LAHORE - Some 20 linemen from different power companies have completed a Quick Impact Lineman Training programme under the USAID’s Power Distribution Project, said a press release issued by the US Consulate in Lahore.  
Approximately 100 linemen lose their lives every year in Pakistan while working in high-risk locations.  This program has already trained more than 500 linemen to save lives in a hazardous work environment. 
The power companies whose linemen competed their training included Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO).
This training equipped the linemen with skills and new procedures including CPR, first aid, pole top rescue, and modern grounding.  U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Provincial Director for Punjab, Mr. Jeffrey N. Bakken, and Director of the Energy Office, Ms. Melissa Knight, awarded training completion certificates to the linemen, who will now be able to save lives in the workplace. 
 Ms. Knight remarked, “The U.S. Government has a history of supporting the Pakistani power sector.  In the 1960s and 1970s, the United States supported construction of such major power plants as Tarbela and Mangla.  In the ‘80s and ‘90s we worked together to build the Guddu power plant, helped Pakistan carry out its rural electrification plans, and provided training to energy sector specialists.”  She also said she deeply admired the bravery of climbing linemen, who are at risk of being electrocuted, falling off poles, and suffering other serious injuries, including amputations and head and spinal injuries.