Every year, Transmission & Distribution World creates a special supplemental insert just for linemen. This year is no exception, and we look forward to providing you with captivating color photos and informative stories about linemen on the job.

As loyal readers of this Electric Utility Operations section, you are invited to share your photos, your stories and your contacts for this year's supplement.

Please e-mail your high-resolution color images, captions and comments to me at afischbach@tdworld.com. While all of these stories are well underway, I do not want to miss an opportunity to get a great photo or a story from one of our readers. Please note that the photos must be taken with a digital camera rather than a camera phone, and they need to be at least 2.5 MB in order to print crisply in the magazine.

Here is an overview of the section as well as a description of what I'm looking for.

Linemen as leaders

When linemen are not working in the field, they are often serving in leadership positions within their communities. Because of their courage and strong work ethic, linemen often make a valuable contribution to their towns. For example, linemen often succeed as volunteer firefighters, politicians, youth sports coaches or presidents of associations.

In this article, I'll profile a handful of linemen who have made a difference in their communities through their leadership, commitment and service. If you know of a lineman at your utility who shows leadership both in the workplace and in the community, e-mail me with a reason why he or she should be included in the article and if possible, include a color photo of him or her demonstrating their work as a leader.

Storms of their careers

Every lineman has a storm experience that he or she will never forget. The significance may be because of the long work hours or the sheer devastation of the storm, or it could be based on the camaraderie of working with out-of-state line crews. Either way, storms play an integral part in linemen's lives, and line crews often talk about these memorable storms long after high winds have ripped down utility poles.

For this story, I need your best storm photos of all time. The photos can be of your line crew restoring power or of the destruction caused by the storm. I also want to hear your stories about how that particular storm stood out from others you have worked on in the past. Describe how much damage and how many outages it caused, what the work conditions were like and how you were able to pull together with your team to get the job done.

Working up high

A few years ago, I went up in a bucket truck at the International Lineman's Rodeo with a photographer. While he was bending over the side snapping shots, I swear my face must have turned white and my knees buckled the higher I got in the air.

For many linemen, however, working at high heights just comes with the job. Many linemen relish the opportunity to climb a tall structure or hang off of a helicopter platform to work on an energized line. If you know of a lineman who loves this kind of work, I want to hear about it. Also, send me your photos of linemen working out of a helicopter or climbing an extremely tall tower.

Staying cool in flame-retardant clothing

Flame-retardant clothing used to be stiff, sticky and hot. Now linemen can protect themselves from arc flashes without being uncomfortable. Over the last few years, I've highlighted some utilities that have implemented a program for flame-retardant workwear. Now I'd like to hear what your company is doing to ensure that your line crews are wearing the most advanced and comfortable flame-retardant workwear available.

Line work as a family tradition

For many families, line work continues from one generation to the next. In this column, I plan to write about linemen who got into line work not only because they love working outdoors, but also because of their family tradition. If you know of a lineman who is the child, grandchild or great-grandchild of a lineman, drop me a line with his or her contact information.

I want this year's linemen's supplement to be personal and relatable. To do that, I need your help. Please e-mail me with your photos, stories and comments. After putting long hours and hard work into your career as a lineman, you deserve to be in the spotlight and in the pages of our magazine.