House tech vs. Road Tech

[RRhoads]

The roughest aspect of the house techs is their belief that they know what they are doing and need no input from the road techs who all know what they are doing and need no input.......................

And dealing with rent-a-wrecks saying," well at XYZ plant we did it like this!"
And by the way, we do know what we are doing!
alot of us anymore ARE x- carnies!

[Chimera]

The roughest aspect of the house techs is their belief that they know what they are doing and need no input from the road techs who all know what they are doing and need no input.......................

A good house tech knows their equipment and their plant.  They also know the reasons behind some of their procedures.  As an example, at an outage at Quad Cities last year, we had a house junior tech as our lead tech - and he was worth his weight in gold.  He knew what he had available and where it was kept and the procedures for doing things their way.

The biggest draw-back I've seen with most "roadies" is that they start to open their mouths before they've taken the time to learn things the way that particular plant wants them to.  They should always take the time to first learn how to do things the way that particular plants wants before suggesting "improvements".  The worst offenders of this practice are the roadies who have spent a lot of time at one particular plant.

House or road, we all want to work within our individual comfort zones.  Consequently, we try to maintain habits learned from previous jobs when we venture into a new job.  It doesn't matter if it's a house tech that's used to covering generators who gets reassigned to the yard or a roadie switching plants for the next outage.

Just in case you were wondering, I've been both.  Currently, I'm a supervisor.  I attempt to recognize the relative strengths and weaknesses of both and utilize them for the most successful completion of whatever jobs we're assigned to do.  As a general rule, I expect the house techs to have superior technical knowledge since they get more training and I expect the road techs to have superior on-the-job skills since outages are their usual working conditions.  In that vein, we can all learn from each other.

Mike

[biloxoi blues]

Im a house tech trapped in a roadie's mentality

[nukewood]

I am an ex house tech, 3 different plants. Now, after years of commercial ,it's back to DOE for a season. This business is great for those of us with "wanderlust". My children still love me and actually thank me for the diversity of their background,though one of them struggled with it at the time. My ex wife loves me too,as long as she no longer has to follow me around the country.

[Camella Black]

I am an ex house tech, 3 different plants. Now, after years of commercial ,it's back to DOE for a season. This business is great for those of us with "wanderlust". My children still love me and actually thank me for the diversity of their background,though one of them struggled with it at the time. My ex wife loves me too,as long as she no longer has to follow me around the country.

Henry has never been a house tech, but we have been located in one spot for long term jobs. I miss the longer outages and I did not mind the travel, although 84-85 was hard as my dad was fighting cancer and I wanted to be home. My children too enjoyed seeing and learning about other areas of the country although our oldest found it hard to leave school friends. This is why we came home to SC to be near family and settle the children down in one school district.

I have really enjoyed the traveling since they are all grown up, but now we have grandchildren which makes it hard as well, thankfully Henry is close by so we can at least see each other on days off or I can slip away for mini-trips to where he is at.

Without our life on the road, we would have missed out on.. Bill Mahoney, Sue Z., Debbie Sass, Joel, Tim, RT, DT, JD and the rest of those guys in CT; Spanky and the gang from Turkey Point, Dick Reed, traveling and rooming with Brad, Canada, Detroit, fishing in the keys, the Ozark Mountains, The Green Mountains, Wiscasset Maine eating Lobsters and waiting on Summah!

Life on the road has been very good to us and yes very hard but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world!

[mostlyharmless]

Over 8000 views! If you work in this business go to the polls and vote. Lets see who has done what and who likes what. MH

[Chimera]

Son, we work in a plant that has fuel, and that fuel has to be shuffled by men on a bridge. Whose gonna do it? You? You, Mr. RP Tech? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for deconners, and you curse FME. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That an FME search, while tragic, protects SAFDL. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, prevents DNBR. You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that bridge, you need me on that bridge. We use words like reconstitution, baffle jetting, dummy rods. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent maximizing EFPH. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very GDC-10 that I assure, and then questions the manner in which I assure it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a qual standard, and shuffle the fuel. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

I love it - great parody!

However, I will answer this way: As a former reactor operator, fuel handler, refueling engineer, Rad engineer, HP Tech, lead tech, crew supervisor, shift supervisor, project manager, radiation safety officer and various other titles and jobs, what I am entitled to is your best work just the same as you are entitled to mine regardless of our unique positions at the moment.  Together, we get it done.  When we fight each other, the job goes downhill rapidly.  When we cooperate, the outage goes smoothly.  When we don't, poles go in the wrong holes and people get contaminated and, potentially, over exposed.  Your best . . . is that too much to ask from a fellow professional?

[RDTroja]

I love it - great parody!

However, I will answer this way: As a former reactor operator, fuel handler, refueling engineer, Rad engineer, HP Tech, lead tech, crew supervisor, shift supervisor, project manager, radiation safety officer and various other titles and jobs, what I am entitled to is your best work just the same as you are entitled to mine regardless of our unique positions at the moment.  Together, we get it done.  When we fight each other, the job goes downhill rapidly.  When we cooperate, the outage goes smoothly.  When we don't, poles go in the wrong holes and people get contaminated and, potentially, over exposed.  Your best . . . is that too much to ask from a fellow professional?

Keyword = 'Professional'

As far as I can tell (and please pardon my cynicism) there are very few of those around anymore. Mostly people complain about the pay, complain about the plant, complain about the management, complain about the contract companies... you get the picture. We used to have a lot of fun at outages and get all the work done, too. Anymore it is just who can work less and get paid more, dump on the others and leave. This used to be such a good industry to be in.

I know, I know... listen to the old man reminisce.

[Marlin]

Keyword = 'Professional'

As far as I can tell (and please pardon my cynicism) there are very few of those around anymore. Mostly people complain about the pay, complain about the plant, complain about the management, complain about the contract companies... you get the picture. We used to have a lot of fun at outages and get all the work done, too. Anymore it is just who can work less and get paid more, dump on the others and leave. This used to be such a good industry to be in.

I know, I know... listen to the old man reminisce.

Huh!?!? Type louder.. 

[RDTroja]

Next time I will use a bigger font.

[RAD-GHOST]

Hey Rog, you left something out...

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/h/bhymnotr.htm

Have a Great Day..RG