Imagine traveling in a vehicle and are suddenly involved in a head-on collision. One is disoriented and scared, and are trapped in the vehicle.
On Nov. 8 this scary scenario did occur on Route 17 in Hope. Emergency units were dispatched to the scene. One of the responding agencies was the Camden First Aid Association Access Team.
The CFAA Access Team is a group of volunteers whose mission at the scene is to “open up” a vehicle, or vehicles, providing EMS personnel space to work and remove injured persons. They use hydraulic tools (Jaws of Life), electric tools, hand tools, and air bags to perform this task.
A recent upgrade to the Jaws tools, as well as members commitment to training and education, permitted a quick patient removal from one of the vehicles at the Route 17 accident.
The equipment upgrade included: mounting a hydraulic pump in a cabinet readily accessible from outside the truck, three reels mounted in the rear of the vehicle connected to the hydraulic pump (three different colored hoses), hydraulic tools mounted near the reels providing quick connection and deployment (grab-and-go capabilities), quick connection couplings on the hydraulic hoses and tools which provide prompt initial setup as well as swapping tools. There is also a portable hydraulic pump and 30-foot lengths of hydraulic hose set up to be portable. A generator provides power for on-scene lighting and two reciprocating saws.
Training commitments included an all-day academy where members were educated on safety, response, scene control, cooperation with other agencies, and concluded with an afternoon of learning and practicing prying and cutting techniques using donated vehicles. Monthly drill sessions included “opening” vehicles, equipment familiarization, driver training, and locked vehicle entry.
Standard Operating Procedures and Policies are being reviewed and updated, and will be distributed to team members providing guidance, and ensuring consistent delivery of extrication operations.
Member commitment to training, education, team work, and use of the upgraded tools has resulted in efficient operations on scene.
The CFAA Access Team asks drivers to be careful as they travel, and assure drivers they will be there should the need arise.
2011年11月14日星期一
2011年10月16日星期日
'Water witcher' is in high demand
Spencer Powell and his drilling crew assembled behind the Living Word Harvester Church at a spot where, according to Powell's ancient craft, they would find water.
Powell, 59, learned to dowse for water more than 40 years ago from an old "water witcher" known simply as Mr. Ray. Now Powell runs a dowsing and drilling business, Diversified Water Well Drilling, and carries a notebook filled with the lengthening list of those seeking his services. Demand has skyrocketed in recent months here, about 180 miles west of Dallas, and statewide, fueled by the ongoing drought, heat wave and a boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a type of oil drilling that requires lots of water.
To find the best place to drill behind the church, Powell stopped by a few weeks earlier and grabbed two L-shaped divining rods he keeps stowed in the back of his 1950s drill rig. Slowly, gripping the short ends of the rods, he walked through the grass near a few mesquite trees until he felt the rods move. Then they crossed, signaling a potential water source.
Then he recited a short prayer.
Powell has encountered plenty of skeptics. Abilene, a city of about 120,000, is known for its conservative churches and Bible Belt politics. Powell assures doubters that water witching has nothing to do with witchcraft; it's a skill that can be learned, though some people are born with the gift.
These days, people are less likely to ask questions, including the folks at Living Word, desperate as they are for water. Powell receives several calls a day, mostly from residents whose wells have run dry.
The drought has taken a toll on Abilene, withering everything from the lawn at the town's chief tourist attraction, Frontier Texas!, to nearby Dyess Air Force Base. On the day Powell prepared to drill by the church, city officials were scheduled to meet to discuss whether to restrict outdoor watering to once a week because the level at Lake Fort Phantom Hill had dropped to 10 feet below the spillway. Residents had already been restricted to watering no more than twice a week.
Powell drills at least one well a day, mostly in rural yards, on farms and ranches. He charges $25 a foot for drilling a completed well, $10 a foot if the well turns out to be dry. He says he finds water about half of the time.
