ROCK SPRINGS — Tyler Combs is coming up on graduation and already has a power line job lined up, his trade schooling through Western Wyoming Community College shining through.

Western Wyoming Community College has the only powerline program available in Wyoming under instructor Lance Caldwell. Tyler Combs is graduating with a Class A CDL, as required by the program, and will be working soon after he graduates from the college. He met the physical demands and the detail-oriented requirements required for the job.

Line schools finish in 12 weeks but only offer power line knowledge and are more expensive. At Western, the students not only learn about power lines but also more technical skills that allow them to adapt to a technologically advancing time.

Some outcomes of the program allow the students to:

• Explain and apply OSHA rules and regulations for power line workers
• Exhibit safe work habits and understanding of power line safety guidelines
• Explain the power grid and power delivery system
• Demonstrate skills in overhead construction according to REA standards
• Demonstrate skills in underground construction according to REA standards

The program can be done within one year, or a student can attend for two years to gain their A.A.S. Degree. Every student is required to do drug/alcohol testing and get a physical examination due to the physical demands. The class retention rate is low due to the requirements, but their job retention is high in exchange. After their schooling, they have four years of apprenticeship under established professionals.

Powerlines involve high voltage and climbing skills in nighttime and bad weather conditions. Combs comes from Kemmerer and didn’t expect that he would get a job in an industry he wasn’t initially aware of. Combs did research into the course before committing himself to going to the oil fields after his dad encouraged him to look into the job.

Combs did not want to leave southwest Wyoming for college or for work and got a job in Bridger Valley. He earned his certificate and doesn’t currently plan to attend any more classes. He went into the program after a single summer following high school.

“It’s outside, it’s hands on, it’s like building a huge fence,” Combs said.

Caldwell, an instructor for the course, worked as a lineman for 40 years and enjoyed his job. He teaches technical schematics and industrial safety at the college and uses his experience within those classes. Those experiences have inspired students to contact him about the powerline technology program. He starts out with two classes of 15 students and can tell who will thrive as a lineman and who won’t.

“When powers out, people are cold. And you come along you’re almost treated like a hero,” Caldwell said. “And it makes you feel alive. If you think about it; you’re working on heights, you’re working on thousands of volts. Linemen only get one mistake … It only takes one mistake.”

For more information on the Powerline Technology program at Western Wyoming Community College, visit their website or contact Caldwell.