Helicopter, line crews learn to save lives together

Desert Southwest employees conduct short haul rescue training with helicopter. (Photo by Dave Katich)

Maintaining high-voltage transmission lines is risky work, but Western’s Desert Southwest Region is exploring how it can use its helicopter together with specially trained employees to serve its maintenance needs in environmentally sensitive or inaccessible areas.

The DSW helicopter line maintenance crew conducted tower rescue training Oct. 18, 19 and again Nov. 3 to learn how to rescue an injured or endangered lineman on a tower using helicopter-assisted short haul procedures.

Short haul is a relatively new technique for the United States that has been used for decades in Europe. Equipment and people are carried to and from towers suspended under a helicopter by a 50- to 100- foot line.

"It’s being used more and more in the utility industry as well as in law enforcement and military operations as a safe, cost-effective alternative to the ground-based systems of the past," said DSW Helicopter Pilot Roger Mothersbaugh.

DSW is exploring how the technique could be used on their lines to improve safety, increase productivity and decrease the time and physical burden of climbing up and down several towers per day to conduct routine maintenance.

"Currently, we fly men to the work site, they climb the tower and then tools and materials are flown to the tower. Completing work on numerous towers in one day is physically taxing just from ascending and descending to the work site," said DSW Foreman II Richard "Bo" Mortensen. "When fully deployed, the short haul program will be another essential tool that the line crew has available to perform during regular and emergency maintenance."

Performing rescues is a small part of this skill. The procedure would be used when there is an emergency on the tower, and it’s either too dangerous, takes too long or is too difficult for the crew member to get to the ground to help.

Because of the Southwest’s unforgiving rocky desert terrain, lines and other transmission infrastructure are sometimes difficult or even impossible to access, even for the sturdiest of Western’s vehicles. Therefore, when accidents occur, getting help from distant towns can take a long time.

"Many of our structures are inaccessible by ground, which would mean a long wait for someone to rescue our injured lineman," said Mortensen.

Training imparts life-saving skills
The initial October training took two days: One day in the classroom, which taught DSW helicopter crews and pilots how to use the equipment safely, and another day in the field. There, crews tested their new skills on towers along the 230-kilovolt Raceway-to-Westwing line transmission line north of Phoenix while it was temporarily out of service.

"In a remote setting, if we were to have an emergency, the new rescue techniques afford us the ability to perform a short haul rescue and get the victim to urgent care quickly and safely," Mortensen said.

Follow-up training on the structures Nov. 3 ensured the crews retained their knowledge.

DSW supervisors and managers observed all three training days including Regional Manager Darrick Moe and Aviation Manager Bruce Hunt. "Their participation has been valuable in this program," said Mothersbaugh.

Desert Southwest employees "rescue" the maintenance office test dummy, Rescue Randy, by helicopter during hands-on tower rescue training.

The only person being rescued during the hands-on training was Rescue Randy, the maintenance office test dummy. The goal is to eventually perform live-person rescue training.

Linemen communicated with the pilot using industry-standard head and hand signals.

"This training was a very valuable experience for all of us and has better enabled us to rescue an injured lineman should the need occur," said Mothersbaugh.

Helicopter support for crews evolving
DSW’s helicopter fleet has supported maintenance crews for more than 30 years, working side by side on towers 100 to 125 feet tall and carrying 230- to 345-kV conductors.

"We’re developing how Western can support line crews on the structure with helicopters," said Mothersbaugh.

The Sierra Nevada Region leads Western in terms of using air support for maintenance crews. Their contracted fleet uses short haul procedures for maintenance and is also trained for rescues.

DSW plans to keep their capabilities within the region, but are trying to align with what SN is currently practicing.

"It’s where the industry is moving. It’s safer and more cost effective," said Mothersbaugh.

Increasing helicopter support has many advantages. It has been shown to decrease costs and improve productivity in operations, decrease time spent accessing sites and reduce accidents and wear and tear on vehicles and other equipment since crews don’t need to travel long distances over difficult and isolated terrain or lug equipment up and down the towers.

"The benefits to maintenance are that we can do more for less: More production for less money, more miles covered with less impact, more maintenance with less time, more work sites reached with fewer hazards," Mortensen said.

Short haul techniques can also help protect the environment.

"Environmental restrictions and right-of-way access have plagued us. In some cases, getting a categorical exclusion for permission to do ROW work has taken longer than a year. If we’re not touching the ground, we don’t have to worry or wait for those permissions," said Mortensen.

It’s uncertain how long it will take DSW to be fully trained in short haul procedures; the region wants to take it slowly beginning with the most obvious and beneficial use of the technique.

"We’re taking baby steps starting with rescue training so we can be prepared for possible future situations," Mothersbaugh said.

DSW’s difficult geography also played a role.

"We conducted the rescue training first because of the work we’re doing in remote locations. We felt it would be best to have these skills and techniques even though we’re not doing short haul yet," Mortensen said.

According to Mothersbaugh, there has never been a fatality in the U.S. using these procedures. "They are very safe when properly used by trained personnel."