About 40 feet into the sticky red clay behind Living Word, he found it — although he wasn't sure whether it was of sufficient quality and quantity to make a decent well.
He sent his brother, Kyle Caswell, 52, to find a hose while he and another worker began digging two pits near the drill. They would shoot water into the drill hole, softening the dirt as they drilled deeper. The overflow would gush into the pits.
A man from the church pulled up. He climbed down from his truck in black cowboy boots, surveyed the drill and asked about their progress.
Powell explained that they were about to reach the red bedrock, or "red bed." Caswell arrived with a hose from the church building and started to sprinkle the dirt under the drill.
"It takes water to get water, don't it?" the man said before he drove off.
Powell was nervous. It's one thing to hit water, another to make a working well. He had sunk a well recently on nearby Anson Road, but the flow wasn't very strong. On this morning, the temperature was climbing into the 80s. He had sweated through the rim of his cap and the back of his shirt.
At about 11 a.m., he hit the red bedrock, which shaded shading the pools of water a darker brown. The drill continued to churn, humming as dragonflies hovered over the pits of muddy overflow. About an hour later, they removed the drill and inserted a PVC pipe into the hole. Muddy water gushed through.
Powell, 59, learned to dowse for water more than 40 years ago from an old "water witcher" known simply as Mr. Ray. Now Powell runs a dowsing and drilling business, Diversified Water Well Drilling, and carries a notebook filled with the lengthening list of those seeking his services. Demand has skyrocketed in recent months here, about 180 miles west of Dallas, and statewide, fueled by the ongoing drought, heat wave and a boom in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a type of oil drilling that requires lots of water.
To find the best place to drill behind the church, Powell stopped by a few weeks earlier and grabbed two L-shaped divining rods he keeps stowed in the back of his 1950s drill rig. Slowly, gripping the short ends of the rods, he walked through the grass near a few mesquite trees until he felt the rods move. Then they crossed, signaling a potential water source.
Then he recited a short prayer.
Powell has encountered plenty of skeptics. Abilene, a city of about 120,000, is known for its conservative churches and Bible Belt politics. Powell assures doubters that water witching has nothing to do with witchcraft; it's a skill that can be learned, though some people are born with the gift.
These days, people are less likely to ask questions, including the folks at Living Word, desperate as they are for water. Powell receives several calls a day, mostly from residents whose wells have run dry.
The drought has taken a toll on Abilene, withering everything from the lawn at the town's chief tourist attraction, Frontier Texas!, to nearby Dyess Air Force Base. On the day Powell prepared to drill by the church, city officials were scheduled to meet to discuss whether to restrict outdoor watering to once a week because the level at Lake Fort Phantom Hill had dropped to 10 feet below the spillway. Residents had already been restricted to watering no more than twice a week.
Powell drills at least one well a day, mostly in rural yards, on farms and ranches. He charges $25 a foot for drilling a completed well, $10 a foot if the well turns out to be dry. He says he finds water about half of the time.
About 40 feet into the sticky red clay behind Living Word, he found it — although he wasn't sure whether it was of sufficient quality and quantity to make a decent well.
He sent his brother, Kyle Caswell, 52, to find a hose while he and another worker began digging two pits near the drill. They would shoot water into the drill hole, softening the dirt as they drilled deeper. The overflow would gush into the pits.
A man from the church pulled up. He climbed down from his truck in black cowboy boots, surveyed the drill and asked about their progress.
Powell explained that they were about to reach the red bedrock, or "red bed." Caswell arrived with a hose from the church building and started to sprinkle the dirt under the drill.
"It takes water to get water, don't it?" the man said before he drove off.
Powell was nervous. It's one thing to hit water, another to make a working well. He had sunk a well recently on nearby Anson Road, but the flow wasn't very strong. On this morning, the temperature was climbing into the 80s. He had sweated through the rim of his cap and the back of his shirt.
