April celebrates lineworkers; May tests their craft
The clock ticks as a lineworker ascends a utility pole toward an injured co-worker — a brother on the line.
Five minutes.
Five minutes to reach him. Five minutes to secure and lower him safely to the ground. Five minutes to begin life-saving care and seek medical attention.
“Timing is your enemy right now,” says Henry Smith, manager of safety training and workforce development for Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC), watching from below.
The drill is called pole-top rescue, and the scenario is not theoretical.
“What this simulates is somebody who’s been incapacitated — shocked, heart attack, something, while he’s up there,” Smith explains. “And you’ve got to get him down in less than five minutes.”
And speed alone isn’t enough. Protocols matter. Equipment must be secured properly, and every step followed exactly.
The drill unfolds at the cooperatives’ North Little Rock training facility during a weeklong Northwest Lineworker College class. It’s a cold February morning. Wooden poles rise against a wide Arkansas sky, the sun beaming but the air sharp as apprentices — gloves on, hooks strapped, belts cinched — move through a rescue that demands control as much as quick action.
It’s rehearsal for the work they do all year long. Even in the controlled training yard, the scenario reflects real-world complications.
April 13 is when the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and many cooperatives mark Lineworker Appreciation Day — a time to recognize this discipline and the men and women who restore power after storms, and keep Arkansas and our neighbors in other states energized year-round.
Rodeo-ready
In May, this same mastery will move to the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock, where cooperative lineworkers from across the state will gather for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Lineman Rodeo — competing hard, learning from one another and strengthening the solidarity that matters when storms hit. This year’s rodeo represents a renewed statewide effort to bring the state’s cooperative crews together.
Much of the rodeo highlights the work lineworkers already perform — climbing, transferring equipment, executing tasks at height — only this time, it is scored for safety, efficiency and execution. With some fun in the mix.
“It’s a series of events,” Smith says. “Some of them are safety, like pole-top rescue, there’s one called the egg race and then there are some mystery events.”
The mystery events aren’t gimmicks or tricks, Smith says: “These mystery events are everyday jobs that they do out in the field.” There are team and individual competitions, and the rodeo will feature participants from younger apprentices to experienced journeymen.
Overseeing this morning’s activities is the apprentices’ instructor, John Finley, AECC health and safety specialist III. He says the rodeo sweet spot often falls among third- and fourth-year apprentices. “They’re young, energetic. Get up and down the pole, good and quick.”
But age alone doesn’t define readiness. Even some seasoned lineworkers still push themselves, Finley says. He mentions a veteran who times his own performance during training “to make sure he stays competitive against his own.”
First-, second- and third-place awards will be presented, along with an overall team champion. The winning cooperative will receive a perpetual trophy that remains with the champion for the year before returning to be awarded again, its base growing with each new name engraved.
Precision matters. Communication matters. Small mistakes cost points. Proper form earns them.
“It’s like the Olympics,” Smith says.
Not because of flash, but because of execution.
He adds, “It’s a thing of beauty to see when everything’s working. It’s like an orchestra. You know, everything’s in sync with each other.”
Smith knows this personally. He joined the cooperatives in early December after 27 years with Memphis Light, Gas and Water, where he worked primarily as an underground lineworker — what he calls a “mole man,” spending most of his career in vaults and manholes beneath downtown Memphis. Storm work, long hours and the demands of the trade are familiar territory.
Performance and partnership
This year’s rodeo is not open to the general public. Organizers hope to grow the rodeo thoughtfully in the years ahead — expanding participation and opening to broader audiences while preserving a focus on safety and skill.
The long-term vision includes strengthening the state’s representation at the International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo. This year’s competition will be held Oct. 14–17 in Overland Park, Kansas, with more details at linemansrodeokc.com.
Of the apprentices training on this February morning, some say they will participate in the Little Rock rodeo. For them, the competition is less about trophies and more about measuring themselves.
Second-year apprentice Dalton Reynolds of Woodruff Electric doesn’t hesitate when asked what he hopes to prove.
“Be the best there is,” he says.
He adds, “We just want to go see how we compare to everybody else. See how we match up against everybody.”
Third-year apprentice Ronnie Byrd, also of Woodruff Electric, sees the rodeo as both challenge and milestone.
“It sounds like a pretty good experience,” he says. “It’d be real fun.”
Behind the friendly competition lies something deeper. Smith says, “It builds camaraderie.”
Which is everything in the cooperative world, as today’s competitor may be tomorrow’s partner. The rodeo ensures that when lineworkers do meet — often in difficult conditions — they’ve already shaken hands.
And when storms roll in, competition gives way to cooperation.
Smith says, “We want to win, but we’re going to come together when we need each other.”