Mechanical aptitutde and people-skills key to career

Feature - by Mark Sproxton

Scrolling through the list of heating, ventilation and air conditioning devices monitored through his computer, the systems representative notices something isn't right with a fan. Immediately he uses the computer to trace what could be a serious problem. This is no ordinary fan. About four-metres high and supplying air to a downtown high rise, the issue has to be resolved quickly otherwise air pressure in the building will build so much, it will become impossible to open the building's front door.

"I calibrate and ensure that all field devices are working correctly and accurately."

"With what I do you can adjust all kinds of devices through the computer," explains Bill Tolley, account engineer with Siemens Building Technologies. "I calibrate and ensure that all field devices are working correctly and accurately. This helps the people operating buildings to identify problems that arise in their facility." Sometimes he's required to build control devices as well. Regular contact with the building operator, the person responsible for ensuring all maintenance work is complete, is another key part of his job.

Working in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and security, Tolley works behind the scenes maintaining and monitoring controls for those systems. "My job is like playing when you were a kid. I had a Mechano set and loved playing with it." But like all who work in building maintenance, when something goes wrong, he is no longer anonymous. "When everything is working perfectly no one knows who you are but when things go wrong you're the first person in line," Tolley said.

That means many skills are needed for this work. "(It) requires a mechanical aptitude and the ability to get along with all types of people," he said. "The people you're dealing with may not be in the best of moods because their daily routine has been disrupted by a mechanical/software failure. You must love solving problems of all types and shapes." After all, his main goal is to keep the equipment running and keep the customer happy.

While Tolley always enjoyed mechanical things, it took a while for him to land this career. At 24 he decided to return to school to complete his education and allow himself a chance to obtain the things he wanted out of life. He admits he was far from a teacher's pet in Grade school. Through much hard work, Tolley graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) with a diploma in industrial electronic technology and started pounding the pavement looking for a job.

The search didn't take long and 17 years later Tolley's knowledge has allowed him to work primarily in high rises. Other control systems people work in petroleum plants, on pipeline controls, lumber mills and other processing plants. "Systems may change but the basic task of ensuring the computer is running the field devices correctly doesn't change," Tolley said. "I strictly work in high rises because of my experience and the amount of components that are required to operate. With 2,000 people coming in and out a normal tower each day operation of the facility has to be transparent to everyone that is a tenant."

To remain behind-the-scenes, however, Tolley said there is a never-ending requirement for learning as there are always new systems and components coming onto the market. That knowledge must be applied regardless of the time of day or night, weekday or weekend. Most of Tolley's work takes place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday but that doesn't always mean he'll work those hours. There is an expectation of overtime work if required. "Overtime will rarely be at your convenience," he said. "You will be compensated but money isn't everything."

On a typical day, Tolley will arrive at work, check his e-mail and voice mail to see if any problems need his attention. If not, he'll start with the on-going planned maintenance to the systems he oversees. Tolley now works strictly downtown, but some of his colleagues will travel out of town for their maintenance work and may be paid extra if they have to use their own vehicle.

Starting salary for this position will be in the $30,000 per year range and may go as high as $70,000, Tolley said. Some companies will pay bonuses in addition to salaries. His advice for anyone interested in HVAC systems control: "Depending on experience and how well you get along with people will play a large roll in the salary you will be paid in the end. You better like dealing with people and don't take things personally."