Sun, Apr 24, 2005
What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate
What happens when there aren't
enough airport technicians working? Understaffing caused a power
outage and communications blackout last Saturday at Tampa
International Airport, according to the union representing the
airport technicians, Professional Airways Systems Specialists
(PASS).
Two blown fuses initially led to a backup generator powering up
successfully. In a news release, the union alleges that the
generator ran unnoticed for almost nine days before it ran out of
gas. It maintains that there were not enough staff to make regular
trips to the facility that houses the generator. It said the
problem would have been detected earlier and repaired if staffing
had been at the appropriate levels.
"This is a huge concern for us. This high-level facility is
understaffed and stretched to capacity. Had management scheduled
proper coverage of environmental and communications technicians,
then surely they would have been able to tend to the facility that
houses the generator before it ran out of fuel," said Dave Spero,
PASS Region II vice president, in a news release.
"With the understaffing issue at Tampa, our technicians simply
cannot be expected to keep pace with the numerous tasks, upgrades
and operations expected when there are not enough of them," said
Spero.
The FAA denied that staffing is too low in Tampa. "Staffing at
Tampa is adequate to meet the mission for technical services
there," said FAA official Kathleen Bergen to the Tampa Tribune.
"We were very fortunate that the effects of this outage were
minimal, but the FAA cannot wait until there is a major incident
before properly staffing the facilities in a manner which allows us
to maintain them properly," said Spero.
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