Week 7: Facilities Management

 This week I shadowed Alan, Everette, and Toby for facilities management. My week with them was the highlight of my internship. 

For the first day, Alan (Chief of Facilities Management) wanted Everette and me to trim tree branches along the trails. Everette utilized a pole saw to cut branches. Then we threw the debris to the side to clear the trail. Sometime later, Alan met with Everette and I so we could take a break. While trimming trees, Alan discovered that an oak tree had fallen. The tree was huge! I could push it, but all I did was hurt my pride. Moving the tree requires planning, so we returned the next day to clear the path.

The next day, facilities management had a strategic internal meeting about the fallen oak tree at a Diner. In short, we spoke about the plan for removing the oak tree. Toby would operate the machine, Alan and Everette would use chainsaws, and I would be a spotter. After the meeting, we went back to the park headquarters. Before leaving HQ, Alan went over various safety procedures. He assigned me as the safety officer. He went over who to call in case of an emergency, How to provide emergency services, our coordinates, And the location of available first aid kits. We then geared up and traveled to the fallen tree. We completed the tree removal in a few hours. The heat made it feel like we were outside for days. Ultimately, Alan permitted me to pick up a log using the claw machine. I thought using the machine would be complicated, but it was not. If given more time, I could master using the machine. Once I master this, I will be one step closer to operating Mechs.

Later in the week, Alan wanted Toby and me to take measurements for a Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) project. After we took measurements, Alan entered the information into PEPC. PEPC facilitates transparent and informed decision-making in various projects and policy developments. An aspect of PEPC is interdisciplinary review. Someone from another discipline, such as Architecture or Resource management, will review a PEPC project for any issues a proposed project may have on the park's resources. The entire process could take a while to complete, so Alan emphasized the importance of being concise when proposing projects.