Coleman Snead has been a Pee Dee lineman for about a year and a half, and considers himself fortunate to not have faced a situation where a co-worker was injured repairing a line.

Wednesday morning, though, he demonstrated what he would do if he ever faced that situation.

“It really does get you prepared for the real thing, in case it does happen,” Snead, who admitted to being a little nervous, said. “It shows you what to do.”

About 30 linemen from Pee Dee Electric Cooperative Membership’s Richmond and Anson County divisions competed to earn a spot in a statewide competition among linemen from electric cooperatives to see who can beat the clock in a potential life-and-death situation.

Pee Dee Director of Engineering and Operations Mark Rhyne explained the Occupational Safety and Health Administration-mandated training requires linemen to rescue a 180-pound dummy, named ‘Cool’ from an electric pole where he has been injured and is suspended by safety gear.

Throughout the course of the competition, though, are several steps the competitor must follow.

“First they have to run to the truck and radio out so dispatch can get an ambulance out to help,” Rhyne explained. “Then, they have to go to the back of the truck and get dressed out with all their tools, then climb the pole and get ‘Cool’ down and administer CPR on him.”

The maximum time to complete the course is five minutes, but Wednesday morning lineman Kenny Simmons was one of the first to compete when he did it in just under a minute and 50 seconds.

A seasoned line worker explained speed isn’t the most important aspect, though.

“Your number one thing is safety,” Wadesboro Division Line Superintendent David Burr said. “Even though you’ve got a co-worker hurt - you can’t go up there and get hurt yourself. You’ve got to take certain safety precautions and secure the scene before you can help him. If you can get him down and restore his breath within five minutes, you’ll most likely save his life.”

Burr was working with the cooperative the last time an employee was injured working on a line, more than 20 years ago, and said the training is necessary.

Linemen Frank McIntyre has competed in the state competition multiple years, but had to sit out this year’s competition due to surgery.

He said his advice to the newer employees was simple.

“Just practice,” he said. “That’s the one thing that helped me more than anything. Once you get your routine down you don’t really have to think about it. Your next step is mapped out for you.”

Lineman Johnny Kellogg envisions not having to stop to think what to do next if he ever faced a harrowing situation like this.

“I imagine if it really happens, you wouldn’t even have to think about it,” he said. “Right now, we’re thinking about it because we’re over here waiting and watching other people, but if this really happened it would be quick.”

“This is mandatory training that they have to do, but there’s kind of a brotherhood among linemen,” Pee Dee Director of Marketing Bruce Simmons said. “Not just anybody can do that type of work, and because it takes a special individual to do it, they look after each other.”

He used the example of two linemen working alone on a line in Mangum to illustrate just how harrowing a situation this scenario can get.

“There’s no store there. There’s no hospital there,” he said. “It could take an ambulance 30 minutes to get there, if they can find you as fast as your guys can. So, really, you have to depend on them for first aid.”

The top two linemen moved on to the state competition which is Oct. 13, in Raleigh. They were Kenny Simmons and Chris Jacobs. Jacobs clocked a time of two minutes and 35 seconds.

Staff Writer Philip D. Brown can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 32, or by e-mail at pbrown@yourdailyjournal.com.