At about 11 a.m., he hit the red bedrock, which shaded shading the pools of water a darker brown. The drill continued to churn, humming as dragonflies hovered over the pits of muddy overflow. About an hour later, they removed the drill and inserted a PVC pipe into the hole. Muddy water gushed through.
2011年9月7日星期三
Interview with Andrew Esson of Quick Hydraulics
IT was an idea that had been bubbling away in Andrew Esson’s head for a while. The ContiTech Beattie managing director had done his research, weighed up his options and sought the advice of friends and contacts.
Among those was leading South Tyneside businessman Geoff Ford, chairman of Ford Aerospace. Ford told him he was “confident this will be the best decision you’ve ever made”.
Less than a year after being named as Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Executive of the Year for his work at the specialist Ashington engineering firm, he sat behind his desk for the first time as the majority shareholder and managing director of Quick Hydraulics, a former family firm located in North Shields.
Esson says: “I’m aware it will be different now, as I’m going from a £30m turnover business to a £3m business. But I’m going into it with my eyes open.”
Late last week, the rubber stamp was put on the deal which puts Esson in control of the New York company, which supplies hydraulic products to customers across the UK and abroad. Originally set up by Ron Quick in 1977 as a distributor of hydraulic components, it expanded its work to include service and project skills after it was passed to Ron’s son Peter in 1995. It is now a noted UK fluid power centre in the UK, and Esson says it was that specialist engineering nous that partly attracted him to the business.
As the head of ContiTech Beattie, Esson supervised an operation which employed 97 people, including 82 in Ashington, 14 in Aberdeen and one in Singapore. While the company was part of one of the world’s biggest tyre manufacturers, the bosses at parent company Continental AG largely left him alone to run the ship.
Last year, the carbon steel hydraulichose manufacturer reported its exports had more than doubled to £23m in the last three years, and anticipated its turnover leaping from £28m to £60m by 2016. It was this sort of growth that gave Esson a trophy for his mantelpiece, courtesy of The Journal and Evening Gazette’s North East Business Executive of the Year awards.
“After I won the award, it felt like it was a perfect time to step out,” he says. “It was a fantastic 2010 for both me and ContiTech, which had won its third straight Manufacturing Excellence award as well as a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. I decided my objective for 2011 was to move to the next stage of my career.”
But what was it that made him consider a shift at all, after 27 years working in the major corporate sector?
He says: “From the beginning of last year, I recognised my career development prospects with Continental were going to be limited by the fact I wasn’t internationally mobile. I moved to the North East in 2002 and established myself here.
“It’s an area I love and I’d love to see my career out here. The only way I could really do that within Continental was to continue doing what I was doing with ContiTech Beattie, and if I wanted to develop beyond that I’d have to go abroad. That’s when I decided it might be a good time to go out there and work for myself.”
Esson began putting out feelers in the business community, and his contacts unearthed a few firms that could be suitable for him. One was Quick Hydraulics, a 14-person company which ticked all the boxes.
He says: “It was a specialist engineering business, and a profitable cash-generating company that could benefit from some of the things I’d learned as part of a large company.
“Although ContiTech had never worked with Quick, the company manufactured the type of product that we would use in our fluid handling systems. When we were doing due diligence, it became clear this was a well-run company that knew what it was doing.
Among those was leading South Tyneside businessman Geoff Ford, chairman of Ford Aerospace. Ford told him he was “confident this will be the best decision you’ve ever made”.
Less than a year after being named as Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Executive of the Year for his work at the specialist Ashington engineering firm, he sat behind his desk for the first time as the majority shareholder and managing director of Quick Hydraulics, a former family firm located in North Shields.
Esson says: “I’m aware it will be different now, as I’m going from a £30m turnover business to a £3m business. But I’m going into it with my eyes open.”
Late last week, the rubber stamp was put on the deal which puts Esson in control of the New York company, which supplies hydraulic products to customers across the UK and abroad. Originally set up by Ron Quick in 1977 as a distributor of hydraulic components, it expanded its work to include service and project skills after it was passed to Ron’s son Peter in 1995. It is now a noted UK fluid power centre in the UK, and Esson says it was that specialist engineering nous that partly attracted him to the business.
