Yukon Hospitals depends on a diverse and skilled support team to support patient care. Professionals like Power Engineers handle all elements of the buildings, from heat to water to electricity and even the oxygen used by patients. Power Engineers are adaptable, dependable, and essential!
Today, we meet Dan who is Team Lead, Power Engineering and Maintenance. He's worked at Whitehorse General Hospital since 1998.
How did you come into this role?
I love mechanical things and when I was in high school our guidance counselor had a program on his computer. That was in the early days of computers in schools. It was an aptitude test which gave you possible careers.
That program recommended Power Engineering. Up until that point, I had no idea what a power engineer was, but I was always the mechanical sort, fixing my own bicycles, my own motorbikes -- that kind of thing. I did the test a few times and the first choice on the aptitude test kept coming back as power engineer.
I looked into it, applied to technical school and here I am. Whitehorse General Hospital opened in 1997 and I’ve been here since 1998.
What do you like about this role?
I do like the stability. That was true when I started as well. It’s not a seasonal thing, like chasing construction work. Power Engineering is a good career. And, it's one of those jobs where you don't have to worry about what you’ll be doing next year! There is always demand. If you change jobs as a power engineer it's usually by choice through career advancement.
Especially in a situation like a hospital, you know what I mean? The hospital isn't closing. It isn't a gas plant or a mine that might not be around next year. You don’t have to chase it season-to-season like construction work.
So yes, the stability is a big thing!
What makes a good day at work?
Some days you’re problem-solving. And if there is a problem, then being able to troubleshoot, diagnose and fix it, if possible -- that makes for a good day. If you got a piece of equipment that is causing issues and you can, troubleshoot it. Figure out what's going on and make it function properly, that’s a win.
What’s unique about working in the Yukon?
Definitely the temperature variations from summer to winter. Here we could see 30c in the summer and -40c in the winter! So we have to maintain and operate all of our equipment with a lot of variables in mind.
Also, here in the Yukon, engineering and HVAC sort of blend together. Down south there might be more of a line separating who does what. Here as a power engineer you’re not just sitting in front of the control boards, right? We're more hands-on. That’s what keeps it interesting to me.
What advice might you have for a young person considering this career?
If you're mechanically inclined, it's interesting. Also, there's a lot of room to grow within the field and opportunities for young people!
