Power to the people

They are the unsung heroes in the eyes of many.

They often work under extreme conditions – when it’s cold or hot, windy or rainy, even when it snows.

They spend days away from their families during the holidays because of their dedication.

Without them, it is almost impossible for people to go about their daily lives – because when the power goes out in the Pacific Northwest, life comes to a standstill.

The men and women of Snohomish County PUD’s line crews are a rare breed. The numbers confirm that.

In the United States, there are about 120,000 lineworkers who install, service, and repair residential, commercial, and industrial electrical lines. As of 2023, an estimated 6,100 women are employed in the field. PUD has two women among its 90 lineworkers. In contrast, the country has about a million career and volunteer firefighters.

Line foreman Nic Belisle is coming up on his 20th year with Snohomish County PUD. The Arlington resident previously worked as a commercial electrician before he was hired as a line apprentice. He was promoted to lineman, and two years ago he accepted a line foreman position.

Asked what a typical day is like for a lineworker, Belisle said there really isn’t one.

“Every one is unique. I don’t know that I’ve ever worked two storms that were the same.”

In August 2015, Snohomish County was struck by a rare summer windstorm. As Belisle drove around, he noticed how the storm upended cottonwood trees throughout the county.

“Every one of them was bent and tipped over to the north. Every single one. It didn’t matter where you went. They were always tipped over to the north."

Line crews might run into a single tree across a road during a typical windstorm. The unusual summer storm resulted in multiple trees blocking roads.

“It was every day. We cut so much wood out

of the road.” 

Preparation

No one, especially Snohomish County PUD, likes to be caught off guard when a major wind or snowstorm hits.

PUD leadership monitors the weather reports and, if a storm is expected to hit, Belisle and others will arrive to work a couple of hours early to make sure vehicles are stocked with the necessary equipment and supplies.

Snohomish County is located in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone – where strong westerly winds can flow around the Olympic Peninsula and converge over Puget Sound – which often leads to extreme weather events.

“We’re in a very unique area,” said Belisle. “It seems like we’re in a direct line for a lot of these windstorms that come off the peninsula.”

Snohomish County PUD provides electric service to 875,000 residents and more than 373,000 homes and businesses in the county and Camano Island. Line crews are based out of different locations to serve their respective communities.

To get to locations with downed power lines, PUD crews have to be able to travel safely on roads.

The county or cities will close roads blocked by trees or branches. That’s one of the reasons for frustrating delays in restoring power.

“We’re not just out there putting the lines back up,” said Belisle. “We’re clearing the roads so we can get in there to work.”

He added that PUD crews try to ensure that the roads are passable for all vehicles, not just their trucks. “It’s not really power-related, except for the fact that it allows us to get to the site to fix power issues.” 

Given the choice between wind or snowstorms, Belisle would choose the former. He hates snowstorms.

“Windstorms come in and knock everything down. We can put it back up. Snowstorms, they just drag on and on and on. We’ll fix something and drive away, and the snow breaks another branch and brings the lines right back down.

“Access issues are brutal. You can chain up and unchain. It just drags on the crew.”

Long hours

Lineworkers log long shifts under normal circumstances.

When winter storms hit, overtime is off the charts.  

Belisle doesn’t work many 40-hour shifts anymore, but he has in the past. He might still pull one at the start of a significant storm.

“The most I’ve worked is five or six 40-hour shifts in a row. So we’d work 40 hours and go home for eight.”

Belisle prefers 16-hour shifts, followed by eight hours of rest. Many lineworkers clock in at 6 a.m. and clock out at 10 p.m. But some still work 24-hour shifts.

Or even longer.

“If we’re in the middle of a job, and it’s going to take two more hours, we don’t leave the job,” he said.

Lineworkers previously were subject to strict 16-hour shift limits. The restriction didn’t last, he said.

“We were driving away before the job could even get done. It’s not fair to the customer. It’s not fair to the crew that are just there to try and do what we’re supposed to.”

The hardest part of the job for Belisle is finding a work-life balance, especially during the winter and holiday seasons. He and other lineworkers try to spend as much time as possible with their families during the summer and other less busy months.

When the days start getting shorter and the temperatures get colder, they know the winter storm season is approaching.

The job takes a toll on Belisle’s family life.

“You’re seeing your kids for a week because you’re working a storm, and then the week after the storm you’re grumpy all week because you’re tired and stressed out.”

He has been with PUD since his children were born, so they are used to his long hours.

Overtime isn’t likely to go down anytime soon.

“We have increased our overtime for crews because of the severity of storms,” said PUD spokesperson Aaron Swaney. “Storms are getting bigger. They’re taking longer to restore.”

The PUD continues to see significant growth throughout the county. The utility is keeping more work in-house instead of contracting it out.

“Come Friday night when there’s an outage,” said Belisle, “a lot of the guys have already worked 50 to 60 hours that week.”

A second family

PUD’s line crews are a tight-knit group.

During certain parts of the year, lineworkers spend more time with each other than they do with their spouses or children.

“We’re a big family,” said Belisle. “I know the kids of the guys on my crew. I know their wives. We all care for each other. We’re a pretty small group. But we’re dedicated to each other.”

Belisle is responsible for the safety of his crew, a job he takes seriously. PUD has one of the country’s most comprehensive safety programs, said Belisle, who added that lineworkers undergo extensive training, unlike many other trade jobs in such industries as logging or fishing.

The utility company has cut its recordable injury rates in half in the last six years, and posted its best safety numbers ever last year, Swaney noted.

“Safety is always our No. 1 priority,” said Belisle. “And it’s not just the old saying of ‘everybody goes home at the end of the day.’ It’s ‘everybody goes home healthy at the end of the day.’ That’s a big part of my job – to be the person who can look at the big picture of the job and be like ‘watch out for that.’”

Despite the demands of the profession and the extended time away from family, Belisle still has a passion for his job.

Just like no two storms are the same, a lineworker’s day is rarely the same.

When he was an electrician, Belisle would install lights in ceilings for three weeks, followed by wiring them. “Our job is so variable that you could be doing something one day, and you might not do the same thing for another month. All of us that do the trade and enjoy the trade are geared the same way where we like that – the newness of a variety of work.”

Belisle also knows he and his crew are making a difference in people’s lives. “The best part about the job is giving back to the community – feeling like you’re a part of something bigger. You’re helping keep people’s power and lights on and just progressing with jobs so people can build that new house or that new commercial building.”