Keeping calm in the eye of the storm: Dave’s story
I started at BC Ferries 40 years ago because I needed a summer job. I got hired in ticketing at Swartz Bay. Eventually I built a career at BCF, becoming a union rep and working my way into a tower controller job.
People don’t always know what tower controllers do. It’s a great job. The simplest explanation I give the trainees is that we tell the ticket agents where to put the cars, tell the terminal attendants what to take, and we tell the ships what we gave ‘em.
There’s a lot more to it, of course. We can’t be effective without good terminal staff. They deserve credit. And the view from the tower isn’t bad either.
Tower controllers use a very helpful computer system to assist us on the job. However, when it fails, when the traffic volume is overwhelming, or if something unexpected happens, we have to improvise. That’s when keeping a cool head becomes particularly important. I like to think of the job as staying calm in the eye of the storm.
I remember one morning, more than 10 years ago, when an elderly passenger with medical issues was trapped inside an elevator on the Queen of Westminster while it was in dock at Swartz Bay. Traffic was heavy on a Saturday morning, the terminal was full, and emergency services were on site. The vessel crew and emergency services eventually rescued the passenger safely, and the tower managed to keep the traffic flowing smoothly through the disruption.
Despite competing demands of the volume of communications and contingency planning for traffic management, no one else had any idea just how nuts it was in the tower that morning. Kinda like every Sunday night in August!
Like many other jobs, feeling like this under those circumstances may be rational:
It’s ideal though, if everyone else thinks the tower is a bit more relaxed.
Around 25 years ago, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked whether I’d be interested in filling a vacancy on a site safety committee. Over the years, I’ve been a worker representative and co-chair on each level of BCF safety committees. Committee members are people with different perspectives and experience but all are consistent in their commitment to workplace safety.
People are understandably passionate about their workplaces. The most effective way to answer member concerns and affect meaningful change is to investigate and document facts. Sometimes a solution is as easy as identifying that an obligation was simply mistaken as an option. At other times, it’s a big uphill battle.
If I could change one thing, it would be how our ferry system is funded. I think the difference in federal support for East Coast versus West Coast ferries is an injustice.
Our ferry system moves enormous numbers of people and vehicles. It’s a vital part of life in coastal British Columbia. If BCF received funding that approached the per passenger subsidies available to East Coast ferry services, they could attract and retain more employees, offer more frequent sailings with lower fares, as well as maintain and replace aging assets in a more effective and timely manner.
Those are all things that would benefit ferry workers and the communities we serve.
When I started at BC Ferries, I didn’t expect to stay four decades. Sometimes I’m surprised we put up with each other that long. The people and the work environment made it a good career.
By contributing my time as a union representative and a safety rep, I got to work alongside great people at the BCFMWU. I’m sincerely honoured for the opportunity to work with them while helping our members.
After 40 years, I’m hoping to retire soon. I’m looking forward to having more time for mountain biking. I remember repeatedly riding up Mount Bruce on Salt Spring Island, later looking back up at the mountain from the deck of the Skeena Queen as we left Fulford Harbour. Always a beautiful day, I remember thinking how satisfying it was to have climbed up there, whether from Dubois Road or from Drummond Park.
It’s a little like finishing a busy day in the tower or reflecting on a 40 year career. You look back at what you’ve done and feel good about it. Not bad for a summer job.
Dave Lines, BCFMWU 2nd Vice President
