A Friend in High Places

If you’ve been around the Longmont Service Center lately, you may have seen Rescue Randy at his post again – literally.

We keep a lot of smart people on the line crew but Randy’s a real dummy. Seriously. He’s a mannequin, about the size and weight of a typical lineworker. When he’s in position, he hangs limply from the top of a power pole. He’s also a convincing actor in the role … if you see him from a distance, it’s not hard to think that there’s a man in trouble up there.

But he’s not a Halloween decoration meant to disturb the neighborhood. In fact, Randy’s a lifesaver.

When we haul Randy up there, it’s to train or test lineworkers in pole rescue operations: the high-up, high-speed situations where an injured man on the pole has to be brought done NOW. A typical line crew practicing this in competition can get a Randy down in four minutes; some can move much faster. When a crisis happens near a high-voltage power line, every second counts. (That’s also why we remind folks to stay at least 35 feet away from broken or fallen power lines and to call us immediately at 303-651-8386 … 7,200 volts is nothing to mess around with!)

Sometimes Randy helps out with job interviews, letting Longmont Power & Communications line crew candidates show their rescue abilities. (No pressure, right?) The next time you see him, he may be helping a team keep their skills sharp or making sure that newer crew members have the knowledge they need. But whenever you see him, he’s helping keep people safe.

In fact, you might even say he’s got things looking up.