California linemen often face environmental restrictions governing the land and the wildlife. From the native grasses and elderberry trees to the frogs, salamanders and turtles, linemen must be careful not to disturb nature and the habitat.

On nearly every job, an environmentalist travels with Western Area Power Administration (Western) linemen to spot check an area and mark an acceptable route for heavy equipment. Up until a few months ago, the linemen relied on an 80,000-lb bucket truck to work on overhead wire and inspect and maintain poles and towers. This truck, however, often left marks in the soil, and it couldn't be used in the rain for fear it would be stuck in the mud.

Thanks to Western's new helicopter operations program, the linemen no longer need to touch the ground in environmentally sensitive areas to perform overhead work. Before the program was implemented, linemen used man lifts to perform midspan splices on the overhead wire. The linemen would move the wire to the tower during the pull, hold the pull and then do the splice on the tower.

Streamlining Helicopter Operations

In early May, Western implemented the Air Reach Seat (A-R-S) from Air Rescue Systems. The system allows one or two linemen to perform their work while sitting, standing or leaning out of the device up to 90 degrees. This allows linemen to have continued contact with the work being performed, compared to base systems, which provided for a limited seating position only.

To use the device, linemen connect the A-R-S to a long line on a helicopter. The helicopter will then fly to the work location and then hover while the linemen perform work. To improve comfort and safety, Air Rescue Systems outfitted the A-R-S with a footing, which allows users to stand out of a chair and obtain more leverage for performing work. Two straps hang below the seat with a bar where the linemen can rest their feet. Linemen can have continued contact with the work being performed, compared to older systems, which provided for a limited seating position only.

To maximize their safety, the linemen wear a harness from Yates Gear and carry a 6-ft-long OSHA- and ANSI Z359-approved fall arrest system, as well as a shorter, adjustable system that they can use while standing up or leaning out of the A-R-S.

Present and Future Applications

Western linemen used the A-R-S for a nine-day project in which they pulled 14 miles of fiber-optic cable and performed midspan splices. The linemen took turns using the chair and found that doing the splices was much harder to do while hanging in their harnesses. They saved about five minutes per midspan splice using the chair, but the most important advantage was that it minimized body fatigue for the linemen.

In the future, the linemen plan to use the A-R-S for pole and tower maintenance, and for pulling overhead wire.

Western, whose service territory stretches from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, employs about 400 to 500 linemen, but 13 California linemen work in the helicopter operations department. So far, the helicopter team has worked on not only the fiber-optic project, but also on a spacer changeout on a bundled conductor to inspect aerial marker balls on a river crossing in Redding, California.

The linemen have responded positively to the A-R-S due to its easy accessibility and improved safety. As Western continues its journey into more helicopter work, the linemen plan to use the seat to boost their productivity and minimize their impact on the land below.

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James Hill (jhill@wapa.gov) is a journeyman lineman for the Western Area Power Administration in Sacramento, California. Hill was instrumental in setting up his company's helicopter operations program.

Companies mentioned:

Air Rescue Systems www.airrescuesystems.com

Western Area Power Administration www.wapa.gov

Yates Gear www.yatesgear.com