PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Public Utility District has added two new members to its line crew.
Chris Pethtel and Josh Beadle, both recent graduates of the Northwest Lineman College, were hired as electrical pre-apprentices.
According to a press release, the new members bring the line crew to 10 linemen.
As pre-apprentices, Pethtel and Beadle must be accompanied and supervised by a journeyman lineworker at all times.
They are also restricted from working on high-voltage equipment and in how high they may climb on poles.
The pair have up to one year to take and pass the apprentice exam before they can begin their apprenticeship.
Beadle worked for a private electrical contractor in Pasco before moving to the Olympic Peninsula with his wife and three children.
He served six years in the U.S. Air Force as a munitions specialist.
Pethtel was a construction worker and firefighter in Lewiston, Idaho before entering the lineman college.
Chris Pethtel