IBEW 1245 crew upgrades transmission line in remote Nevada minefields
An IBEW 1245 outside line crew from Mountain Engineering worked over the holidays to upgrade a 230KV transmission line located 60 miles from the nearest town of Fallon, NV.
It takes a special type of worker to move to an extremely remote location for weeks or months on end, over the holiday season to boot, to get a job done — but time and again, IBEW 1245 crews answer the call.
IBEW 1245 crew from Mountain Engineering. From left: Apprentice 1 Kyle Jenner, Groundman Christopher Kaulfers, Journey Lineman Shane ByKonen, General Foreman Jake Johnston, Foreman Billy Dutton, and (in front) Journeyman Lineman Steve Todora.
Jake Johnston is one such IBEW member. Johnston, a traveling lineman out of Local 111, is working in 1245’s jurisdiction as a General Foreman for Mountain Engineering. When the Utility Reporter caught up with him and his crew just days before Christmas, they were working on a 75-pole 230kv uprating project between Middlegate and Cold Springs, NV, located about two and a half hours from Reno, and sixty miles to the nearest town of Fallon.
The H-structure transmission line rebuild project spans over 80 miles, and is a critical upgrade to support increased load capacity.
“Especially with the EV kick that’s going on right now, everything turning electric, it’s requiring more out of these transmission lines, and even distribution lines as well,” Johnston explained. “So if we can bring the wires up higher, they can load the line more, and they can pull more power out of it.”
In some places, that means the lines need to go up by 20 feet; in other places they need to go up only five. The base elevation for the job is at about 3,000 feet, and the line goes up to 6,500 feet. The project isn’t without its challenges. Some of the infrastructure has not been changed out since the 1960s or 70s. The variable terrain presents unique conditions, as the members have encountered everything from alkali beds to steep mountaintops.
“We’re looking at huge valleys and tall mountains. This is two-million-year-old rock out here that is just littered with history; there are mines everywhere out here,” said Johnston. “Digging has been a big issue. It’s just solid rock. Down in the alkali beds is where we thought it would be easy, but the sand is like sugar. And if you think about putting sugar in a bowl and trying to dig down into that, what happens? It just keeps caving in on you.”
General Foreman Jake Johnston is a travelling lineman working in 1245’s jurisdiction.
The weather has also presented a wide array of challenges.
“Some days it’s sixty degrees out here, other days, it doesn’t get above eighteen. We’ve had everything from wind, rain, snow, ice,” said Johnston. “We’ve had lightning out here, we’ve had thunder, we’ve had it all, especially on these hilltops.”
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The most unique aspect of this particular job is that it’s situated more than an hour’s drive from any sort of town, which is a long haul to access food, gas and other necessities – not to mention the nearest medical facility, which is a fact that’s always in the back of Johnston’s mind.
“The biggest thing, especially working out here in the middle of nowhere, is safety. You’re not getting to a hospital off this mountain fast. It’s a life flight,” he said, referring to the emergency helicopter evacuation that would be needed if anything were to happen to someone on the job. “Our motto is, ‘safety, quality production,’ in that order — and we don’t sacrifice that for anything or anybody. Two weeks ago, we were on a mountaintop setting poles, and the wind started blowing about forty miles an hour, [it became unsafe] so we shut it down.”
The location is so remote that even finding a place to stay was not easy. Johnston and other members of the crew ended up at a trailer park that is usually closed down at this time of year. Being away from family and friends over the holidays can be difficult. But the IBEW brotherhood keeps them connected — and serves as a different sort of family to celebrate the season. The owners of the trailer park graciously helped by throwing them a small Christmas party with a steak dinner and trap shoot.
Johnston, a 13-year lineman, began his career non-union, which gives him greater respect for the IBEW and the many benefits that come along with union membership – including the fact that he has the ability to reference the work rules in writing.
“The biggest thing that I appreciate about the union … is the representation that we have as workers. Companies expect a lot out of you, and some may want you to do things that sometimes aren’t right, and we’re protected with that contract,” said Johnston, who has ‘tramped’ as a lineman in 43 different states. “I like to look at the contract and the [safety] Red Book. Those are the two bibles when you’re working out of this jurisdiction. They’re black and white, and they’re easy to follow.”
–Rebecca Band, IBEW 1245 Communications Director
Photos by John Storey
