Special to IFN
In a competition showcasing lifesaving skills, EnergyUnited Lineman Levi Fagan raced against the clock and won fifth place at the North Carolina Electric Cooperatives 2025 Pole Top Rescue.
“We are proud of Levi, and we appreciate his commitment to strengthening important lifesaving skills,” said Thomas Golden, chief executive officer of EnergyUnited. “This competition puts these safety and rescue skills to the test while also recognizing the dedication it takes to deliver safe, reliable power to our members.”
During the competition held at Nash Community College in Rocky Mount, each lineman executed a rescue scenario of retrieving an unconscious coworker from the top of a utility pole. Each competitor, dressed in full climbing gear of up to 20 pounds, is judged on their swiftness and proficiency in radioing for help, scaling 20 feet up a utility pole, lowering a weighted mannequin and beginning CPR.
To advance to the state competition, each of the 25 competitors had to win a similar rescue event against their peers at their local electric cooperative. This year, Fagan completed the exercise with a time of 1 minute and 57 seconds.
Fagan joined EnergyUnited as a lineman in 2014 and was a previous winner of the state competition in 2019.
“Every lineman hopes to never have to use this method of rescue,” Fagan said. “That’s exactly why this event is so important – it brings competition into a scenario that we hope we’ll never need to use and gives us the confidence that we could do it quickly in an emergency situation.”
The biennial competition is hosted by North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives with members of its training and safety team serving as judges. All North Carolina electric cooperative linemen must complete this same scenario in less than five minutes to maintain their certification to work on co-op power lines.
About EnergyUnited
EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina with 144,169 member connections. Headquartered in Statesville, EnergyUnited provides electric service in portions of 19 counties in west central North Carolina which include Alexander, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Wilkes and Yadkin. Visit energyunited.com to learn more about the cooperative’s energy services and community programs.