Who Should Attend:
Line crew supervisors and managers, crew foremen, lineworkers, line apprentices, and substation workers.
Related Events:
Fall Lineworker Boot Camp, Sept. 15-18, 2025, in Battle Ground, Washington
Overview:
This new boot camp condenses six popular courses from our Lineworker Skills Series into a focused, four-day program. During the boot camp, you will gain valuable knowledge and practical skills in critical areas to enhance your safety, efficiency, and confidence on the job.
Effective Grounding and Bonding Practices
Knowing how and when to apply equipment grounds in of critical safety importance to lineworkers when working around energized lines and equipment or on systems that are de-energized but have the potential to become energized. This full-day classroom session covers personal protective grounding and the grounding of rolling stock and other equipment found on the job site.
Switching and Tagging
This half-day classroom session provides lineworkers with the essential knowledge and skills to safely perform switching and tagging operations on electrical systems. Switching and tagging are critical procedures used to isolate equipment, ensure worker safety, and restore power efficiently. You will learn the principles, processes, and best practices for planning, executing, and documenting switching operations, including proper tagging procedures to comply with standards and company policies.
Advanced Transformers
This full-day, comprehensive session combines Transformer Connections and Transformer Troubleshooting and will provide hands-on practice in the Jake Booth Memorial Training Center. The Transformer Connections portion focuses on mastering proper transformer bank connections, teaching how to safely and efficiently connect single-phase and three-phase transformers while exploring critical concepts like voltage, polarity, and system balance. Building on this foundation, the Transformer Troubleshooting segment will equip you with the knowledge and skills to evaluate, diagnose, and repair pole-mounted transformer issues. Participants will learn systematic troubleshooting techniques to identify problems, interpret test results, and implement effective solutions with confidence and precision.
Overhead Troubleshooting
This half-day classroom session combines theoretical instruction with practical troubleshooting scenarios, focusing on real-world challenges faced in overhead linework. Key topics include understanding system faults, identifying equipment failures, interpreting line diagrams, and applying systematic troubleshooting methodologies. Instruction will emphasize safety protocols, including OSHA regulations, NFPA 70E arc-flash guidelines, and the proper use of personal protective equipment and tools.
URD Troubleshooting
Effective troubleshooting anywhere in the transmission and distribution system requires extensive training and a fair amount of experience. Underground residential distribution systems have their own unique problems and introduce added complexity for a lineworker. This half-day classroom session will showcase the various underground system configurations, what can go wrong, and how to analyze the problems and determine the best—and safest—fix. To attend this class, you must be qualified to work on energized systems.
Instructors:
James McGowan, Affiliated Consultant, Institute for Safety in Powerline Construction
Schedule:
Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time on the first day, and the class will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Location:
Kootenai Electric Cooperative
9014 W Lancaster Rd
Rathdrum, ID 83858
(208) 765-1200
Suggested Hotels:
Red Lion Hotel Templin’s on the River
414 E. 1st Ave.
Post Falls, ID 83854
(208) 773-1611
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
2300 W. Seltice Way
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
(208) 667-3100
Fees:
Utility Member Early Bird (ends 10/3/2025): $1,870
Utility Member Standard: $1,945
Associate Member Early Bird (ends 10/3/2025): $2,805
Associate Member Standard: $2,880
Non-Member Early Bird (ends 10/3/2025): $3,740
Non-Member Standard: $3,815
Canadian utility members, please contact registration@nwppa.org for pricing and to register.
Note: Organizations that register a group of employees will receive every fifth registration for free. For example, if you register five employees, you only pay for four; register 10 employees, you only pay for eight; and so on. There is nothing additional you need to do to receive this discount.
Cancellation Policies:
For in-person events: cancellation at least 30 days prior to the event will receive a full refund; within 15-29 days there will be a $100 fee; and within 1-14 days or no show, the charge will be 100% of the registration fee.
When possible, please send a substitute instead of canceling; NWPPA does not charge a fee for substitutions. To request a refund, please contact us at registration@nwppa.org or (360) 254-0109.
Continuing Hours:
This course qualifies for 24 continuing hours. Certificates are available online upon full completion of the course.