In this episode of the T&D World Line Life Podcast, Journeyman Lineman Michael Bulger of Xcel Energy shares stories from a career that began as a groundman and took him from traveling contractor work to electrical troubleshooting and, ultimately, utility management in Boulder, Colorado.

Bulger, an electric operations manager for Xcel Energy, shares lessons he’s learned from storm restoration — including his experiences helping communities in Puerto Rico and responding to Hurricane Maria — and why lineworkers should approach every workday with the same heightened awareness they bring to a major storm.

He also discusses how safety culture has changed over the years, the importance of thoughtful job planning, opportunities in the line trade and the tools and technologies he considers true “game changers."

From getting the lights back on for children at a school in Puerto Rico to finding safer ways to perform dangerous tasks, Bulger offers a firsthand look at what it means to build a career in the power industry — and why he believes the future of the trade is in good hands.

With the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Week around the corner, we are featuring the article "Tribute to Team Trios" from the March 2026 issue of T&D World magazine for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.

This episode shines a spotlight on three journeyman teams at last year's event: the first all-women team, the Sturgeon Electric/IBEW Local 77 championship trio and Duke Energy’s journeyman team, which participated in last year's event after taking a year off to respond to back-to-back hurricanes in their service territory.

For more information, read the story on the T&D World website. Also, if you plan to be at the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo in mid-October in Kansas City, please swing by the T&D World booth to participate in a podcast recording for a future episode, pick up a copy of the 2026 Lineworker Supplement, enter a drawing and compete for prizes on the show floor. We look forward to seeing you!

For Part 2 of our two-part Line Life Podcast series on safety in the line trade, Max Fuentes shares practical safety advice for young and aspiring lineworkers, stressing continuous training, effective tailboards and pre-job briefings and the importance of having observers and teamwork during live-line work.

He outlines common causes of accidents — poor rigging, damaged PPE, induction hazards, incorrect grounding and inadequate traffic control — and urges following procedures, learning from experienced lineworkers and prioritizing getting home safely each night.

To listen to Part 1 of this series, visit the Line Life Podcast on Podbean or your favorite podcasting app. Thanks for listening to and sharing this episode to keep lineworkers safe in the field.

For more information about safety in the line trade, you can attend the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Safety and Training Conference this October. While you're in Kansas City, stop by the T&D World booth at the International Lineman's Expo to participate in a future podcast recording for the Line Life Podcast.

This episode for our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast highlights the life-and-death importance of safety oversight for lineworkers, sharing injury and fatality statistics and explaining how active field oversight reduces risk.

This audio story is narrated from an article from the February 2026 issue of T&D World in our field-focused Electric Utility Operations section. In the story, Kirk Coffey, director of client solutions at ATK Energy Group, shares how utilities can implement independent oversight programs to provide an extra layer of protection for their field workforce. To read the full story online, visit the T&D World website.

If you have a story you'd like to share with us for publication in T&D World magazine, please email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World and host of the Line Life Podcast. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your stories with our readers and subscribers in our magazine and as part of our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast.

What happens when decades of hard-earned knowledge leave the utility industry faster than it can be passed on? For Part 1 of this two-part Line Life podcast series, Host Amy Fischbach has a conversation with Max Fuentes, owner of Fuentes Consulting. He discusses the state of the line trade — and the lessons he believes today's workforce cannot afford to lose.

During this episode, Max takes listeners through his more than four decades in the industry. After retiring in 2015, he transitioned into consulting, safety and training and expert witness work. That experience has given him a unique perspective on how line work has changed and where he believes today's practices may be creating new challenges.

For example, as an expert witness, he said he has seen disturbing trends in injuries and fatalities, particularly among younger workers, and he questions whether utilities are doing enough to examine what happens before and after serious incidents.

For more information, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series on Podbean or your favorite podcasting app. Also, look for a new article authored by Max in T&D World's field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the October 2026 issue, soon to be available at tdworld.com.

This ICYMI episode for the Line Life Podcast explores ComEd’s new 2,800-sq-ft Testing and Commissioning Engineering (TCE) lab — a simulated substation control room where engineers train on protection, control and commissioning systems in a realistic, safe environment. The lab accelerates workforce readiness, reinforces safety and troubleshooting skills and supports ComEd’s long-range plan to modernize and expand the grid to meet rising power demands.

The story, which went online as "ComEd's Advanced Substation Training and Grid Expansion," was originally published in the March 2026 issue of T&D World magazine as "Empowering Engineers to Work on the Future Grid." To read the article, visit the website.

Also, if you would like to share your story of how your utility is training your workforce, please email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Head of Content for T&D World. We would love to help you share your story in T&D World and on the Line Life Podcast!

James Respeto, lead supervisor, power delivery, for Avangrid. has spent nearly four decades in the electric utility industry, growing from a meter reader into an overhead line supervisor, trainer, mentor and safety leader. In this episode, he reflects on the career that has taken him across North America responding to major storms, rebuilding damaged electrical systems, and helping communities recover after disasters.

James discusses what it takes to safely work long restoration shifts, the importance of communication and trust during mutual aid assignments and why every crew member — regardless of experience — has both the responsibility and the authority to speak up about safety. He also shares his passion for mentoring apprentices, supporting ethical leadership within the organization and encouraging his own son to pursue a future in the line trade.