
A Lineman
From What It's Like To Be... with Dan Heath by Dan Heath
March 10, 2026 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 66
About this episode
The episode features a conversation with journeyman lineman Elden Rivas about the challenges and experiences of restoring power after a tornado.
Wiring a neighborhood back to life after a tornado, coveting the work of helicopter linemen in Faraday suits, and surviving the collapse of a rotten utility pole with Elden Rivas, a journeyman lineman in Houston, Texas. What is the one sound on the crew radio that stops every lineman cold? And why does a squirrel on a transformer mean easy money? WANT MORE EPISODE SUGGESTIONS? Grab our What It's Like To Be... "starter pack". It's a curated Spotify playlist with some essential episodes fr...
People in this episode
Host: Dan Heath
Guest: Elden Rivas
Topics covered
- linemen
- tornado recovery
- utility work
- safety
- electricity
Keywords
- lineman
- tornado
- utility pole
- Faraday suit
- crew radio
- squirrel
- transformer
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Houston, Texas, Faraday
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