Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 30/99) - With as much as 14,000 volts coursing through a power line at any given time, technicians like Aaron Nixon have to keep their wits about them.

Nixon is a certified journeyman-power lineman for Northland Utilities. Regardless of weather, he's one of the guys who gets sent up the pole when there's a problem with the power in Yellowknife.

"Ninety per cent of our trouble work consists of good old Mother Nature, whether it be a tree blowing across the wires, or a bird getting tangled," Nixon says.

"We try and keep power outages from inconveniencing large numbers of customers. For example, when the power pole at the ski hill toppled over in high wind, we were able to minimize the outage to one customer."

Nixon said they do that by shutting power off at switching points. The city is divided into seven power grids. There are 182 switching points throughout them.

"If there is a short, it usually activates the fuse or main breaker at our sub-station," Nixon says.

Nixon becomes animated as he describes the nature of electricity.

"OK, in theory electricity flows like water, only it's invisible. It's our job to ensure that the electricity stays contained in the lines. That's how we keep electricity flowing to the public," Nixon says.

While acknowledging that there's always danger in his job, Nixon is pretty confident when he's cutting into a power line.

"We have gone through extensive training and have special, insulated equipment that is tested at 100,000 volts," he says.

"I haven't got a major shock yet, and I've been at this for more than seven years."

Nixon and his crew were in the middle of replacing the old power lines between 46th and 47th Street on Wednesday. Their power truck blocks the alley completely and pylons are set out. He said even that is sometimes not enough to keep people clear of their work area.

"There are people who try and fit their vehicle around our truck or come up into our work area while we're on the pole," Nixon says.

While working, lineman are concentrating on the electrical aspects of their work and can't always look out below, as much as they try.

"If you see our crews working, keep a safe distance and if you have to come into the work area, make sure we have acknowledged your presence," he says, putting on his hard hat and heading up the pole.

He yells down another safety message before he gets back to work.

"If your cat gets stuck up a power pole, call us and we'll retrieve it for free. We'd rather have a professional go up than anybody else."