The Board of Public Utilities honored linemen on Saturday, April 18, National Lineman Appreciation Day.
The BPU’s line workers maintain nearly 3,300 miles of distribution lines; 60,000 poles, more than 19,000 street lights and 9,000 traffic signals working with live electrical lines carrying up to 7,900 volts, a spokesman said.
“Our line workers are the first responders of our electric distribution operations and work around the clock on high-voltage power lines atop wooden poles and towering transmission structures, in underground vaults beneath the city streets and complex electric substations in our community,” said David Mehlhaff, chief communications officer.
“Whether it’s restoring power during stormy weather, responding to outages at night or on weekends, or the maintenance they do most every day, our linemen as well as linemen across this nation deserve this special day of recognition.”
The BPU lineman apprenticeship program, which requires 8,000 working hours and 288 classroom hours, trains the next generation of linemen and awards them the title of journeyman lineman upon completion.
This program was developed in connection with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and BPU. A committee nominates a few BPU employees each year to participate in the program, which can take up to four years to complete.