VC Summer

[Roll Tide]

What is the turnover like in the Ops Department?

I bet they have room for one trainee:

INVALID EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATOR START

"This telephone notification is being made under 10 CFR 50.73(a)(2)(iv)(A) in lieu of an LER submittal, pursuant to NUREG-1022, Section 3.2.6.

"At 0512 on 09/27/07 the 'A' Diesel Generator (DG) was being restored to its normal lineup following a maintenance run. During restoration per Station Operating Procedure SOP-306, an under instruction Operations trainee inadvertently pressed the 'Emergency Start' pushbutton instead of verifying the 'Emergency Start' status light was clear as required by Step 2.4.b of the procedure. This resulted in a start of the 'A' DG in the emergency mode. Following an equipment walk down, the 'A' DG was then secured at 0518.

"This inadvertent start of the 'A' DG was determined to be an invalid actuation since it was not the result of a valid signal nor an intentional manual actuation. This inadvertent start was complete, in that the DG started and ran, however; the bus was not required to be loaded and the output breaker did not close. Although inadvertently actuated, the 'A' DG started successfully and would have been able to function in the emergency mode if it had been required."

The licensee notified the NRC Resident Inspector.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/event-status/event/en.html#en43796


Anyway, while I don't have Summer experience, I can tell you they will be staffing up for replacements of their projected losses to retirement and new construction. Your timeline is not that challenging; almost any plant could meet that today.

[Mike McFarlin]

Summer is a great place to work. Tom Gillespie and myself were the first rent-a- techs there with IRM in 1982 I think. Al Eidson and Randy Redmond were next with Numanco. As far as the coal pile goes, it ain't a bad gig at all.

[Ops Nub]

....Hey,,JRPAWLAK...a Navy RCT?,,what is that?...are you an ELT...or on a tender?...I have worked VC as an HP, then it was RP,,then ALARA,,,and with Master-Lee as a Manipulator Crane Operator...some of the best people in the Nuclear Business, work at VC,,,,RP staff, great people,,refueling group just as good..Master-Lee will be there for the refueling and you can guarantee, they are top notch....Al Eidson is usually the site coordinator, not a better, more fair man in the business,,,so my opinion, whatever it matters is ,,VC would be one of my choices for the spring,,,however, GE has me going west, of the Mississippi, to a coal burner..no dose, no contamination...just sulpher and coal ash.....how bout that coal pile, Spanky?....red

I am an MM turned Radcon Tech on a tender in Guam. Just trying to learn as much as possible about the company before my interview. Their website doesn't reveal much.

[Roll Tide]

I am an MM turned Radcon Tech on a tender in Guam. Just trying to learn as much as possible about the company before my interview. Their website doesn't reveal much.

I feel for you; I did that too (but not Guam).

The location is beautiful; I love the Midlands of SC. Columbia is a nice small city, and close enough to Charlotte (or even Atlanta) for day trips.

The nukeworker VC Summer page is probably the best place to start in learning about the area.

http://www.nukeworker.com/maps/showfacility.php?facility=VirgilC.Summer

The bottom line on that page is a link with detailed results about this zip code. That site has tremendous amounts of Census Data in a useful format. Check out Lexington and neighboring counties to see what the region is like. Just remember to not put a city in the middle of your commute (like I do).

Feel free to sell them all your experience and abilities, but remember that contamination control is not like that in commercial power. You will have people working in 10,000 dpm/100cm2 (that is reading 1000 cpm on a smear, what you have called 4500 mickey mikes) without continuous coverage as a routine event!

The stuff we used to do for low level contamination, commercial does for VERY high levels (so it is useful experience).

[Ops Nub]

Thanks, that helps. I just had my interview yesterday and boy was that an experience. All those scenario based questions reminded me of the tests we always have to take. All the interviewers seemed like easy going people. I definately want to move back to the south!

[Roll Tide]

If they don't pick you up for RP, get in OPS. (I have done both commercial, and both are great jobs. But IMHO you can move up better from OPS)

[Ops Nub]

I've been trying to find what the natural progression for both fields are but not much luck plus I dont understand all the acronyms. (little too much military crossing over) This plant does have an opening for an auxillary operator as well. It will definately be considered.

[xobxdoc]

auxilliary operator is another word for non-licensed plant operator . There are more opportunities in Operations as opposed to Radcon. Either job is pretty good though.

[Ops Nub]

So do you mean more opportunities to branch out into different areas?

[xobxdoc]

In operations, once you get a license, a lot more doors are opened up for you. Most of the HP's at my plant seem to stagnate. Some of them transfer to Ops or chemisrty. With your background you would be better suited for Ops also HP jobs are pretty rare these days unless you want to be a road tech.

[TN-Man]

I was a house HP at VCS ( over 20 years) and I can tell you that you are pretty well stuck in HP once you are there. Very few get out. However, unlike a lot of other commercial plants, VCS has a lot of opportunities in HP to do a variety of things. If you just like being an HP that would be a great place to go.  HP supervision is the only place you can really move up to and there is a limited number of them. A couple have escaped to QC or HP training. VCS HPs are the lowest paid Commercial HPs in the country.  Really low. But the best d#&* group of HPs you could ever work with.
With a Navy nuke background you would fit better in Ops. You can move up further and the money is better. There is not a limited number of RO slots, infact they want all their operators to be reactor operator qualified. Operators have the ability to move to almost any group and have. Almost all inhouse posted jobs desire an operator and get them.
Think before you leap... what do you really want to be when you grow up??

