BRIDGEPORT — Test before touch.
That's a life philosophy Mark Muhammad practices more than any other. When it comes to navigating the dangers of working around as much as 700,000 volts of electricity, the 42-year-old ComEd trainee doesn't mess around.
"You have to be focused," said Muhammad, who is learning to become a substation mechanic at ComEd's new training facility at 3535 S. Iron St. "You can walk in the yard, and you could hear the buzz. That's why they train us to test everything to make sure it’s dead, to make sure it’s disconnected before you touch.”
Since ComEd opened the state-of-the-art training grounds, thousands of aspiring linemen and meter workers like Muhammad have been logging hours and hours of practice climbing poles and repairing lines.
The goal of every classroom is a collective one: When a power outage strikes, be prepared to flip the city's lights back on.
The utility recently opened its facility for a tour, offering a glimpse of the 51,000 square feet of training space used by 40 full-time staffers who aim to train 4,000 energy workers every year.
Inside you'll find a 200-seat auditorium, substation and meter training areas, an indoor pole yard, lead splicing bays for underground cable and manhole training areas. Outside the facility there’s a 138,000-square-foot outdoor training yard.
“What I like about this facility is we’re able to do a lot of things hands on,” Muhammad said.
Workers learn how to repair and maintain everything from outlets to light sockets to transformers.
“This is a place where we can really hone our craft and get our confidence, so we don’t make any errors," Muhammad said.
Take a look at some of the action inside:
Indoor Pole Yard
Live Training
Fall Pads
Meter Training Classroom
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