offer rebates in the future in an effort to change behavior. "Our general sense is that consumers would prefer a rate structure with no downside," says Steven Sunderhauf, a program manager for Pepco. "From a purist's standpoint, I may prefer critical peak pricing because it gets the boldest response…but using rebates will help people get comfortable with smart meters."
Offering Protections

In addition to fearing a customer rebellion, utility executives and regulators worry that the introduction of peak pricing for the hottest or coldest days of the year could harm vulnerable members of society. Many experts feel that not enough research has been done to protect those who aren't able to change their electricity usage.

"I'm mindful that an elderly person with medical equipment can't say, 'I'm not going to run the equipment at the 'peak' time,' " says Kevin DelGobbo, a Connecticut utilities commissioner. "We have to be careful with these rate structures."
The same holds true for commercial customers—some may not have the option of cutting usage on weekday afternoons.

Last summer, Connecticut Light & Power Co., a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities Service Co., gave new meters to 3,000 residential and business customers, testing three types of rates. Like other utilities, it found that homes facing the highest peak-hour pricing—$1.60 per kwh at certain times—responded the most, cutting peak use 16% to 23%, depending on whether they had other aids like smart thermostats. Commercial customers, in a similar test, cut their demand far less, only 7%.

That was instructive, says Jessica Brahaney Cain, director of CL&P's smart-grid planning, because it told the utility that many commercial customers don't have the option of cutting usage during times of peak demand. "A restaurant has to use its ovens," she says. "A dentist has to use his drills."

One surprise, says Ms. Cain, was that almost all of the customers who participated in the pilot test reported more satisfaction with the Berlin, Conn., utility than those who didn't. They liked that the meters gave them greater insight into how they use electricity, she says.
CL&P expects to file a plan for mass-meter deployment and new dynamic-pricing plans by the end of March. It plans to offer rebates for conservation, at least in the beginning.
Better Tools

Southern California Edison says it also plans to adopt a rebate strategy by the end of the year, even though it won't have all its meters in place until 2012.
"If customers do nothing, they'll get the same bill they otherwise would get," says Lynda Ziegler, senior vice president for customer service at the Edison International unit. Those that cut peak consumption will get a credit of 75 cents to $1.25 for each kilowatt-hour of reduction. The main concern of regulators, she says, is making sure meter readings are accurate.
The utility chose rebates over penalties partly because a law passed during the California energy crisis a decade ago limits its ability to involuntarily switch people to higher peak-hour pricing plans right now. A new law may allow it after 2013.

But the utility also concluded that it wouldn't be fair to really crank up peak pricing until homeowners have greater access to automation tools such as smart appliances and controllers. In the future, devices will contain computer chips and software so they can go into energy-saving mode in response to a signal sent from the utility or another energy manager that higher prices are kicking in.— Ms. Smith is a Wall Street Journal staff reporter in San Francisco. She can be reached at rebecca.smith@wsj.com.

Spring Term 2010

2010-02-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the guys learning to climb. You will also notice snow... which it is very uncommon to our area.

Storm Training

2009-12-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

The fall 2009 class has already graduated, but here are some shots of them working our simulated storm training. They began training around 7:00 PM and worked until about 1:00 AM.

Working in the rain...just part of the job.

2009-11-16T12:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the guys working in the rain. Line work is a profession that requires individuals to work in all weather conditions. We don't get all weather conditions at SLTC, but we do get rain...lots of rain.

Alumni Kimberly Patterson

2009-10-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

We can all learn something from SLTC Alumni Kimberly Patterson. I asked her mom to share her story with you and we hope that is has the same impact on your life as it has on ours.

Randy Weeks, Kim Patterson, George Nelson

I raised my kids with the sayings “Can’t is not a word” and “You can do and be anything you want, if you want it bad enough.”

That is how Kim has always responded to adversity and even today that is how she responds to the fight for her life. Kim is strong, patient, determined and oh yes STUBBORN!Kim is, and always has been, very competitive. I remember once when she was playing in a softball game and was hit with a line drive to the knee, but even with it swollen and hurting she did not quit. The team would have been short a player had she gone to the hospital, so she waited until the game was over to go to the hospital. She has always had an interest in working with her hands and she was so talented when it came to working on motors, machines, etc. She was always drawn to things that a typical female was not interested in, but Kim is not the typical female. She is far from typical or average; she is special and unique in many different ways.

She completely rebuilt a 1965 mustang by herself using nothing but a manual. She would tear apart lawn mowers, go cart motors and 4 wheelers just to put them back together.

Her first paid job was at a place in Graysville, where she would unload and clean 55 gallon metal drums and then reload them. She worked at Synthetic Industries in Chickamauga were she learned to drive a Hyster and she became the first female winder fixer. The other winder fixers (all men) did not like this, and she always had to work twice as hard to show she could do the work and she did.

