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 TrainingRecord crowd attends this year's open house (September 2008) By Brad Randall, Training Plan Administrator Perfect weather brought visitors out in record numbers to our Annual Open House and Heavy Equipment Rodeo on June 21 at our Training Site in Maple Ridge. Over 1,000 people were in attendance. Fourteen pieces of heavy equipment, as well as our latest acquisition—a new trailer equipped with three excavator simulators, were set up for visitors to try. Judging by the smiles on the kids’ faces, we may have inspired some future equipment operators. We also had a clown entertaining the kids with balloons and face painting. Plastic hard hats with Training Plan stickers were handed out to the kids and donations were accepted for the Dollars Against Diabetes charity fund. We raised over $800. The food at this year’s barbecue was also excellent. I would like to thank the staff and over 90 volunteers who helped with the open house. Without their help we would never be able to stage such a large event. I would also like to thank the following contractors, equipment dealers and their staff for providing some of the additional equipment: • Kansen Crane’s Liebherr 100-ton hydraulic mobile truck crane and Brothers Eric Kan (owner), John Sleigh, Randy Grisewood, Mike Anderson and Corrie Thiessen • Sterling Crane’s Grove 240-ton hydraulic mobile truck crane and Mike Maitland and Brothers David St. Jean and Rico Salema • SMS Equipment (formerly Coneco)’s two Komatsu mini excavators (PC 27 and 35) and Brad Masson • Parker Pacific’s Case 430 Skidsteer and mini excavator and Alistair Yule • Great West Equipment’s Volvo Short Radius Excavator and Jim Ell • Waste Management for providing five Portalets • Winvan Paving and General Manager Stan Weismiller and Brother Rick Rogers (equipment superintendent) for their generous donation of a Blaw-Knox paver The paver arrived in time for display at the open house and will become a permanent fixture in our paving courses. Training A new six-hour refresher course has been developed for incumbent crane operators to assist them in preparing for the new Crane Operator Certification assessment. Classes began in late July. The course covers regulations, hand signals, rigging, pre-trip inspection and interpreting load charts. Information flyers were sent out to members and others in the industry. We are also in the process of putting together a self-study guide for those who are unable to attend a class session. A one-day rigging course was presented in Castlegar by our crane instructor Brother Trevor Rowse for our members employed by IDL Projects. This fall, we expect to participate in the delivery of a pilot program on operating a mobile crane. Earlier this year, we hosted a pilot assessment for crane operators at our Training Site. Brothers Trevor Rowse, Grant Washington and I completed the written test, performed the demonstration of skills and passed the assessment. We are among the first operators in the province to achieve the required Certificate of Competence. Work safely. |
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