By John Myers Jnr, Freelance WriterOLD HARBOUR, St. Catherine: THE JAMAICA Public Service Company (JPSCo) Lineman Rodeo Club will be seeking to improve on its performance at the International Lineman Rodeo Competition scheduled for tomorrow in Kansas City in the United States.
The Jamaicans, who left the island on Tuesday, will be making their fifth appearance at the international competition this year after capturing for the first time the top spot in the Municipal Lineman category of the competition last year.
Competitors from all over the world were tested on their savviness in the areas of safety, speed, knowledge and injury management.
"There is a written test, a hurt-man rescue, egg climb (which) is really a speed event and secondary line change competition where the pole is dressed (attach different equipment which allows electricity to flow from the power lines to the house)," explained Abdon Campbell, chairman of the JPSCo Lineman Committee.
Prior to attending the international competition, Mr. Campbell said the local team, which is made up of thirteen members - ten apprentices and three journeymen, undergoes six months of training which includes the staging of a local competition where teams are invited from the US and Trinidad to compete against the Jamaican team.
"We climb poles, simulate an injured person on the pole and (test) how quickly and safely they can rescue that injured person, work on live power lines and change transformers," noted Mr. Campbell.
He added that "after the local competition we look at the 15 best persons and then we take them into real target training in their specialised areas, look at their weaknesses and develop them for the international competition."
In entering the International Lineman Rodeo Competition, Jeff Bonnick, Director of Distribution Operations at JPSCo. under whose portfolio the local Lineman Rodeo Committee falls, said linemen are kept abreast of international standards.
They are also exposed to the techniques of their foreign counterparts which are beneficial to the local light and power company.
"It has been really tremendous for JPSCo over the years and what we are seeing more and more is that our linemen are conforming to international standards," said Mr. Bonnick.
Recently, a fun day was held at the JPSCo Old Harbour Bay playing field, which involved the playing of the knock-out finals in the JPSCo Old Harbour Bay Corner League Football Competition. This saw Thompson Pen beating Rasta Lobster 201 to lift the knock out trophy.
The event which was co-ordinated by the Community Relations Department headed by Maurice Reid was to raise funds for the JPSCo Rodeo team to attend the rodeo competition.
Hosting the sports day at Old Harbour Bay, Mr. Reid said, is a further demonstration of the partnership that exists between the residents and JPSCo.
According to him this partnership has seen the light and power company sponsoring the Old Harbour Bay Corner League to the tune of $670,000, repairing the Old Harbour Bay police station, donating a micro wave oven and a standing fan.
