The power plant electrician asks the group if they’re ready with their stopwatches, then counts down. Three—two—one—the lights go black for a beat. Five giant diesel engine backup generators, each larger than a pickup truck, begin to roar.
The lights are back on; surgeries continue without missing a beat, and priceless research continues to stay frozen in a lab on campus. It’s a monthly test of the University’s backup power generation capabilities down at the Power Plant.
For the past few months, UW Recycling has been using their new application, Streams, to better connect their administrative office to crews in the field. Through smart phones and tablets, Streams enables employees across campus to access their collection routes online, and log changes that occur throughout their day.
Stepping Stones is a training program offered by the FS Training Center, in conjunction with the sponsoring department, which gives frontline staff opportunities to learn leadership skills that are necessary for moving up to lead, supervisor and management positions.
You may not ever think about what goes on behind-the-scenes when you walk into a nice warm building or hot water comes out of the faucet, but for a dedicated crew of around-the-clock engineers at the power plant, keeping campus comfortable is their highest priority.
The tower was purchased by the University of Washington from Safeco in 2007, and with it came a dedicated staff of around-the-clock maintenance workers.
Stepping Stones is a training program offered by the FS Training Center, in conjunction with the sponsoring department, which gives frontline staff opportunities to learn leadership skills that are necessary for moving up to lead, supervisor and management positions.
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, and it’s something weird that doesn’t look good, who ya gonna call?
For the University of Washington, it’s not Ghostbusters, but the Facilities Operations Maintenance Specialists (FOMS) crew, more commonly known by their radio name, Unit-2.
“Our clients go home at night, and they come in the next morning with a light switch moved and a door replaced,” said Dan Lindsey, a Shop 53 carpenter. “It’s just simple.”
