Surge of service — one lineman’s mission to keep the lights on

Surge of service — one lineman’s mission to keep the lights on

In the D.C. region, conversations often start with, “What do you do?” WTOP’s “Working Capital” series profiles the people whose jobs make the D.C. region run.

In Upper Marlboro, James Wells and fellow lineman Jennings Buckeler moved with quiet precision, like surgeons of the grid. The two threaded a new lifeline of electricity from the pole to the home, reconnecting a family to the power they’d lost. No words were needed as they clipped, wired, and tested before the house came alive again.

It’s dangerous work, climbing into the bucket of box truck in the worst weather and handling thousands of volts of electricity. But it’s a job that, in many cases, means the difference between life and death for those it helps. James We