Cameron Clark, a 1st Power Line Technician at Lumbee River EMC, posted the fastest time in the state at the 2023 Pole Top Rescue Competition at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, NC. He completed the exercise in 1:37.7, placing him and Lumbee River EMC first in this year’s competition. Clark received a check for $1,000 for coming in first place.

The event pits line workers against the clock and each other as they demonstrate essential lifesaving skills. Each line worker executed a rescue scenario during the competition of retrieving an unconscious coworker from atop a utility pole. The competition occurs on de-energized equipment, simulating a scenario where a lineworker finds a coworker unconscious atop a utility pole. The competitor, dressed in full climbing gear, must radio for help, scale 20 feet up the utility pole, lower a weighted mannequin, and begin CPR. Participants are scored based on time and precision.

“When I heard my time after my run, I was nervous about if it would hold up in the final standings because there were a lot of highly skilled lineworkers competing,” said Cameron Clark, a powerline technician for Lumbee River EMC, who placed first in the competition. “Once I heard the final times and realized I had won, it was an amazing feeling because it meant all the hard work paid off to get here.”

Each competitor had to win a similar event at their local cooperative to advance to the state championship competition. All North Carolina electric cooperative line workers must complete this scenario in less than five minutes to maintain their certification to work on co-op lines.

“It was great seeing all the support and comments on Facebook from friends and family,” said Matt Epps, VP of operations and engineering. “We’re glad Cam was able to bring the win home for the cooperative.”