In the beginning...

So, my name is Owen and this is my blog... SlipperyMedic... currently reporting 'live' from Nabors24 Drilling Site, contracting under Industrial Paramedic Services.

Below is a summary of my first week in the petroleum industry...

2008-02-06

After getting the all-clear from my doctor, I contacted the IPS dispatch centre in Whitecourt to update them on my availability. They stated that a call-back and post would be later in the afternoon. No more than 20 minutes later, that call came and a post was determined. So after few loads of laundry and a bit of packing, I left the peace and serenity of the Valemount Pines Golf Course and headed off to the hustle and bustle of Whitecourt, AB. Arrived 21:50, local time, checked in with dispatcher, received job sheet and performed pre-trip on crew truck to be exchanged with outgoing crew member at site (one-hour northwest of High Level, that’s almost in the NWT)!

2008-02-07

Left Whitecourt with a crew truck at 06:00, stopping to refill the coffee cup several times! Many firsts along the way… never been this far north for one, Peace River, High Level, etc. Had brunch at Twin Lakes Paradise Lodge – a little timber construction restaurant / gift shop in the middle of nowhere. Actual coordinates are nice… re: small miscommunication from dispatch nearing the end of the trip. For instance, a physical location such 15-12-16-05-W6 is far from 15-12-116-05-W6. Arrived Zama City, 10 hours north of Whitecourt.

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Rig Physical location: 5-13-117-6-W6. Working under Nabors24 – a drill site that is contracting to Apache Drilling. Responsible for two 12-hour shifts with 10-12 people working each shift (07:00-19:00-07:00). Project should last another two-weeks, variables being geology, depth of drilling, etc. Then production and service rigs come on site. Not too far from an H2S pocket, everyone wears a 'sniffer'... personal H2S detector. Met my outgoing medic, an EMT-A (PCP-IV). He seemed a little squirrelly and ready for some time-off. Took me on a tour of the site. Met the consultant and geologist. Everything was new to me, of course… Doghouse, BOP, Pusher, Derrick, etc. I live in an on-site shack, while the crew travels to a camp approx.12km from the drill site. Sewer lines were frozen, but now clear. But no water until the water truck arrives.

2008-02-08

It’s -34C, clear skies. Other medic left after breakfast and I met up with the site consultant, went over Emergency Response Plan, for both the site and company policy. Had safety meeting with day-crew, will repeat with night-crew. No internet, yet. Should have brought more movies!

2008-02-09

‘Rough’ day today, steak and lobster for dinner.

2008-02-10

Routine day, until early morning, a roughneck knocked on my door at 01:40 with flu-like symptoms, slept it off in the spare room until shift change.

2008-02-11

H2S drill today at 16:30 – 3m10s to execute… all personnel were accounted for. H2S drill this evening at 21:15 – 2m57s to execute… all personnel were accounted for. If man-down was discovered, rescue and recovery would have been more than 4 minutes. Not good odds for resuscitation.