>>What I like most about my job is I get to work with some extraordinary people
on a complex system.
>>Stephen: It's a challenging job. Everyday it's something new.
>>Josh: I feel like I'm a part of something. I feel like I'm needed because I'm helping
the community out. We're providing power for pretty much everybody in the Colorado Springs area.
>>Ian: When I hire a plant system operator, a plant system operator apprentice at Martin
Drake the things I look for are a strong mechanical aptitude guys that understand whole system
pictures as well as being able to get into the details of the equipment. Look for possible
past experiences in heavy industry. It's also very helpful people that have had
military experience. In particular, Navy Nuclear operations, Airforce power production. Those
types of individuals have a pretty good head start when they come to the power plant to
operate our systems.
>>Josh: I'm a plant systems operator at Martin Drake facility. Our routine, during a daily
basis, we come in for a shift turnover for the first 15-30 minutes of the day. We go
over the past shift's major issues or major happenings that happened during the day just
to make sure we're caught up in our understanding of everything that went on. Then the first
actual things that we do in the plant, is that we go out and make our first set of rounds.
They are a pretty detailed set of rounds. You want to make sure that you are putting
hands on all pieces of equipment; when you check for oil flows, temperatures, for pressures,
for vibrations. Then after our first set of rounds, normally we have clearances come in
which is our lock-out tag-out process. And then once the clearances come in we normally,
it's about lunch time, we set out for lunch and then the rest of the day is just about
solving issues and problems that happen in the plant.
>>Jared: One of the things you'll experience on the job is definitely extreme working temperatures,
whether it's real cold outside or real warm up in the steam it will get to a couple
of hundred degrees in there. As far as other hazards, there's definitely electricity you've
got to be aware of, steam, high powered steam, high pressure, high temperature.
>>Josh: There's also a lot of high noises and a lot of loud noises around the plant.
We have to wear ear protection. We have to be able to deal with the loud noises we have
to be able to communicate on your radio concisely to make sure that everybody can understand
what you are saying. Working in high elevations. Working in confined spaces to where you are
in small areas.
>>Chris: There are lots of tools, on this job would be small hand tools up to rather
large pipe wrenches. Helping mechanics and I.N.C techs out.
>>Bill: What I like about my job is that it's different everyday. When you come into a power
plant, especially a combined cycle power plant, we're cycling all the time so there's start
ups and shut downs everyday. There are different things going on all the time. That's what
I love the most about my job.
>>Tom: One of the best things that I like about my job is that I feel like I've accomplished
something at the end of the day.
>>Stephen: The most rewarding thing is basically that we're able to power, be a part of power
in our community. And you know we are a municipality. And, you know a lot of us live in Colorado
Springs, so we're all, kind of on the same team. And, it feels good to be a
person that helps produce that power that's so essential for everything else that drives
our community.