Facilities operation and maintenance personnel are typically kinesthetic learners. They tend to learn best by doing and observing, rather than following complex written procedures. On July 27, 2011 the Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) members and guests toured of the state-of-the-art, 100,000 square foot Loyd E. Williams Pipe Trades Training Center, where UA 393 apprentices and journeymen learn and hone their skills. You will be amazed at the vast array of hands-on training technologies, labs, and demonstrations used to train our local trades professionals. The tour included visits to:

• Rigging Area for training how to lift heavy objects such as air handlers, boilers, and chillers;
• Basic Electricity and Digital Control Lab for training on how to work on the vast array of energy management control systems;
• Pneumatics Lab for learning how to work with compressed air and how to integrate pneumatic control systems with the newer digital control systems;
• Backflow Prevention Lab for learning how to install, test, and repair backflow preventers;
• Test and Balance Lab for learning how to adjust and balance HCAC systems for optimum efficiency;
• Model Hospital Operating Room for learning about piping systems for medical gases and adjusting air flow in an operating room;
• Steam Lab that uses glass piping to facilitate learning by enabling students to observe the liquid/gas change of state; and a
• Water Hammer Demonstration using ultraviolet light and glass piping to illustrate how improperly sized piping can result in water hammer.

For more information on the Pipe Trades Training Center, visit http://www.pipetradestraining.org/ .

Presentation on the Use of Video
After the tour, Michael Bukay gave a presentation about how facilities personnel and vendors can harness the power of video to save time and money. Click to view a synopsis of the presentation "Don't Just Tell Me...SHOW ME! .

Michael Bukay is an Industrial Video Producer and the New Media Chair of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the AFE. Examples of his work can be seen at http://bukaymedia.com/.

A special thank you goes out to the staff of the Pipe Trades Training Center for hosting this event; and to Jim Elder of Computer Air/Power Systems, Bob Adamo and Kady Blake of Technical Builders, Raffy Espiritu of Clean Innovation and Carole Lucido of Lucido Marketing for helping create and organize this event.

This activity was sponsored by the Silicon Valley Chapter of the AFE. In addition to being a lot of fun, these gatherings provide excellent networking opportunities. We bring together professionals who ensure the optimal operation of plants, grounds and offices at Fortune 500 manufacturers, universities, medical centers, government agencies and innovative small firms from around the world. And, they all look to AFE as the leading technical resource on engineering issues. AFE's mission is to provide education, certification, technical information and other relevant resources to plant and facility engineering, operation and maintenance.

Click to see additional videos of recent AFE tours.

For additional information on joining the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Association for Facilities Engineering contact Jim Elder at 408-855-1105 or go to http://afe39.org/.

Michael Bukay is New Media Chair for the AFE Silicon Valley Chapter and owner of Michael Bukay & Associates which produces educational and marketing videos for the web. He can be reached at 510-232-9830 or http://bukaymedia.com/. Download a brochure on how web-based informational and marketing videos can help your organization to better reach its goals.