High voltage worker stories: Josh Langley

Title

HALO Foreman

Prior roles: Grunt, Ape, lineman, lineman on patrol, senior patrolman
Location: Bakersfield, California

years in the trade: 26 years

@highvoltagecommando
Title

As a foreman, you do everything in your power to set your crew and yourself up for success, but you can’t always think of everything.

Title
Alt image Alt image Alt image

Stories in the trade

This series hands the mic to the folks who keep the lights on—how they got in, what they’ve seen, and where the trade’s headed

NOMINATE A CREW MEMBER

Tell us what to cover next

How did you first hear about the trade and how did you get into your first role? 

I had some friends in high school that went to Northwest Line College. They had been working out in Arizona for a bit, and then they took jobs building powerlines in the oil fields here in Bakersfield. I had broken my foot building wind turbines, and once I healed up and went back to work. They told me to come work with them as an electrician’s helper. After about six months on the narrowback side, a spot opened up on the line crew and the rest of the history.

What’s one thing about this work that outsiders totally misunderstand?

The amount of time and dedication it takes to hone your skills and perfect your craft. Also, the sacrifices made by choosing this career path.
Title

Outsiders totally misunderstand The amount of time and dedication it takes to hone your skills and perfect your craft. Also, the sacrifices made by choosing this career path.

Title

What’s your proudest moment on the job so far?

I have two. One is earning my journeyman ticket, and the other is earning my bare hand buckle.

What’s the hardest part (physical/mental) of the job and how do you handle it?

There are a couple of things. Both fall on the mental side. As a foreman, you do everything in your power to set your crew and yourself up for success, but you can’t always think of everything. As a foreman, you want to do everything you can to keep your crew safe and set them up for success. While you do seek their input and experience at the end of the day, they look to you for the plan and it is your responsibility to see that it is executed efficiently, professionally, and above all safely. The other thing is dealing with multiple personalities and understanding the sociology and psychology of your crew and what makes them tick. This is a lesson hard learned. I have both succeeded in this and have also failed miserably at times.

What’s the most high-pressure or intense situation you’ve had to handle?

We were on a long line job up in the mountains spinning fiber wrap job on a 220 skyline when one of our crew members went down in the LZ. I was running a big crew made up of guys from our crew, volunteers from other crews, and Telecom hands. I was out on a tower when I received a call from the pilot that he needed to come get me because we had a situation in the LZ. When I arrived in the LZ crew members were attending to the affected person but weren’t completely sure what the issue was. in that moment, I needed to take a step back and detach and look at the big picture. We were in a remote area, I had crew members out on towers, where the helicopter was the only means of transportation in and out of the area, and I had a crew member that needed immediate medical attention. The pilot wanted to load this crewmember into our bird and fly them to the hospital, but I was not convinced that was a good call while having guys out on towers and that bird being our only mode to get them back to the LZ. So we initiated EMS 911, I had our bird clear the LZ so that the EMS bird could land and treat our crew member. Once our crew member was attended to and evacuated from the site I sent our bird out to retrieve the crew members off the towers and bring them all back to the LZ. I had a short amount of time to make a lot of little decisions that could positively or negatively affect multiple people. In the heat of the moment, my training kicked in and enabled me to make the best possible decisions which led to the best possible outcome. Once our crewmember was evacuated to get the treatment they needed, and all remaining crew members returned to the LZ I had a major adrenaline dump and needed a few minutes to collect myself. 

What kind of person thrives in this work? What kind of person doesn’t?

I believe the successful people in this trade are highly motivated problem solvers that can work well by themselves but also work well within a team or group to achieve a common goal. I have noticed over my years in the trade that veterans are very successful. I believe that is in part due to the structure of the military. I myself did not serve, but I’ve had many conversations with vets in our trade. They tell me that the structure is not so different on a lion crew than it is on a squad or in a platoon. There’s also the element of danger and risk present as well as the brotherhood.

What advice would you give to someone who's just thinking about joining the trades?

I would challenge them to think long and hard about the commitment that it takes to be successful in this trade. I’ve often told young people looking to get in the trade that this trade is a wife, not a mistress. It demands your full attention at all times that is not to say that you don’t have a life and you can’t have a family, but this is not just a simple 9 to 5 jobs with Saturday and Sunday off. I also ask what their current relationship status is and what they’re looking to get out of the trade. I advise them to travel where the work is to get the experience and not to say no.
Title

I am a workaholic, so I don’t really handle it very well. I find the older I get the more I enjoy spending time with my wife and getting to know her again.

Title

How do you handle stacking OT or traveling for the job while having a family?

I am a workaholic, so I don’t really handle it very well. I’ve been married for 27 years, I have a 23-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter. When they were younger, I was doing my apprenticeship and working all the time. Once they got to the ladder years of elementary school junior high and high school, I left the construction crew and took a patrol job that allowed me to be around more. Once they were graduated from high school and did not need me as much I took my current position in a new department where I am on the road way more than I am home. I thought that it would be easier without the kids at home for me to be gone and so many instances this is true but in fact it’s not. The constant battle of I’m doing this for my family and I miss my family. I find the older I get the more I enjoy spending time with my wife and getting to know her again. The work life balance is and too many times we lie to ourselves about that balance. The lie we tell ourselves is that we’re doing this for our family. While there is some truth to it, if the balance is not right, it will do more harm than good.
 
Title

The lie we tell ourselves is that we’re doing this for our family. While there is some truth to it, if the balance is not right, it will do more harm than good.

Title

we’re opening the floor to the folks who do the work

⚡ Features of real workers in the trade 
⚡ Craft features 

⚡ Tips for the trade

Just real experiences, real lessons learned, and real advice from people who do this work every day.

We want to hear from you

NOMINATE A CREW MEMBER

Tell us what to cover next

We're High Voltage Industries

High Voltage Industries started because the most dangerous and essential work in America is also the most invisible. You put your lives on the line every single day and people don't even know what you do. 

 

We're here to share your stories and honor the sacrifices you make so people can flip a switch every day. And we make gear for those who literally risk their lives to keep the world running.

This is your story

Working in conditions others won't face, taking risks others can’t even imagine, solving problems others can't understand, carrying responsibility others can't handle. The grid doesn't maintain itself.

 

We're telling that story.

Best for the crew