Power tower safety

Times Contributor

 

AltaLink is hoping to be a new neighbour to residents in Langdon. They are proposing a new utility training centre three km southwest of the town site and presented plans to the public on Oct. 2 in Langdon.

There are no facilities like this in Alberta. The proposal is to build adjacent to the west Langdon substation, keeping the tower structures in the same area, which will lessen the visual impact of the towers. It is not a working plant. No electricity will flow through the towers. The intent is to be a practise and training facility for linemen.

“Storms sometimes roll through the province and we need to do a quick restoration, the crews will have the experience to do that. They will have the experience of pulling out old structures and building new ones,” said Scott Schreiner, Director of External Engagement for AltaLink. “The workmen are currently required to train on live lines, which are very dangerous, or we need to take a line out of service for them to train. We want to eliminate that. We want to ensure that we can get everybody trained safely and that they have the opportunity to train. We want to do it in an environment that is more controlled and has less impact on people using power in Alberta.”

AltaLink has 30 to 40 field crews that monitor 12,000 km of line in the province. These crews would utilize the site. Teachers are accredited live line instructors. This facility is not an accredited training centre or school in the conventional sense. Linemen courses are offered at Lethbridge Community College and NAIT. New graduates of those programs may take advantage of apprentice and journeyman opportunities offered by any utility employers. AltaLink expects to open up the facility to other utility companies, to take advantage of the new facility for their employees.

Area residents may get some interesting spectator material, as some of the exercises include the use of pole spurs to climb utility poles, bucket truck lifts and helicopters dropping trainees onto the top of towers. 

The centre would be built in two stages. The first would be the training area with 19 different types of pole and tower structures that employees would encounter in work situations.

The second stage would move the current Calgary field office into a newly built facility adjacent to the training area. AltaLink is looking forward to contributing to the community and cooperating closely with them. With 50 per cent of Canadian employees within one to five years of retirement, AltaLink is preparing for training eventualities.

They are currently conducting public consultations ending with a County of Rockyview public hearing in the spring 2013. They hope to start building by November 2013 and complete the entire project by 2015. More information can be obtained at www.AltaLink.ca, calling 1 877 267-1453 or email Ltf@altalink.ca.