GOLF 4-3-9 Antarctica Expedition 2008
Report Day 03 -- Wednesday 29 October 2008 -- AMS, MEC, COMS and MACOPS
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GOLF 4-3-9 Antarctica Expedition 2008 |
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Just when you thought it was safe to get going on your work, it’s Back To School! We spend all day yesterday in training to prepare us for working in the Antarctic. You need to know the lingo sometimes because of all the acronyms. See the code to the lingo here.
Some of the training is classroom style, such as the altitude training course at FSTP to learn about AMS, how to minimize it, and how drugs can help you from dying up there. We needed to get our drivers license from the MEC so we can drive all the trucks around here. The key here is to unplug the vehicles from the outlet (block heaters) before you drive off and to throw the chock into the back of the truck rather than "dragging the dog".
The latter is a constant source of amusement for the cool people who know how to do this. There are really neat vehicles here, but more on that in another update. Then it is on to snowmobile safety training and "first-aid" instructions so you know how to start or fix the thing when you are in the far-field.
The best was the hand-on snowmobile-driving test on the ice for which they had set up an obstacle course on the sea-ice. Next we picked up our radios at COMS then went to MACOPS to get a briefing on radio usage rules. Radios are our primary means of communication while out of MacTown (McMurdo station). You got to know radio alphabet and military time for your estimated ETR. Today we have environmental safety training and Friday our "Happy Camper", sea-ice travel and Helicopter refresher courses. Then we will be checked out and allowed to proceed to the field! That also is our license to leave town if we want to!
| GOLF 4-3-9 Antarctica Expedition |