ONEIDA, Tenn. — In East Tennessee, more women are climbing up power lines and are finding work in a field that was traditionally staffed almost exclusively by men.
Three women are training at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology to learn how to properly work on the infrastructure that keeps the lights on in homes across the area. By now, Haley Comer, 21, is learning how to lift a 250-pound transformer up a power pole using a pully system.
"They're probably going to look and be like, 'Dang, that's a girl up there,'" said Comer. "It can be scary at times."
More women have entered the field over the years, breaking down barriers. An 18-year-old woman who is also training to work on power lines said that she finds the work rewarding.
"I'm helping people, keeping their lights on. It's not just hospital lights, it's all lights. Like, no one can live without electricity anymore," said McKenna Chapman.
They may also fill in some of the vacancies that recently opened as crews left East Tennessee and rushed to Florida, to help communities there recover after Hurricane Ian pummeled the state.
"You can do anything if you set your mind to it," said Kayle Richmon, another woman student learning how to work on power lines.
Darrel Evans trains the students, and he said that they are helping fill a growing need in the area.
"You see how many thousands of linemen that are moving south. That's why we need more linemen," he said. "It's always been thought to have been a men's industry, but it's not. They're proving. These young ladies have proven that they can do this job."