WEBVTT 00:00:03.086 --> 00:00:06.923 We're at 2 Mission Support Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec, meeting 00:00:06.923 --> 00:00:09.050 Sergeant Alex Lapierre, a Plumbing and Heating Technician, 00:00:09.050 --> 00:00:11.136 who will show us what his job is all about. 00:00:11.136 --> 00:00:14.347 Hey, Alex. Working hard? Always. Nice! 00:00:14.347 --> 00:00:16.266 Okay, tell me what's on the schedule today. 00:00:16.266 --> 00:00:18.852 So today I'm working on my plumbing and heating toolkit, 00:00:18.852 --> 00:00:20.895 and I'm also working on the ASAR toolkit. 00:00:20.895 --> 00:00:21.730 Can I join you? 00:00:21.730 --> 00:00:22.355 Yeah. Come on. 00:00:22.355 --> 00:00:23.106 Nice. 00:00:23.106 --> 00:00:24.399 Okay, so tell me, 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:27.610 what do Plumbing and Heating Technicians do in the armed forces? 00:00:27.610 --> 00:00:31.531 So Plumbing and Heating Technicians maintain the infrastructure on base. 00:00:31.531 --> 00:00:34.534 They maintain the deployable kit and they also stay current 00:00:34.534 --> 00:00:36.494 in their qualifications. Okay, cool. 00:00:36.494 --> 00:00:41.124 And what would you say are the top three qualities that a PH Tech should have? 00:00:41.124 --> 00:00:44.502 So they should be ready to help people, at a moment's notice. 00:00:44.502 --> 00:00:46.087 They need to be flexible. 00:00:46.087 --> 00:00:48.131 And they would also need to be pretty knowledgeable. 00:00:48.131 --> 00:00:50.592 Within the trade, I'd say. 00:00:50.592 --> 00:00:54.012 And what does a typical day look like for you? 00:00:54.846 --> 00:00:59.851 So the fun thing about this job is, there aren't really any typical days here. 00:00:59.851 --> 00:01:02.854 Our days change a lot based on the season. 00:01:02.896 --> 00:01:05.607 Okay. Nice. And what's this behind you? 00:01:05.607 --> 00:01:09.944 This is our sprung shelter, where we store all of our tools and, our material. 00:01:10.070 --> 00:01:12.363 Okay, I'll join you inside. Looks pretty cool. Come on. 00:01:14.282 --> 00:01:17.202 So, Alex, do only PH Tech’s work here in the sprung? 00:01:17.202 --> 00:01:20.288 So the fun part about this is we actually work with, carpenters, 00:01:20.288 --> 00:01:24.042 electricians, RM Techs, and, all the other construction trades. 00:01:24.042 --> 00:01:26.711 Nice. The whole gang. Big gang. 00:01:26.711 --> 00:01:29.714 So tell me, why did you choose to become a Plumbing and Heating Tech? 00:01:29.923 --> 00:01:33.968 So I always wanted to work in a construction environment and, 00:01:33.968 --> 00:01:35.553 I knew that the skills that I would learn in 00:01:35.553 --> 00:01:38.056 this trade would be transferable to the CIVI side. 00:01:38.056 --> 00:01:40.183 Yeah, that sounds pretty perfect. 00:01:40.183 --> 00:01:42.435 Okay. What are you grabbing right now? 00:01:42.435 --> 00:01:46.189 So I'm just gathering a few tools to do some pipe threading. 00:01:46.189 --> 00:01:47.315 Okay, cool. 00:01:47.315 --> 00:01:50.819 And what aspect of your job do you enjoy the most? 00:01:50.819 --> 00:01:55.031 My favorite part would be the, the teamwork aspect. 00:01:55.031 --> 00:01:57.909 So regardless of the, job that's getting done, 00:01:57.909 --> 00:02:00.703 it might not necessarily be, in your trade. 00:02:00.703 --> 00:02:03.915 However, the job needs to get done, so it's always all hands on deck. 00:02:03.915 --> 00:02:05.250 I love that. 00:02:05.250 --> 00:02:08.419 And tell me, what's one word that your friends would use to describe you? 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:10.755 I would say my friends describe me as devoted. 00:02:10.755 --> 00:02:12.048 Nice. Okay. 00:02:12.048 --> 00:02:14.384 So do you have any other hobbies outside of work? 00:02:15.426 --> 00:02:17.679 I do a lot of camping on my own time. 00:02:17.679 --> 00:02:19.055 I play a lot of sports as well. 00:02:19.055 --> 00:02:21.641 Like hockey and golf. Nice. 00:02:21.641 --> 00:02:23.768 So I got to head out to the HQSS come on with me. 00:02:23.768 --> 00:02:26.646 Let's do it. 00:02:26.646 --> 00:02:29.482 So, what can we always find on Alex's playlist? 00:02:29.482 --> 00:02:32.110 You're always going to find Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:34.237 That song always gets me fired up to get to work. 00:02:34.237 --> 00:02:35.196 I hear ya. 00:02:35.196 --> 00:02:35.864 Wait a sec? 00:02:35.864 --> 00:02:36.990 You get to drive this? 00:02:36.990 --> 00:02:39.075 Yeah, we drive this quite often. Nice. 00:02:39.075 --> 00:02:41.327 That's pretty cool. Pretty cool little piece of kit. 00:02:41.327 --> 00:02:43.329 And is this the HQSS? Yeah. 00:02:43.329 --> 00:02:45.165 So this is where we store all of our equipment 00:02:45.165 --> 00:02:47.292 that needs to be protected from the elements. 00:02:47.292 --> 00:02:48.001 Awesome. 00:02:48.001 --> 00:02:49.919 And tell me, have you ever deployed? 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.756 So I deployed in 2018 on Operation Impact in Iraq. 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.300 How was that? 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:56.509 It was a very good experience. 00:02:56.509 --> 00:03:00.513 I got to learn a lot about myself, and I got to learn a lot about the trade as well. 00:03:00.513 --> 00:03:03.308 Okay, tell me, what's the difference between what 00:03:03.308 --> 00:03:06.811 you would do in an operational theater setting versus garrison? 00:03:06.811 --> 00:03:10.356 So in garrison, a lot of the work that we do is, much more planned out 00:03:10.356 --> 00:03:12.233 as opposed to a theater of operations, 00:03:12.233 --> 00:03:15.195 you got to be prepared to respond pretty quickly. Okay. 00:03:16.237 --> 00:03:17.530 All right. I got to go to the HQSS 00:03:17.530 --> 00:03:19.574 Come on with me. Let's do it. 00:03:19.574 --> 00:03:21.659 Okay, Alex, I'm at my last question. 00:03:21.659 --> 00:03:25.455 Why become a Plumbing and Heating Technician within the Canadian Armed Forces? 00:03:25.455 --> 00:03:28.374 Well, if you're looking to get out of your comfort zone and, live 00:03:28.374 --> 00:03:31.377 a bit of an adventure with that, I'd say that the trade is perfect for you. 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:33.296 Awesome. Okay, well, let's get back to it. 00:03:33.296 --> 00:03:35.048 Thanks.