As the head of ContiTech Beattie, Esson supervised an operation which employed 97 people, including 82 in Ashington, 14 in Aberdeen and one in Singapore. While the company was part of one of the world’s biggest tyre manufacturers, the bosses at parent company Continental AG largely left him alone to run the ship.
Last year, the carbon steel hydraulic
“After I won the award, it felt like it was a perfect time to step out,” he says. “It was a fantastic 2010 for both me and ContiTech, which had won its third straight Manufacturing Excellence award as well as a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. I decided my objective for 2011 was to move to the next stage of my career.”
But what was it that made him consider a shift at all, after 27 years working in the major corporate sector?
He says: “From the beginning of last year, I recognised my career development prospects with Continental were going to be limited by the fact I wasn’t internationally mobile. I moved to the North East in 2002 and established myself here.
“It’s an area I love and I’d love to see my career out here. The only way I could really do that within Continental was to continue doing what I was doing with ContiTech Beattie, and if I wanted to develop beyond that I’d have to go abroad. That’s when I decided it might be a good time to go out there and work for myself.”
Esson began putting out feelers in the business community, and his contacts unearthed a few firms that could be suitable for him. One was Quick Hydraulics, a 14-person company which ticked all the boxes.
He says: “It was a specialist engineering business, and a profitable cash-generating company that could benefit from some of the things I’d learned as part of a large company.
“Although ContiTech had never worked with Quick, the company manufactured the type of product that we would use in our fluid handling systems. When we were doing due diligence, it became clear this was a well-run company that knew what it was doing.
Interview with Andrew Esson of Quick Hydraulics
IT was an idea that had been bubbling away in Andrew Esson’s head for a while. The ContiTech Beattie managing director had done his research, weighed up his options and sought the advice of friends and contacts.
Among those was leading South Tyneside businessman Geoff Ford, chairman of Ford Aerospace. Ford told him he was “confident this will be the best decision you’ve ever made”.
Less than a year after being named as Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Executive of the Year for his work at the specialist Ashington engineering firm, he sat behind his desk for the first time as the majority shareholder and managing director of Quick Hydraulics, a former family firm located in North Shields.
Esson says: “I’m aware it will be different now, as I’m going from a £30m turnover business to a £3m business. But I’m going into it with my eyes open.”
Late last week, the rubber stamp was put on the deal which puts Esson in control of the New York company, which supplies hydraulic products to customers across the UK and abroad. Originally set up by Ron Quick in 1977 as a distributor of hydraulic components, it expanded its work to include service and project skills after it was passed to Ron’s son Peter in 1995. It is now a noted UK fluid power centre in the UK, and Esson says it was that specialist engineering nous that partly attracted him to the business.
As the head of ContiTech Beattie, Esson supervised an operation which employed 97 people, including 82 in Ashington, 14 in Aberdeen and one in Singapore. While the company was part of one of the world’s biggest tyre manufacturers, the bosses at parent company Continental AG largely left him alone to run the ship.
Last year, the carbon steel hydraulic hose manufacturer reported its exports had more than doubled to £23m in the last three years, and anticipated its turnover leaping from £28m to £60m by 2016. It was this sort of growth that gave Esson a trophy for his mantelpiece, courtesy of The Journal and Evening Gazette’s North East Business Executive of the Year awards.
“After I won the award, it felt like it was a perfect time to step out,” he says. “It was a fantastic 2010 for both me and ContiTech, which had won its third straight Manufacturing Excellence award as well as a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. I decided my objective for 2011 was to move to the next stage of my career.”
But what was it that made him consider a shift at all, after 27 years working in the major corporate sector?
He says: “From the beginning of last year, I recognised my career development prospects with Continental were going to be limited by the fact I wasn’t internationally mobile. I moved to the North East in 2002 and established myself here.
