Life at mcmurdo station as a fire dispatcher

Fire is a serious threat to life in antarctica, especially since shelter is critical to. The surest mark of that change is the fact that gretchen leglers book, on the ice. Employment opportunities antarctic fire department. Granted, mcmurdo station is a long way to go for a drink, yet a visit is one of the highlights for many of our guests on cruises to antarctica.

Ap when their daughter announced last year shed be leaving soon for a job at a remote base on antarctica, cheryl guentzel and ken gansen of st. To provide the united states airforce with arff while they are at mcmurdo station and to provide the community with fire suppression and ems. Apply to supervisor, coordinator, research scientist and more. The jaws of life are no match for this 50 gallon barrel. In the key words field type in firefighter or type in the requisition number for a position youre interested in and qualified for. Her previous experience as a dispatcher for the nicollet county sheriffs department was very useful at mcmurdo. Im blown away by the technology and science used in.

Renowned for attracting an utterly diverse bunch of people, mcmurdo is arguably. Much of our time since weve arrived has been spent unpacking, setting up, and testing our gear and attending training sessions and meetings with the raytheon support personnel. Antarctica is looking for a few good firefighters wired. She was hired by a contractor to handle typical 911 calls medical, fires, domestics. Firefighting in antarctica encompasses various organizations and procedures designed to fight. The upgrades will involve replacing a majority of the electronics systems in the ground station. Learn about a day in the life of an antarctic firefighter at the mcmurdo station antarctic fire department. I have a complex family situation and im in the national guard, so i dont know if i could do it, but to anyone that even might be able to, this is an awesome opportunity to jump on.

Mcmurdo is built on the bare volcanic rock of hut point peninsula on ross island, the solid ground farthest south that is accessible by ship. You could be imprisoned for life for transporting or mailing illegal drugs to a foreign country. As the gateway of antarctica, mcmurdo station is the initial arrival point for multiple nations research and support teams. The antarctic fire department is proudly supporting the advancement of world science through firerescue support services on the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and ultimately harshest continent on the planet antarctica. She spent september through february working at mcmurdo station on the southern tip of ross island. Nasa nasa engineer to blog about upgrades at mcmurdo station. South pole station maintains communications with mcmurdo station, and other locations, using the south pole hf sphf system. At the center of the antarctic continent, the south pole is a barren desert of snow. Sep 21, 2017 designing a better antarctic base for science. To make things stranger, i also produced a podcast about my wifes. Over people work here in summer and 100 in winter.

Although the night crew noticed smoke and flames coming from the garages metal shop and evacuated the building, the garage and its contents could not be saved. Small boat operator training a multiplehour class required annually for all. Shop for the perfect mcmurdo station antarctica gift from our wide selection of designs, or create your own personalized gifts. Ready to endure bitter cold, desolation, and occasional cabin fever. Apr 20, 2020 she spent september through february working at mcmurdo station on the southern tip of ross island. I posted the requisition numbers earlier in this thread. Antarctic fire department, mcmurdo station, antarctica. With less than a month left before the start of winter, mcmurdo enters one of its hardestworking periods, with departments moving to 24hour schedules, filled with the omnipresent sound of backing alarms on heavy machines for the massive vessel offload all part of the annual cycle of life at mcmurdo station. Just a day in my life at mcmurdo station in antarctica. Mcmurdos general store anything you want in the middle.

Mcmurdo station, located at 77 degrees 51 minutes s, 166 degrees 40 minutes e, is the largest antarctic station. Regular duties ranged from cleaning the firehouse to conducting fire inspections around the town and running dispatch the main. Its always been a strange dream of mine to go to antarctica, maybe because i have no business being there. Each research station has its own master plan, which serves as a living document and reflects its purpose, goals and future plans. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at pae antarctica mcmurdo station. Minnesota woman home from job as dispatcher in antarctica. Brent s stewart mcmurdo, palmer station, uscg glacier, uscg polar star, uscg polar sea, rv nathaniel b palmer, rvib oden, marion island research base, 1985 2016 san diego california usa rudi stewart mcmurdo and south pole 1991, 1992, 1993 leominster i would love to hear from anyone who was there. Im blown away by the technology and science used in these three facilities. This information is from 20070215 and may be outdated. Similar to mcmurdo, hazards also include the scientific laboratories, various hazmat, power plants, and airfields. The station is the largest community in antarctica, capable of supporting.

The antarctic fire department is based at mcmurdo station. As the work under aims will only take place at mcmurdo, any relevant changes will be incorporated into the mcmurdo master plan, as appropriate. There are communal bathrooms on each floor of the dorm, and each dorm has a tv lounge room. After living at south pole, it was a bit of a shock to arrive in big bad mcmurdo lots of people, dirt, dust, buildings, terrain, machines everything. Here at mcmurdo station i bring you the one and only antarctic fire department. Southern exposure barlounge mcmurdo station youtube. It is the largest base in antarctica by a considerable margin with around personnel up to 1250 possible in summer and 250 in the winter. The dispatcher is responsible for the operation of various communications equipment including but not limited to both 911 and administrative phone lines, vhf radios, zetron radio console and king fisher fire alarm system at mcmurdo station. I spent a year at mcmurdo station in antarctica, ama first off, there are certainly redditors out there with far more antarctica experience than i have.

