For our latest episode in our ICYMI series for the Line Life Podcast, we are airing the audio story, "Investigating Power Line RFI," from the May 2025 field-focused Electric Utility Operations section in the T&D World print magazine. In this article, Jon Backman, a journeyman lineworker with 20 years of experience in the line trade, shares strategies on how lineworkers can find and eliminate the noise. Because power companies have the legal responsibility to respond to RFI issues caused by their system, their lineworkers can become trained in RFI troubleshooting to perform these investigations properly.

As a first response troubleman for his utility, Jon responds to power outages, electrical emergencies, public safety concerns and customer needs. At one point during his career, he was offered the opportunity to work as an RFI responder, and in this role, he has had the opportunity to learn and evolve. In this audio story, he describes his experiences with training and troubleshooting and also offers seven steps to investigating RFI location.

For more information about Jon, who is also the founder of Making Connections, LLC, listen to the episode, "Working as a Troubleman in the Pacific Northwest," or read his profile on the T&D World website.

If you would like to share your story in T&D World magazine or be featured on the Line Life Podcast, email Field Editor Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast.

Ryan Lucas, who was born in British Columbia, Canada, grew up around the line trade and spent 15 years in the field, five years in management and then instructed line school students. During his career, he worked in remote, urban environments and also specialized in helicopter and barehand work. In March 2019, he launched the Powerline Podcast as a way to share stories about the line trade. During our podcast interview at the 2024 International Lineman's Expo, Ryan talked about his favorite guests he's had on the show--from an astronaut to a decorated military veteran--and how he can give back to the trade through podcasting.

To listen to the Powerline Podcast, which is powered by Quanta, you can follow it on YouTube or subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting app. You can also see a vlog of Ryan exploring the International Lineman's Expo on the T&D World podcast page. To subscribe to the Line Life Podcast, follow it in your favorite podcasting app, and to listen to past episodes, go to linelife.podbean.com.

For this Line Life Podcast episode in our ICYMI series, we are featuring the narrated version of the article, "Three Focus Areas to Build a Safer Network," by Jason Marsh, damage prevention supervisor for New York State Electric & Gas Corp (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas & Electric Corp. (RG&E). This story, which was originally published in the March print issue of T&D World magazine, shares strategies from NYSEG and RG&E for reducing damage to underground utilities. Their best practices led to a 39% reduction in fiber installation damages in New York. To read the full story on T&D World's website, click here.

To listen to other episodes in our ICYMI series, go to T&D World's podcast landing page, where you can also find episodes of our new T&D World Podcast, which covers transmission, distribution and everything that affects the power grid.

You can also become part of the Line Life Podcast community by clicking "Follow" at the top right of linelife.podbean.com or subscribing to the Line Life Podcast on your favorite podcasting app. If you have comments on this episode or suggestions for future guests for the Line Life Podcast, email Amy Fischbach, host of the Line Life Podcast and Field Editor for T&D World magazine.