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Electrical Generating Systems Tech - General Questions

korzin

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Hello,
I served in 3PPCLI for 4 years and have been out for about the same.  Searching for info on EGS techs seems like pulling teeth.  I can't find anyone who has done the job or even knows one.
If there are any on here could you please help me with a few questions:

Are postings generally more remote bases or are EGS techs everywhere?  What are the major postings if any?

What is the realistic field time per year approximately (field ex, training, etc)?  Are you away alot?

What do you do day to day when not in the field?

Thank you.
 
korzin said:
What do you do day to day when not in the field?

Not sure if you have read this, but in case not,

caocao said:
Ex EGS Tech here, now a CE Supt.  Day to day work for an EGS Tech on most bases is preventive maintenance of APUs, UPSs and othe trade related equipment.

•Install, operate, maintain and repair mobile electrical generators and associated control equipment
•Install, operate, maintain and repair power plant electrical generators and associated control equipment
•Install, operate and maintain engine prime movers associated with equipment driven by Construction Engineers
•Install, operate, maintain and repair Static Uninterruptable Power Systems and Rotary Uninterruptable Power Systems
•Overhaul electrical generation systems and equipment
•Produce designs and specifications
•Produce mechanical and electrical drawings
•Perform brazing/welding and machining work
"Air Force but may be assigned to work in the Army or Navy environment..."


ELECTRICAL GENERATING SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN

LEWIS: When you’re on the line and off the grid, keeping the power going 24/7 is crucial to mission success – and to the safety of our Canadian soldiers and air crews.

You’re pretty much going to be responsible for the operation, maintenance, installation of anything from generator sets, uninterruptible power supplies, frequency converters, motor generators…

NASON: On a day-to-day basis, we pretty much do preventative maintenance – we go around, we check the generators, check the oil, check the coolant, load-test them. We just pretty much make sure they’re in a fully operational order. Most of it is pretty much: make sure when the lights go out, the power comes back on, and that’s our job.

Whether you’re in the Regular Force or the Reserves, EGS Techs are the hands-on experts who know everything about the machinery that converts mechanical power into electrical voltage.

Well, we put diesel fuel in the tank and it kinda comes up and goes in the engine, and turns the crank, kinda turns the alternator, and this power comes out the other side. So it’s kinda neat to see this liquid going in one end and see the light bulb come on at the other end and know how it goes from start to finish.

I like the mechanics part, I get to work on the engines, and the people you meet are absolutely amazing. So I couldn’t ask for a better crew and – you’re never bored with the job, ‘cause one day you’re doing oil change, the next day you’re using your mind and doing something with components or computers or something. So there’s always something going on with it that’s a new and exciting experience.

LEWIS: If joining our small group of EGS Techs sounds attractive to you, you’ll need to build up a solid base of knowledge in math and physics, and have a strong interest in machinery, electricity, and how they fit and work together.

NASON: After your basic military training, you’ll head to Gagetown, New Brunswick for six months of intensive, hands-on learning at the School of Military Engineering.

LEWIS: They’ll teach you the theory – and the reality – of power systems, electrical grids, fixed and mobile generators: how they work, how to set them up, and how to fix them when the gremlins take over.

For the final exam, they show you a working generator and then they take it apart – to graduate, you have to rebuild the electrical and the mechanical systems, hook it up, and make it work again.

NASON: But the real final exam comes when you’re deployed overseas – or to a remote region of Canada where the only electric power is generated by the gear we haul in with us.

Up in Alert, we are the prime power, there’s no 800-km extension cord from the closest place. If we ever go down, she gets pretty dark, cold and cranky up there.

LEWIS: I was actually in Kandahar – I was the primary technician on the camp for six months. So it was just myself looking after a power plant of four generators. You have the environment to deal with, the intense heat, the sand. They are the prime power for the camp – we need to maintain that power at all times.

NASON: When the guys come back from being out in the field, they can have a nice hot shower. We have the generators to run the kitchens so they can have a nice hot meal and stuff –

LEWIS: But we also take pride in the ability to see the happiness in the soldiers’ faces when they can come back to the camp, you know, send off an email to their family, to their kids. So it gives us a good sense of pride to be able to do that.

NASON: The best part of the job is when the light comes back on - gives you a good, warm feeling knowing that you did something to make a difference for the better of all.
http://www.forces.ca/en/job/electricalgeneratingsystemstechnician-58#wtd







 
I appreciate you trying to help but I'm looking for more than what's in the Forces website.  Being in the infantry and what the video on the site shows are different things.  I'm hoping to talk to someone who can give me their experiences and an average day in the life kind of thing.  The ACTUAL day in the life of an infantry soldier in general is not described in the video,  trust me haha.

Thank you again,  but i need more info.
 
I'm late to your post, but as a currently serving EGS Tech, I will try to answer your questions...
Yes, the trade is small, and it is difficult to acquire any information wrt it. Me, I pretty much joined on a whim from another trade, as I the only information I could acquire at the time was ''yea, my brother is an EGS Tech...not sure what he does''. Nine years later, I'm a section commander with a yearlong French course behind me soon to be a Sergeant. 


korzin said:
Hello,
I served in 3PPCLI for 4 years and have been out for about the same.  Searching for info on EGS techs seems like pulling teeth.  I can't find anyone who has done the job or even knows one.
If there are any on here could you please help me with a few questions:

Are postings generally more remote bases or are EGS techs everywhere?  What are the major postings if any?
Postings can be anywhere in Canada. Theres also one or two embassy postings overseas. Major postings are all the major Air and Army bases.

What is the realistic field time per year approximately (field ex, training, etc)?  Are you away alot?
EGS techs, once DP2/QL5 qualified, can be away for a significant amount of time. If you're from an Army Construction Troop, you could be in the field for a few months per year on exercices.

What do you do day to day when not in the field?
Day to day is dependant on the base. Air bases you're doing maintenance, or checks. Army bases could be the same, or you could be in a construction troop helping another tradesperson with their duties. In the field, you're building the camp. Power is our responsibility, and it's a big one on a large scale exercice like Maple Resolve, but on other exercices, everyone helps everyone else out. Construction Engineers build the camp.


Thank you.

Not sure if you can email me as a guest, but you're welcome to do so.
 
Any registered member can PM another registered member.

Public information would be preferred, as it will benefit more people.
 
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