[Ops Nub]

How are the shifts at VC? Benefits?

[Ops Nub]

I did my tour of the plant last week and these are some of the nicest guys i've ever met. Beautiful area as well. Can't wait to get started. By the way I've decided to go for ops.

[fueldryer]

Best HP's in the biz.!!House and Big Blue.Great people too,site wide.

[basketlady]

Is Bob Free still there?  It's been years since I last talk to him.

[IRMWORM]

Bob Free left several years ago for a sup job at Hanford.

[roadhp]

Outage almost over, cavity decon complete.  Hated it!  If you didn't rock the boat, you were stuck doing routines and scaffolds and just walking around containment unless you had been there many outages or were shared resources, in which case you were used and abused.  If you rocked the boat, asked questions about the way they do business, asked about RWP's or coached any of the supervision, whether HP or other house disciplines, you were sent to somewhere you couldn't cause trouble, like the step-off pad or the equipment hatch.  Happened to three road techs right after three seperate occasions, none of which were their fault.  Most people say things like, "won't go back unless the mortgage is due", or "won't go back unless I'm hungry".  My new one is, "Won't go back unless an act of God."  Of course, God works in mysterious ways, so I won't say never.

[RADBASTARD]

Well at least you didn't use the one I would sooner blow a heard of goats then come back to this place like I heard at dresden.

Good thing there are alot of goats in south carolina.

[RP Instructor]

Roadhp:

I apologize for the way you were treated at VC Summer. Most of the folks in HP at Summer are good people, and treat folks with kindness and respect.  The manner in which Summer HP treated you folks explains the "cold" reception I felt whenever I walked into "The Dungeon". I sensed we were treating you like crap, and I tried to welcome you folks, but failed miserably.

Please don't rate everyone in HP at VC Summer based on the actions of  a couple of individuals. Like I said, there are many good people at Summer, and I'd like you (and your peers) to consider returning in the future.

Sincerely,

SST

[RRhoads]

thts too bad...Summer used to be a great place to work..ESP on Niteshift back in the early-mid 90's.
Must be a new regime on the backshift.

[roadhp]

At least they found a spot for you that you were qualified for.  You got close to ctmt. at the SOP!  You were the highest paid Jr. anyone here had ever seen.

Then you must have been frisking gravel

I gather from the timestamp of your posting, that you worked the night shift at Summer.

Nope, the dayshift house were the ones pulling the strings, so I guess more house than you think are causing the problems.  I will say that there are some house that went above and beyond the call to make us feel welcome.  The thing that these folks share is that they were all former road techs and haven't fogotten their roots. 

[RADBASTARD]

Wow Badkitty a little defensive of the plant arn't we? Do you have their stock?

Listen I don't work there but what if what there saying is true?

That's right it is their rules and if it is true and they want people to come back they better wise up and straighten up,or they maybe doing their next outage mainly by themselves. Then hear them cry when they have to do work and they don't have contractors to do it.

I'm sure that their awesome people working there,but a few can really screw it up for the others.

I would have to say that VC Summer is different, but to make accusations based on hard feeling or 'he said that he heard', is inappropriate.  Bottom line is that it is their house, they pay the bills and you play by their rules.  We all have the choice to stay or go, to return or not.

[RAD-GHOST]

GWB,

"I would have to say VC Summers is different", that statement alone peaks my curiosity?  Wish to elaborate?

RB,

there's a lot more BULL then goats!

RG! 

[Duke Nuker]

Well I for one would have to defend Mr. Badkitty.  I can overlook the gator fan thing just this once.  Whether he owns stock or not (he probably does, it makes money) he always makes the call as he sees it.

I will say on my part that everyone has an opinion as to how the outage goes.  Dayshift, nightshift, rover, pool tech. Here is my opinion, however smelly:

I had a good time.  I was used as a pool technician.  I am a house tech here as a shared resource. I got to cover the continuous coverage jobs, LHRA work, and just generally nasty stuff.  I did spend quite a bit of time at the equipment hatch.  I was generally busy all of the time.  I don't get to do job coverage like that back at my "house" job.  It is good to get back to your core business skills.  I think it resharpens the blade.

I was treated great by the house and the Bartlett techs.  I saw some old friends that I have not seen in 20 years and I met some new ones (always do).  Some folks don't get to do exactly what they think they should.  I certainly did not expect to be doing some of the coverages that I did.  I look at it like this - I got paid for the time I worked.  I made and am still making a buttload of money here.  I have not been put in any dangerous situation.  Heck I have not been put in any situation without the house techs making sure that I understand what the workers are doing and most importantly where they are doing it.  Maybe overkill, but I think they want you to succeed.  After all your success insures their completion of the outage.
I can't say enough good things about the management from the VP on down.  Everyone has been extremely personable and helpful.  HP management (I can only speak for dayshift) has been great.  I have not received a wrong answer yet and I have gotten all of the help I can stand.

Bottom line: Good outage, I would come back, I like the house techs, I could work here as a house tech if I was smarter.......but then I run into the old dog thing.  If you don't want to come back, if you were treated unfairly in your eyes, then by all means don't return.  I have a couple of those plants on my resume.

[Duke Nuker]

I do have Gator Envy, I know those Gator girls are a whole lot "easier" than the ones around Athens.