Responsible for daily operations of the it help desk providing high quality customer service and technical support to the user community at mcmurdo station. A few days ago i visited several places that ive always wanted to see here in mcmurdo. Major overload after the pole, but a good introduction back into society, in preparation for reemergence back to new zealand. These guys and gals work about 96 hours a week in four 24hour shifts. Speculation over the existence of a southern land was not confirmed until the early 1820s when british and american commercial operators and british and russian national expeditions began exploring the antarctic peninsula region and other areas south of. Covering over one square mile, mcmurdo station is comprised of multiple structures strategically designed and arranged for minimal footprint and environmental impact.

The afd is currently seeking personnel to deploy to antarctica on a contract basis for various. At amundsenscott south pole station, every square inch is vital to station operations. Mcmurdos general store anything you want in the middle of. Went to beadmore to open it up with mike dera and crew for about 8 weeks. It is operated by the united states through the united states antarctic program, a branch of the national science foundation. Two years experience in emergency service dispatch 911 radio operations. Mcmurdo fire dept, antarctica firehouse forums firefighting. Designing a better antarctic base for science the atlantic. If you want to work in antarctica, heres where to look for opportunities in scientific, mechanical, technical, medical and other areas.

Greg albert beardmore south camp 199091 belmont, ms ag2 upperair supervisor and assistant forecaster. In addition to just providing general goods, interestingly. There are 40 members of the mcmurdo fire station, some work at the main station, some at the air field. On the evening of 1 december 1981 a fire of unknown origin destroyed one of mcmurdo station s two garages. Ever wonder what being a firefighter in antarctica is like. Apply to technician, research scientist, quality assurance inspector and more. Indeed ranks job ads based on a combination of employer bids and relevance, such as your search terms and other activity on indeed. The antarctic fire department provides firerescueems support services to the nsf, usap, and usaf on. It boasts some of the lowest temperatures in the world, and the amundsenscott south pole station is an oasis of life surrounded by miles. All content is posted anonymously by employees working at.

The original station was built in 1955 to 1956 for the international geophysical year. Sep, 2017 ready to endure bitter cold, desolation, and occasional cabin fever. Questions to ask to evaluate a companys worklife balance. Help desk support mcmurdo, antarctica austral summer 2020. This is the place on station to get gifts, souvineers, clothing, movies, liquor, and just about anything else you could need to feel comfortable. In addition to having a station at mcmurdo, the near earth network combines other nasaowned stations with services purchased from commercially owned stations to provide support to a long list of missions. The antarctic fire department is proudly supporting the advancement of world. It boasts some of the lowest temperatures in the world, and the amundsenscott south pole station is an oasis of life surrounded by miles of ice. On the evening of 1 december 1981 a fire of unknown origin destroyed one of mcmurdo stations two garages. I was there for a year and i have friends whove spent way more time down there. This is the pae antarctica mcmurdo station company profile. Although the conditions may be harsh and unwelcoming, the daily life of someone at the south pole station is exciting and interesting. If you want to work in antarctica, heres where to look for opportunities in scientific, mechanical, technical, medical and. Enjoy the video and if you are interested in a job click the link.

Mcmurdo garage fire amundsenscott south pole station. Jul 19, 20 with less than a month left before the start of winter, mcmurdo enters one of its hardestworking periods, with departments moving to 24hour schedules, filled with the omnipresent sound of backing alarms on heavy machines for the massive vessel offload all part of the annual cycle of life at mcmurdo station. Her previous experience as a dispatcher for the nicollet county sheriffs department was. Mcmurdo station is the largest station in antarctica and the southermost point to. Jun 16, 2018 ever wonder what being a firefighter in antarctica is like. Its in her nature, gansen said about 33yearold kris sacks personality that led to a threemonth stint on the icy continent. Antarctic firefighter discusses unique challenges on. Have you seen the werner herzog doco encounters at the end of the world, which spends a lot of time at mcmurdo. The dorm rooms are setup to accommodate 2 people per room. At nsfs request, all mail destined for the continental side of.

We live in dorms, that keep us well insulated from the cold. Mcmurdo station, antarctica a mighty place for a drink. Ive seen her bucket list, guentzel said, then mentioned a few. Kirk mcmurdo 199091 winter over, summer 1992 suffolk va was the station welder dorm 208 2nd floor we had the window bar. Mcmurdo station is the logistics heart of the usaps operations. I have a complex family situation and im in the national guard, so i dont know if i could do it, but to anyone that even might be able to.

Granted, mcmurdo station is a long way to go for a drink. Sep 01, 2009 in many ways, everyday life in mcmurdo isnt too different from life back in the us. The fire department has had a bad rap down there for years. It boasts a chapel, several atms, a golf course, three plane landing strips, a fire station, post office, and two bars. Ive never had the time to visit the power plant, water plant, and water treatment plant. Flying from christchurch to the south pole station, antarctica duration.

Home about us operations antarctic life opportunities contact us. A day in the life mcmurdo station, antarctica atc tech duration. Working at pae antarctica mcmurdo station glassdoor. The mcmurdo station is a united states antarctic research station on the south tip of ross island, which is in the new zealandclaimed ross dependency on the shore of mcmurdo sound in antarctica. Mcmurdo station mcmurdo station is a us base on ross island in the ross sea of antarctica, with new zealands scott base nearby. And as i just found out, they have a lot of responsibilities. Damage from fire could have catatrophic consequences for station operations.