“It’s an area I love and I’d love to see my career out here. The only way I could really do that within Continental was to continue doing what I was doing with ContiTech Beattie, and if I wanted to develop beyond that I’d have to go abroad. That’s when I decided it might be a good time to go out there and work for myself.”
Esson began putting out feelers in the business community, and his contacts unearthed a few firms that could be suitable for him. One was Quick Hydraulics, a 14-person company which ticked all the boxes.
He says: “It was a specialist engineering business, and a profitable cash-generating company that could benefit from some of the things I’d learned as part of a large company.
“Although ContiTech had never worked with Quick, the company manufactured the type of product that we would use in our fluid handling systems. When we were doing due diligence, it became clear this was a well-run company that knew what it was doing.
Among those was leading South Tyneside businessman Geoff Ford, chairman of Ford Aerospace. Ford told him he was “confident this will be the best decision you’ve ever made”.
Less than a year after being named as Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Executive of the Year for his work at the specialist Ashington engineering firm, he sat behind his desk for the first time as the majority shareholder and managing director of Quick Hydraulics, a former family firm located in North Shields.
Esson says: “I’m aware it will be different now, as I’m going from a £30m turnover business to a £3m business. But I’m going into it with my eyes open.”
Late last week, the rubber stamp was put on the deal which puts Esson in control of the New York company, which supplies hydraulic products to customers across the UK and abroad. Originally set up by Ron Quick in 1977 as a distributor of hydraulic components, it expanded its work to include service and project skills after it was passed to Ron’s son Peter in 1995. It is now a noted UK fluid power centre in the UK, and Esson says it was that specialist engineering nous that partly attracted him to the business.
As the head of ContiTech Beattie, Esson supervised an operation which employed 97 people, including 82 in Ashington, 14 in Aberdeen and one in Singapore. While the company was part of one of the world’s biggest tyre manufacturers, the bosses at parent company Continental AG largely left him alone to run the ship.
Last year, the carbon steel hydraulic hose manufacturer reported its exports had more than doubled to £23m in the last three years, and anticipated its turnover leaping from £28m to £60m by 2016. It was this sort of growth that gave Esson a trophy for his mantelpiece, courtesy of The Journal and Evening Gazette’s North East Business Executive of the Year awards.
“After I won the award, it felt like it was a perfect time to step out,” he says. “It was a fantastic 2010 for both me and ContiTech, which had won its third straight Manufacturing Excellence award as well as a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. I decided my objective for 2011 was to move to the next stage of my career.”
But what was it that made him consider a shift at all, after 27 years working in the major corporate sector?
He says: “From the beginning of last year, I recognised my career development prospects with Continental were going to be limited by the fact I wasn’t internationally mobile. I moved to the North East in 2002 and established myself here.
“It’s an area I love and I’d love to see my career out here. The only way I could really do that within Continental was to continue doing what I was doing with ContiTech Beattie, and if I wanted to develop beyond that I’d have to go abroad. That’s when I decided it might be a good time to go out there and work for myself.”
Esson began putting out feelers in the business community, and his contacts unearthed a few firms that could be suitable for him. One was Quick Hydraulics, a 14-person company which ticked all the boxes.
He says: “It was a specialist engineering business, and a profitable cash-generating company that could benefit from some of the things I’d learned as part of a large company.
“Although ContiTech had never worked with Quick, the company manufactured the type of product that we would use in our fluid handling systems. When we were doing due diligence, it became clear this was a well-run company that knew what it was doing.
2011年8月22日星期一
CCR comes to the Pilbara
Their rapid growth has seen the need to accommodate the Pilbara region with a better supply of goods and services.
CCRs’ motto is “No hose is too big or small!”
Whether it be the local mechanic requiring a power steering hose, to the Blast Hole Drill within the mining sector, you can rely on CCR to provide quality support and experience with minimal downtime.
