Ryan Lucas, who was born in British Columbia, Canada, grew up around the line trade and spent 15 years in the field, five years in management and then instructed line school students. During his career, he worked in remote, urban environments and also specialized in helicopter and barehand work. In March 2019, he launched the Powerline Podcast as a way to share stories about the line trade. During our podcast interview at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, Ryan talked about his favorite guests he's had on the show--from an astronaut to a decorated military veteran--and how he can give back to the trade through podcasting.

To listen to the Powerline Podcast, which is powered by Quanta, you can follow it on YouTube or subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting app. You can also see a vlog of Ryan exploring the International Lineman's Expo on the T&D World podcast page. To subscribe to the Line Life Podcast, follow it in your favorite podcasting app, and to listen to past episodes, go to linelife.podbean.com.

For this Line Life Podcast episode in our ICYMI series, we are featuring the narrated version of the article, "Three Focus Areas to Build a Safer Network," by Jason Marsh, damage prevention supervisor for New York State Electric & Gas Corp (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. (RG&E). This story, which was originally published in the March print issue of T&D World magazine, shares strategies from NYSEG and RG&E for reducing damage to underground utilities. Their best practices led to a 39% reduction in fiber installation damages in New York. To read the full story on T&D World's website, click here.

To listen to other episodes in our ICYMI series, go to T&D World's podcast landing page, where you can also find episodes of our new T&D World Podcast, which covers transmission, distribution and everything that affects the power grid.

You can also become part of the Line Life Podcast community by clicking "Follow" at the top right of linelife.podbean.com or subscribing to the Line Life Podcast on your favorite podcasting app. If you have comments on this episode or suggestions for future guests for the Line Life Podcast, email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Field Editor for T&D World magazine.

Happy National Lineman Appreciation Day to all our Line Life Podcast listeners! To celebrate all the hard-working lineworkers out there, we are releasing a special episode today focused on Arthur William Muñoz, a journeyman lineworker for Salt River Project (SRP) in Arizona. He has been in the trade for 23 years and progressed from a trades helper to a lead lineman and working foreman to a section supervisor.

During this episode, Art talks about what it was like to win the "David G. Hollis Award for Outstanding Apprentice: at SRP, overcome his fear of heights to scale the 80-ft "Godzilla" pole and restore power following monsoons and microbursts.

He is also one of several SRP lineworkers who has volunteered his time and skillset for the Light Up Navajo project. For 2025, SRP sent two crews to the Navajo Nation to join lineworkers from 44 utility companies across 20 states. The volunteer lineworkers are connecting homes to the grid in remote areas of the Navajo Nation, where 70% of all US households without power are located. Of the 56,000 homes on the Navajo Nation, about 10,470, or about 25%, do not have electricity.

To learn more about Light Up Navajo VI, look for a future article in T&D World magazine and listen to the audio stories in our ICYMI series for our Line Life Podcast. Thanks for listening!