Cooperative Living February 2021 - 7

TrainingTracks
'I've Loved it Ever Since'
Tyson Arnold grew up about a half-hour from A&N Electric
Cooperative, where he has worked for about six years.
An avid hunter and fisherman, Arnold recently completed
coursework to graduate to journeyman lineworker.
Becoming a lineworker: I started out as a meter reader at A&N.
I did that for two years. I decided I wanted to do something
different and I got into the line program. I've loved it ever since.
What he likes best about his job: It's definitely a lot more
challenging and different than reading a meter; something
different every day. You never know what it's going to be,
whether it's a broken pole or just regular maintenance.
Working through Hurricane Isaias in 2020:We had a lot of
members out. It was mostly routine stuff - trees on the line,
wire down, a few broken poles and cross arms. But all in all,
after a couple of days, we got everybody back on. It feels
Our Training Tracks feature spotlights a trainee
from an electric cooperative. Training is
conducted at the Electric Cooperative Training
Center in Palmyra, Va. The state-of-the-art
facility is an ideal learning environment to
serve the needs of lineworkers, system
operators, substation operators and other
co-op representatives.
ThrowBack
Safety First,
Then and Now
ean E. Woodward was fuming.
The general manager of
Community Electric Cooperative
bemoaned the loss of three electric lines
to gunfire in just a couple of weeks
from unidentified boys or men shooting
at glass insulators.
And it wasn't just a matter of
members being in the dark for a few
hours, Woodward emphasized. It was
a matter of safety for the lineworkers
whose solemn duty was to get the
lights back on.
" Every year, " Woodward explained,
" there are a number of linemen
seriously burned or killed because
co-opliving.com
J
Tyson Arnold
yson Ar
* A&N Electric Cooperative
* Native of Nassawadox, Va.
* 2010 Graduate of Northampton High School
* Resides in Onancock, Va.
really good. A lot of people come out there and they try
to give you some food or water or drinks, and they're just
appreciative.
What he's learning:We've learned things throughout the
whole process. In this class, we touched on a lot of things
we've gone over in other classes. If we had any more intense
situations that we wanted to discuss, we discussed those
things. All in all, it's a good time with our line buddies,
so to speak.
About the training center: It's really nice out here now;
very comfortable. They have lots of new tools and new
equipment. It's different than some of the stuff we have
back home and it's good to learn on different equipment. 
Read about the training center at vmdaec.com/center.
Editor's note: Observing its 75th anniversary in 2021, Cooperative Living
will revisit some of the stories it has published since it got its start in 1946.
of insulators being fractured
by gunfire. When the lineman
starts up the pole, the weakened
insulator is apt to shake loose, allowing
the 7,200-volt conductor to fall
on him.
A harrowing tale,
to be sure, but one
that is as timely in
2021 as it was when
Woodward recounted
it in 1946. Safety is
front and center at
electric cooperatives,
then and now.
T.J. Jeffries,
superintendent of
Northern Piedmont
Electric Cooperative,
a predecessor of
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative,
reported similar ill doings. Jeffries said
boys hunting near a creek routinely
turned insulators into small game.
He said the co-op replaced the
same five insulators
on two power poles
twice in less than a week.
Lacking the power to
run their machines,
more than 100 dairymen
had to milk by hand.
" If the boys who
shoot these insulators
off could only be told
and taught to realize
what it means, I am
sure that it would
not happen again, "
Jeffries said. 
February 2021 | Cooperative Living | 5
http://www.vmdaec.com/center http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living February 2021