When she graduated from high school she was given the HOPE grant. I begged her to go back to school; I never wanted my children in a mill, but she got it in her head to do lineman work.

This was another “man’s job”, but she wanted it. She attended Southeast Lineman Training Center in Trenton, Georgia and was the second female to graduate from the program. She excelled in the program and out worked many of the guys she trained alongside. After graduating from SLTC, she went to work for Georgia Power. Again, she was met with adversity by men that did not like women doing this. I reminded her that it would take time for her to earn their respect and now she has only praise for them and from them.

Kim has always been a good person never thinking of herself only helping others. When we bought the house we live in now, we needed to put rails on the front porch and enclose the deck, so she took it upon her self to do it. The pool and deck were small and she decided we needed a bigger one, so she took all the measurements and built a bigger deck and installed a pool as well.
She would come across people that were having difficult times in life and take them in until they got on their feet. If anyone asks for her help she is always there for them.

Everyone was shocked when Kim was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
I told her not to worry about bills or jobs but to enjoy life, but she reminded me of my words. She said, “Momma, don’t give up on me, I want to fight this and I will win.” Later they discovered that the cancer had gone to her liver (stage 3) and her lungs.

She could sign up for disability and “enjoy life”, but she wants to work. She keeps a smile on her face and never complains. Kim loves her job and thinks the world of the men she works with. The only days off from work are when she has her chemo treatments.

Many people consider how their life would change if they were faced with a life and death situation. They think of all the things they would want to experience before they left this world. Kim is making the most of her life everyday and doing what she loves to do, work and being with her family and friends. Her life is a testimony to us all that if we live life to the fullest, we will have no regrets.

Kim’s prognosis is good and she looks to have weathered the storm. Please pray for her to stay positive and for her healing because with God’s help she will win!

Anita Norris

Double Cross-Arms

2009-10-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

The guys are now in week six of their training and are finishing up their time in the pole circles. The last competency that is performed before they move on to specialty training is the double-arm installation. Students have 4 minutes to complete the single-arm installation and 10 minutes to complete the double-arm installation. Below are some pics of the class in action.

In this picture you can see the 120 poles in the six pole circles and the main administration building.

Just off to the left of this picture you can see the substation and the lattice transmission tower.

Climbing Week Two

2009-09-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Fall Class Begins

2009-09-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of the students during their first full day of climbing. They will spend nearly all day taking only a couple of steps on the pole. We focus on fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals.

We will teach free climbing until the students reach 15 feet, then they will begin to belt climb.

SLTC may be the only lineman school that teaches free climbing as part of the curriculum.

Storm Restoration

2009-07-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Every class that comes through SLTC now experiences what it's like to repair damaged lines in the dark. This summer class was the first to experience our simulated storm damage in the rain. It definitely made the simulation a more real experience.

Here are some pictures of the carnage before the students made it in to work.

About 9:30 the students began to work and the rain was coming down. Students used bucket truck and line trucks to rebuild the lines. Most of the students did everthing off their hooks.

Week 11 - Electrical Lineworker Program

2009-07-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

In week 11 of the students training they will be buidling 3 phase lines all over the property. Students will also be rotating through certifications such as CDL, Pole-top Rescue, Bucket Rescue, etc. Below are some shots of students doing their Pole-top rescue.

The pictures below are guys working throughout the property building lines.

One Man's Opinion

2009-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

David,

My name is Chris Bastien (B-Tard). I graduated from SLTC in the class of Fall 08. I'm writing this email because I wanted to let everyone know that while I attended not only did I learn the basic essentials in linework but It was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
While I was there I met some of the best people and made a lot of really good friends, which I will probably keep in touch with the rest of my life. And cut up a few times while at school.... the best was watching Cuz try and find his car LOL!!

The knowledge that I received while at school gave me the confidence I needed in the interview process. I recently received an interview from NOVEC a CO-OP in Northern Virginia. When I got the call I was unsure of picking my family up and moving since I was located in upstate New York. Being that the job market is how it is, I decided to take the interview.

Well, I got to the interview and with the skills and confidence I had received from school, I did awesome. I felt very confident and got along great with the Supervisors. I got out of my interview at 12:30, and started the 8 hour drive back to New York, and at 3:30 the same day I got a call with a job offer. Needless to say I took the job. They offered me the job because a former SLTC student who works there does such a great job there and they felt I would be an asset with the knowledge I received from the school.

They started me out as a 3rd Class 2nd Step Apprentice giving me a 6 month jump because of school background.

I wanted all your current students and students to come to know that SLTC gave me a jump start in the interview process, gave me the knowledge I use now everyday to be a great apprentice and soon a great lineman. This is the best job I have ever had! Everyone always told me it's not were you start but were you end up, but you never know where you start you might want to stay!