They guarantee every hose assembly that is supplied and fitted is of the highest quality and suits its application.
CCR take great confidence in supplying Gates OEM hose and fittings.
Gates are one of the worlds’ largest hydraulic hose and fitting manufacturers who are renowned for their high quality products.
CCR Hose and Fittings was founded in 2003 by Chris Harper, servicing the local businesses throughout the Perth metropolitan area then, onto blast hole drills for Reedrill where he was responsible for machine complete re-hoses to Pilbara Iron specifications.
With mining safety heavily scrutinized Chris saw the need to provide the service of maintaining mining equipment hosing on site, recording the upkeep/changes, replacing hoses when required and keeping the customer up to date with the future maintenance requirements with minimal downtime.
CCR’ main focus is making the locals, their valued customers, comfortable in knowing that your hydraulic hoses and fittings will be maintained by their quality hydraulic technicians with the utmost professionalism, guaranteed.
Their reputation is supported by their prospectus of customers.
They make every effort to ensure that their customers are given the utmost support, correct and accurate information, together with the guarantee of their quality knowledge and work.
And their mobile service provides a prompt response, anywhere within the Perth or Pilbara region.
CCR provide and deliver on-site training and certification for MDG 41 standards in Hose Management.
Ensuring only competent personnel can safely implement a systematic inspection, maintenance and hose replacement schedules.
This standard is poised to be incorporated into the National Mine Safety Act.
The CCR Safe Hydraulics Course, providing Gates Assembly Manufacturer Certification, will make the transition to compulsory accreditation effortless.
At CCR, they are committed to Community involvement through regular support of charities and local sport associations and clubs.
Representatives and mobile units located at the following mine sites:
Tom Price, Marandoo, Brockman 2, Brockman 4 and now with their new service centre opening at Paraburdoo providing CCR further coverage within the Pilbara region.
CCRs’ motto is “No hose is too big or small!”
Whether it be the local mechanic requiring a power steering hose, to the Blast Hole Drill within the mining sector, you can rely on CCR to provide quality support and experience with minimal downtime.
They guarantee every hose assembly that is supplied and fitted is of the highest quality and suits its application.
CCR take great confidence in supplying Gates OEM hose and fittings.
Gates are one of the worlds’ largest hydraulic hose and fitting manufacturers who are renowned for their high quality products.
CCR Hose and Fittings was founded in 2003 by Chris Harper, servicing the local businesses throughout the Perth metropolitan area then, onto blast hole drills for Reedrill where he was responsible for machine complete re-hoses to Pilbara Iron specifications.
With mining safety heavily scrutinized Chris saw the need to provide the service of maintaining mining equipment hosing on site, recording the upkeep/changes, replacing hoses when required and keeping the customer up to date with the future maintenance requirements with minimal downtime.
CCR’ main focus is making the locals, their valued customers, comfortable in knowing that your hydraulic hoses and fittings will be maintained by their quality hydraulic technicians with the utmost professionalism, guaranteed.
Their reputation is supported by their prospectus of customers.
They make every effort to ensure that their customers are given the utmost support, correct and accurate information, together with the guarantee of their quality knowledge and work.
And their mobile service provides a prompt response, anywhere within the Perth or Pilbara region.
CCR provide and deliver on-site training and certification for MDG 41 standards in Hose Management.
Ensuring only competent personnel can safely implement a systematic inspection, maintenance and hose replacement schedules.
This standard is poised to be incorporated into the National Mine Safety Act.
The CCR Safe Hydraulics Course, providing Gates Assembly Manufacturer Certification, will make the transition to compulsory accreditation effortless.
At CCR, they are committed to Community involvement through regular support of charities and local sport associations and clubs.
Representatives and mobile units located at the following mine sites:
Tom Price, Marandoo, Brockman 2, Brockman 4 and now with their new service centre opening at Paraburdoo providing CCR further coverage within the Pilbara region.
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