Line Life Podcast

Endeavor Business Media
  • 5.0 (5)
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  • Updated Biweekly

Whether you are on the road to a job site or storm restoration effort or relaxing after a long workday, you can listen to stories about storm restoration efforts, best practices in line work and the men and women in the line trade. You will also have the opportunity to share your comments on topics covered in the podcasts.

  1. 1d ago

    Breaking Ground: The First All‑Female Team at the International Lineman’s Rodeo

    The 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo is just around the corner, and the competition will feature journeyman teams from around the world. One of the teams returning to the Rodeo is the first all-female journeyman team in the history of the competition: Cody James, Cassie Crabtree and Courtney Lupinek.  The team from IBEW Local 77 in the Pacific Northwest was sponsored by Norse FR last year. During this episode of the Line Life Podcast, they share their stories about entering the line trade, working storms and overcoming challenges in the field. They also offer advice to other women looking to get into line work, such as starting out as a groundman, going to line school and earning a CDL.  Learn more about this team by listening to the audio story, "Tribute to Team Trios," in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast. Also, for more Rodeo coverage, check out our new International Lineman's Rodeo Roundup page on the T&D World website. If you have photos, videos or stories you want to share with us from the 2026 event, please email them to Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast, or tag us @linemenworld on Instagram. Also, stop by Booth #001 at the International Lineman's Expo to participate in a recording for a future podcast episode, spin the wheel for prizes and enter a drawing for a Milwaukee Tool prize package. We look forward to seeing you and your families in Kansas City!

  2. Oct 2

    West Coast Debut: Inside the 2026 Trees & Utilities Conference in Portland

    At the 2026 Trees & Utilities Conference this September in Portland, Oregon, more than 1,200 arborists, foresters, and utility vegetation managers gathered to share technologies, best practices, and strategies—especially around wildfire risk mitigation and a rapidly growing utility vegetation management (UVM) workload. The event, presented by the Utility Arborist Association (UAA) and the Arbor Day Foundation, featured 300+ exhibitors, a new integrated Women in Vegetation Management program, student mentorships and announcements about industry education partnerships and next year’s conference in Cincinnati. Listen to this episode, which features Dennis Fallon, executive director of the Utility Arborist Association (UAA), to learn more about this year's event. Also stay tuned to the T&D World website for a photo gallery from the event and to the Line Life Podcast for more UVM-related episodes. You can also submit an abstract for the 2027 T&D World Vegetation Management Supplement, published each June in partnership with the UAA. For more UVM content, subscribe to the Vegetation Management & Wildfire Mitigation enewsletter. Thanks for tuning in!

  3. Sep 25

    ICYMI: Resilience and Recovery: Inside Entergy's Response to Winter Storm Fern

    T&D World celebrates the line trade by covering storm response year-round. For our April 2026 cover story, we highlighted Entergy's response to Winter Storm Fern. This story is now part of our Line Life Podcast ICYMI series, which brings articles from the magazine to the airwaves so field subscribers can listen on the go.  Entergy coordinated a massive, safety-first restoration after Winter Storm Fern, mobilizing thousands of mutual assistance workers to repair poles, wires, substations and transformers across Louisiana and Mississippi. Facing ice, downed trees, and frozen roads, crews used specialized equipment and methodical processes to restore power while protecting workers and communities. To hear about the day in the life of one of the lineworkers responding to Winter Storm Fern, listen to the end of the episode for a sidebar written by Brandon Scardigli of Entergy. To read the full article online, go to the T&D World website.  Also,  lineworkers, if you have a storm story you'd like to share with us at T&D World, please email high-resolution photos of the damage caused by the storm and your crews restoring power to Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast. We look forward to hearing from you!

  4. Sep 18

    30 Years on the Line: Michael Bulger of Xcel Energy on Safety, Storm Response and the Future of Line Work

    In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Journeyman Lineman Michael Bulger of Xcel Energy shares stories from a career that began as a groundman and took him from traveling contractor work to electrical troubleshooting and, ultimately, utility management in Boulder, Colorado. Bulger, an electric operations manager for Xcel Energy, shares lessons he’s learned from storm restoration — including his experiences helping communities in Puerto Rico and responding to Hurricane Maria — and why lineworkers should approach every workday with the same heightened awareness they bring to a major storm. He also discusses how safety culture has changed over the years, the importance of thoughtful job planning, opportunities in the line trade and the tools and technologies he considers true “game changers."  From getting the lights back on for children at a school in Puerto Rico to finding safer ways to perform dangerous tasks, Bulger offers a firsthand look at what it means to build a career in the power industry — and why he believes the future of the trade is in good hands.