Good luck to everyone attending and I recommend this school to anyone that has the work ethic, and drive to be a great lineman.

Thanks To all the instructors, of course i gotta give a shout out to my pole circle leader BIG SHREK.

Chris Bastien
B-Tard
Fall 08

Field Training 101

2009-07-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well, the students have finally made it out of the pole circles, through the specilty training and on to the fun! They will spend the remaining weeks building and working on the field lines. We divide the students into crews and similate a real working environment.

Week Two of Specialized Training

2009-06-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

The students are in their second week of specialized training; these groups include transmission training, underground training, wire tying, wire sagging and pole setting. Here are some pictures from week two.

Specialized Training

2009-06-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Once the guys finish in the pole circles they will begin what we call "specialized training." It will take approximatly two weeks for everyone to rotate through the different specialized groups.

Here the students are working off the sagging line.

Students obtain a Class A CDL while attending SLTC and here are some pictures of students practicing driving.

Students will also gain experience working on transmission structures during their 15 weeks at SLTC.

Every graduate at SLTC will have to operate the line trucks. One of the operations they learn is setting poles. Here is a group replacing poles from their climbing circles. They are preparing the circles for the fall class.

Former Graduates Comment on SLTC

2009-06-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Cuz,
Thought I would let you know that me opening my mouth to my Journeyman about the whole grounding thing got my company to take a closer look at the whole issue. They are getting someone to come in and give a presentation on equipotential and bracket grounding. They figured if an apprentice knew more about it than a 27 year journeyman they needed to do something different. I guess that school did more for me than I knew. Talk to you later.
Weasle

Dave,
How are u all doing? I pray that all is well with u all. I love what u guys are doing with the school. I've been raving about S.L.T.C. and know that this school was the best thing that ever happened to me. Tell everyone I said hello. Keep flying high!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will email u later class "04"
"Spiderman"

Just to let you know that both Eric Kinsley and I are now employed as Lineman by Grove Construction in Madisonville, KY.
Thank you SLTC!
Ian

Hey David, I was just gonna let you know I work at Texas New Mexico Power here in Lewisville Tx and it's going great! Thanks, Steven Stone

David,
This is Jason Maus and Ive been employed with Sun Comm since the Monday following graduation. They are located in Westfield, In.
Thanks again David and to everyone there at SLTC this is by far the best thing I could of done with my life.
Thanks

Single Cross-Arms

2009-06-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

The guys are now at the point in the training where they are installing their single arms on the poles. They get a few practice runs and then they have to accomplish this competency in the alloted amount of time.

Having a good groundman is important when you're being timed.

A job well done! Next week they will start the double arm.

The top of the pole

2009-05-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of students at the top of the poles. This is their first day to go to the top.

Here the students are passing around a basketball at the top of the pole. This helps them to learn to move around in their belts without having their hands on their belts or on the pole. It's a confidence booster.

At SLTC we give out stickers for students to put on their hard hats for excellence, similar to what a football team would do for great plays. Students get stickers for perfect scores on their test, performing a field competency the best in their circle, and for doing something worth noting. Here Larry Bradford is giving a student a superman sticker for being such an encouragement to his classmates during the previous week of training.

Here Larry is demonstrating to his group how to install a single cross arm on a pole. Next week the students will begin to do this on their hooks.

Passing the basketball is a confidence builder, but so is teaching a student to climb with no hands. These students are descending while keeping their hands on their hard hats.

Qualified for the 15 foot mark

2009-05-15T05:54:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning the students were qualified to move up to the 15 foot mark.

Instructor Jason Crisp explains to his group how to manuver over the ropes and also how to belt climb.

In every class you will find those guys that love to get in front of the camera and here is a few of them.

The student spend a lot of time climbing up and down, but they also spend a lot of time circling the pole and sometimes have to do it with their hands behind their backs.

Week two on the poles

2009-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here are the students climbing using the buddy system.

The students are now climbing up to the five foot mark.

Here are the students circling the poles.

First day climbing

2009-05-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

The students are talking things over with their instructor before they start climbing.

The students will spend the next couple of days learning proper climbing technique and will not go above 5 feet on the pole.

Take a look at all these poles. We start each class with 120 students and so that means 120 poles.

Summer Class 2009 - First Day

2009-05-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

Students from all across the country have arrived at SLTC to begin the 15-week Electrical Lineworker Training Program.

After we get their "mug shot" and make sure all their paperwork is in order they will get with the instructors and put their tools together.

Students are talking with Lead Instructor Thomas Kinard.

Chief Instructor Randy Weeks talks with the new class about his experience in line work and let's students know what will be expected of them while attending SLTC.

Spring 2009 Graduation

2009-04-07T10:46:00.001-07:00

SLTC's spring class will be graduating in a couple of weeks, but not before they endure the test of training at night. Students will experience what it's like to train at night and work in storm restoration situations.