We're at 2 Mission Support Squadron in Bagotville, Quebec, meeting
Sergeant Alex Lapierre, a Plumbing and Heating Technician,
who will show us what his job is all about.
Hey, Alex. Working hard? Always. Nice!
Okay, tell me what's on the schedule today.
So today I'm working on my plumbing and heating toolkit,
and I'm also working on the ASAR toolkit.
Can I join you?
Yeah. Come on.
Nice.
Okay, so tell me,
what do Plumbing and Heating Technicians do in the armed forces?
So Plumbing and Heating Technicians maintain the infrastructure on base.
They maintain the deployable kit and they also stay current
in their qualifications. Okay, cool.
And what would you say are the top three qualities that a PH Tech should have?
So they should be ready to help people, at a moment's notice.
They need to be flexible.
And they would also need to be pretty knowledgeable.
Within the trade, I'd say.
And what does a typical day look like for you?
So the fun thing about this job is, there aren't really any typical days here.
Our days change a lot based on the season.
Okay. Nice. And what's this behind you?
This is our sprung shelter, where we store all of our tools and, our material.
Okay, I'll join you inside. Looks pretty cool. Come on.
So, Alex, do only PH Tech’s work here in the sprung?
So the fun part about this is we actually work with, carpenters,
electricians, RM Techs, and, all the other construction trades.
Nice. The whole gang. Big gang.
So tell me, why did you choose to become a Plumbing and Heating Tech?
So I always wanted to work in a construction environment and,
I knew that the skills that I would learn in
this trade would be transferable to the CIVI side.
Yeah, that sounds pretty perfect.
Okay. What are you grabbing right now?
So I'm just gathering a few tools to do some pipe threading.
Okay, cool.
And what aspect of your job do you enjoy the most?
My favorite part would be the, the teamwork aspect.
So regardless of the, job that's getting done,
it might not necessarily be, in your trade.
However, the job needs to get done, so it's always all hands on deck.
I love that.
And tell me, what's one word that your friends would use to describe you?
I would say my friends describe me as devoted.
Nice. Okay.
So do you have any other hobbies outside of work?
I do a lot of camping on my own time.
I play a lot of sports as well.
Like hockey and golf. Nice.
So I got to head out to the HQSS come on with me.
Let's do it.
So, what can we always find on Alex's playlist?
You're always going to find Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
That song always gets me fired up to get to work.
I hear ya.
Wait a sec?
You get to drive this?
Yeah, we drive this quite often. Nice.
That's pretty cool. Pretty cool little piece of kit.
And is this the HQSS? Yeah.
So this is where we store all of our equipment
that needs to be protected from the elements.
Awesome.
And tell me, have you ever deployed?
So I deployed in 2018 on Operation Impact in Iraq.
How was that?
It was a very good experience.
I got to learn a lot about myself, and I got to learn a lot about the trade as well.
Okay, tell me, what's the difference between what
you would do in an operational theater setting versus garrison?
So in garrison, a lot of the work that we do is, much more planned out
as opposed to a theater of operations,
you got to be prepared to respond pretty quickly. Okay.
All right. I got to go to the HQSS
Come on with me. Let's do it.
Okay, Alex, I'm at my last question.
Why become a Plumbing and Heating Technician within the Canadian Armed Forces?
Well, if you're looking to get out of your comfort zone and, live
a bit of an adventure with that, I'd say that the trade is perfect for you.
Awesome. Okay, well, let's get back to it.
Thanks.