The day-in, day-out of a natural gas journeyman or apprentice can include setting meters, service installation, digging out, by both shovel and hand to reach a possible leak or even cutting thick steel gas pipes.
All of these skills and more were put to the test late last week for six Ameren Missouri teams, who were participating in the 2023 National Gas Rodeo held in Springfield. Seven out of nine central team members came from Columbia. The Ameren teams were among the 40 that competed, representing various companies in 12 states.
“Not only do you get to train, it’s a little different than out in the field, of course, but then you also get to go and compete against other teams from other towns and areas and learn how they do things,” said Robert Hillerman, a central team captain.
The four- and two-man teams were not just competing among the other Ameren teams hailing from north central, northeast and southeast Missouri, but also against other gas companies from the across the U.S., he said. Hillerman’s Complete Combustion team did all four qualifying events and the relay.
Hillerman’s team placed ninth overall in the four-man competition and first overall in the meter set competition between two- and four-man teams.
While competition task end goals were the same, the way a team approached it could be different, said Pam Harrison, Ameren Missouri Gas Operations director.
“For the most part they were pretty similar, but you would see just a little different technique that different teams and companies were utilizing,” she said, adding it was the service installation competition that saw some of the most different approaches among teams.
The service installation is one where the team will work to run a service line, such as to a residence or a business, off of a gas main line, Hillerman said. The only difference in this case was teams didn’t have to contend with digging.
“It’s all above ground in this simulation. Running that service line to the house to give the house service. It’s all time based,” he said, adding technical judges always are on the look out for any missed steps or faults along the way.
While all the competitions required knowledge and skill, the relay required finesse, Hillerman said. One section of the four-part relay is a blind-egg pickup.
“You have a person in a backhoe. There is a barrier made of wood with two piles of sand behind it the operator cannot see. On the piles of sand is one egg each and there is a six-inch pipe cap,” he said.
A spotter then helps guide the backhoe operator to pick up an egg in a spoon attached to a tooth of the backhoe bucket. The spotter then directs the operator to the pipe cap where the egg is placed.
“That one is pretty tough,” Hillerman said.
Columbia is home to the central training facility for Ameren gas employees, so all the teams came to Columbia in the days before the competition to prepare, Harrison said. Teams also have chances to prepare in their home regions during periods of down time, such as when there is rain preventing the journeymen from working, Hillerman added.
There wasn’t too much rain this year, he said, so a lot of the prep work was done in the few days prior to the competition. That is something he hopes to work on for next year — taking more opportunities for competition preparation, which next year will take place in Ohio.
“We are going to improve our facilities here (in Columbia) to better mimic what is at the competition so we can do better,” Hillerman said.
While the competition was both a chance for journeyman teams to compete, collaborate and learn from each other, it also was a family-focused event, Harrison said.
“A lot of the guys had their families there. Their kids and wives really got a chance to get a taste of what they do day-in, day-out. It adds to the appreciation level of the amount of things they are asked to know and be skilled at, and it’s really just an opportunity for them to showcase that. These are highly skilled and trained professionals,” she said.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
Read More: Ameren gas journeymen showcase skills in national competition