  5. Sep 11

    ICYMI: Tribute to the Team Trios at the International Lineman's Rodeo

    With the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week around the corner, we are featuring the article "Tribute to Team Trios" from the March 2026 issue of T&D World magazine for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.  This episode shines a spotlight on three journeyman teams at last year's event: the first all-women team, the Sturgeon Electric/IBEW Local 77 championship trio and Duke Energy’s journeyman team, which participated in last year's event after taking a year off to respond to back-to-back hurricanes in their service territory.  For more information, read the story on the T&D World website. Also, if you plan to be at the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo in mid-October in Kansas City, please swing by the T&D World booth to participate in a podcast recording for a future episode, pick up a copy of the 2026 Lineworker Supplement, enter a drawing and compete for prizes on the show floor. We look forward to seeing you!

  6. Sep 4

    Lessons From the Line: Max Fuentes’ Advice for Aspiring Lineworkers

    For Part 2 of our two-part Line Life Podcast series on safety in the line trade, Max Fuentes shares practical safety advice for young and aspiring lineworkers, stressing continuous training, effective tailboards and pre-job briefings and the importance of having observers and teamwork during live-line work. He outlines common causes of accidents — poor rigging, damaged PPE, induction hazards, incorrect grounding and inadequate traffic control — and urges following procedures, learning from experienced lineworkers and prioritizing getting home safely each night. To listen to Part 1 of this series, visit the Line Life Podcast on Podbean or your favorite podcasting app. Thanks for listening to and sharing this episode to keep lineworkers safe in the field. For more information about safety in the line trade, you can attend the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Safety and Training Conference this October. While you're in Kansas City, stop by the T&D World booth at the International Lineman's Expo to participate in a future podcast recording for the Line Life Podcast.

  7. Aug 28

    ICYMI: The Life-and-Death Value of Safety Oversight

    This episode for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast highlights the life-and-death importance of safety oversight for lineworkers, sharing injury and fatality statistics and explaining how active field oversight reduces risk. This audio story is narrated from an article from the February 2026 issue of T&D World in our field-focused Electric Utility Operations section. In the story, Kirk Coffey, director of client solutions at ATK Energy Group, shares how utilities can implement independent oversight programs to provide an extra layer of protection for their field workforce. To read the full story online, visit the T&D World website.  If you have a story you'd like to share with us for publication in T&D World magazine, please email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories with our readers and subscribers in our magazine and as part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.

  8. Aug 21

    What Today's Linemen Need to Know: Max Fuentes on Safety and Leadership in the Line Trade

    What happens when decades of hard-earned knowledge leave the utility industry faster than it can be passed on? For Part 1 of this two-part Line Life podcast series, Host Amy Fischbach has a conversation with Max Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Consulting. He discusses the state of the line trade — and the lessons he believes today's workforce cannot afford to lose. During this episode, Max takes listeners through his more than four decades in the industry. After retiring in 2015, he transitioned into consulting, safety and training and expert witness work. That experience has given him a unique perspective on how line work has changed and where he believes today's practices may be creating new challenges. For example, as an expert witness, he said he has seen disturbing trends in injuries and fatalities, particularly among younger workers, and he questions whether utilities are doing enough to examine what happens before and after serious incidents. For more information, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series on Podbean or your favorite podcasting app. Also, look for a new article authored by Max in T&D World's field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the October 2026 issue, soon to be available at tdworld.com.

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About

Whether you are on the road to a job site or storm restoration effort or relaxing after a long workday, you can listen to stories about storm restoration efforts, best practices in line work and the men and women in the line trade. You will also have the opportunity to share your comments on topics covered in the podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Endeavor Business Media
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    179
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Amy Fischbach and Jeff Postelwait
  • Show Website
    Line Life Podcast

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