Hazardous tension on Powerline - working solo 

Great question! I carry 2-4 extinguishers at all times. Typically a D with soap and a couple ABC's. Also the fire dept with help out and douse the ground below once the line is isolated and grounded.

​@@Bobsdecline16:46 Maybe you need to tie wire down first and then release him carefully

Maybe they do know, as Erin would be an excellent recruitment tool.

Well he's near perfect. Otherwise he probably wouldn't be there in the first place.

Yup. Nothing we could do except sit tight and let these folks do their magic.

Oh man that's rough. We cut just about anything... We've got contracts with arborist but they do their own thing. We pair up with them during large storms, but cut right along side em. Only time we'll sit and wait is if the removal is quite technical. The arborists are definitely way more skilled, while we're more of a wrecking crew when it comes to tree removals.

Another great video Arron. Happy New Year 🎉 Stay safe. Steve from Massachusetts 😊

Sounds like a unique incident. I’m a lineman for that company and the only way I wouldn’t cut a tree off a line is if I didn’t feel it was safe. I’m not a tree trimmer but I know when I should and shouldn’t call a tree crew. Most of the time we cut our own stuff off in storms or normal blue sky days. Sounds like this person got a bad crew.

Probably has to do with the union contract. Or the Utility company is worried about lawsuits, workman's comp, etc.

Same on our fire department, we don’t cut down trees, unless we can’t leave until it’s cut. Then the four of us who are well versed in tree removal all suddenly remember where we kept our chainsaws and get right on it.

Thanks Fosterfarms! 🍻🤝

I agree. Every year we hear about ice going through someone's windshield :/

Easier said then done; just how would you do it?

@@549BR You kiddin’? Start with not making them flat on top. Even a gentle curve would prevent a lot of it. For removal, I can think of all kinds of tools that 1 or 2 people could easily employ to break it up and or slide it off. A little imagination can go a long way toward success.

Yessir! Glad you shared that 🙌 A technique that works quite well. I'll often use my 1.5 tonne come alongs exactly as how you described too

im a lineman now lol

Happy New year Alan! Thanks! 👊🤝👊

*Aaron

Yes. Tree would be considered a semi conductor, especially when wet.

Me too! Helps clear out all the fine wood chips that build up on the teeth inside the cut. 😁

Rogers and Bell, but they mostly use contractors for all their construction and lashing, just local contractors that vary.

It was greatly enjoyed 🙌🍻! Close... Mary point back end

Ha ok the water duh. Down in James country. Can be nasty there. @@Bobsdecline

Yessir! He called 'er in actually. She was burning pretty good, didn't kick the line. You as well Doug!

Yes, we have a very long and specific list of stipulations and task we can and cannot do

Company guy if it's on the lines. If a road is blocked and primary voltage can be cleared with sticks we can then remove the tree from the road when accompanied by emergency services.

It's very unlikely the wire would snap. If it did, the wire would come back a bit but not with enough force to be of any concern. It's a great question and I'll try and document this exact scenario and post it later this week. Should be fairly quick and easy to setup and demonstrate!

@@Bobsdecline cool! That will be fascinating to see. 🙂

Not very often... When we do, it's usually capacitive coupling from a transmission line passing nearby.

Would you also want to step down the voltage on the non-contact sensor or is it sensitive to voltage other than the voltage you set it on? IE if someone had a generator backfeeding the line and you had it set on 12kV would it still sense the live wire? @@Bobsdecline

In the case of a generator, yes it would still pick it up. The voltage would "step up" through the transformer to the 12470/7200 level. Mind, their Genny would trip pretty quick trying to pick up the distribution circuit. If the non contact detector is going off when it shouldn't be, you almost have to use a contact/resistor type. A scenario I plan on covering soon!

@@Bobsdecline looking forward to it! My FVD is the big yellow one with the pointy tip. I used it more on the telco side, but even then it was rare, and I think most of my coworkers never used theirs. I'm considering an amp clamp for checking coax though, for possible open neutral scenarios.

The neutral is tied to Earth ground at every pole so it can't become live.

You're right! I've got a couple, but they weren't in the truck with me :(

Yes always. I was about half a click away from the end of the line where I turned my truck around and patrolled on the way back to the switch.

Had about 60 of em by the end of the week! 😬😄

Our procedures require 2 persons on site for direct contact with primary lines. (Unless using a tested insulated stick)

Yes.

If it wasn't clear, the line in this video was not energized. But it must be _treated_ as if it is, because that's what one-man-working-alone procedure dictates. Working on energized lines can be preferential to disrupting power to customers where the work can still be done safely with the power on. It also takes more time to shut off power, ground lines, work, underground lines, and turn the power on. The risk of working live has to be considered against the safety benefit of interrupting service to however many customers. With things like transmission lines, it is almost never worth it to turn them off. Potential can build up on lower voltage lines, but they have to be near enough a high voltage source for long enough of a distance to really matter. Lower voltages don't create powerful enough magnetic fields to have to worry about serious induction on other low voltage lines.

@@jovetj Thank you, I knew that this line in particular was not live, but most of the videos and linemen I have seen have been working on live lines. Thanks.

I think the zone is probably just smaller.

@@jovetj у нас для 0,4-1кВ ширина зоны по 2 метра в каждую сторону от края опоры, для 1-20кВ - по 10 метров, для 35кВ - 15 метров. У нас их постоянно чистят от деревьев и кустов.

@@huron323 I'm sure the tree in the video was more than 2 meters away from the line ... before it fell over. 2 meters is not enough to keep tall trees from landing on nearby power lines.

We do sometimes but not in this case. I have a unique position in which my home base is my home. I cover a fairly large area away from the office, that's why I'm usually alone and it takes a few extra minutes for help at times. I'll get a small per diem only if I stay in a hotel for the most part... Or at least meals covered if I cross over into another district.

he's mentioned before that they try to help out because the poles are shared... and possibly owned by the power company.

he did mention it, but I figure it falls into the same category as a chain saw so needs a second man on-site for safety. For some reason, the Sawzall is considered single-handed so not as dangerous.

Of course 😁 but as mentioned in the video, any cutting tool that uses a chain requires two guys on site.

@@Bobsdecline oh I’m sorry I skipped ahead to the tree cutting part, so I didn’t see that explanation. I’ve never even heard of a rule like that around here but it honestly makes sense especially if you’re working in pretty remote areas like you are.

That's why my hackzall has seen over a thousand trees lol.

The company pays for maintaining the lines they install.

Lol went back a day or two later with another guy