Having A Field Day
One day, he comes home with his hands black as coal after troubleshooting an engine in the middle of a rock quarry. The next, he’s upgrading electrical controls in a data center so clean he could eat lunch off the floor.
No wonder Paul Ingram, an electric power generation (EPG) field technician for Foley Power Solutions, has trouble answering the question, “What’s a typical day like?” There is no such thing — and that’s why he loves the work.
“It’s such a diverse job — there’s something different every day,” he says. “The power generation world never stops. It’s 24/7/365, and we’re considered essential workers because this equipment needs to be up and running no matter what.”
Empowering work
A native of De Soto, Kansas, Paul didn’t set out to work on engines and generators. After high school, he pursued a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas. But college life wasn’t his cup of tea.
Unsure of what he wanted to do next, Paul began working as a welder, then added a part-time teaching gig as a welding instructor at a local community college.
About five-and-a-half years ago, a friend who worked at Foley Power Solutions as an EPG field tech told Paul about an open position and encouraged him to apply.
The job involves troubleshooting, servicing and repairing everything from backup and emergency power generation systems to industrial engines to transfer switches and switchgear systems. The goal? Make sure the power never goes out — and if it does, get it back online as quickly as possible.
Because sometimes, lives are at stake.
One of Paul’s first service callouts as an EPG field tech took him to a data center at 2am on a Monday in a torrential rainstorm to fix a battery charger on a generator.
“This place supports data transmission for remote robotic surgeries, dialysis machines, blood transfusion machines and 911 call centers,” he says. “They have 14 Cat® 3516 generator sets in there, and it’s critical to keep them operational. I was so nervous, but I fixed the problem and to this day I do all the advanced electrical services and switchgear upgrades on their generators.Learning the ropes
Getting up to speed didn’t take Paul long, despite the fact that he had no background in mechanical and electrical work when he started as an EPG field tech.
“Foley really values training,” he says. “I’ve been all over the country taking classes and advancing my knowledge. You start with basic courses, but then you can branch out and choose your own path. You can take engine classes and focus on the mechanical side, or you can focus on the electrical side — controls, switchgear and automatic transfer switches.”
Joining an experienced team helped flatten the learning curve, too. One of Foley’s other EPG field techs has been with the company for nearly half a century, and several others have 20-plus years on the job.
“The knowledge base here is huge, and that contributes to the quality of our work,” Paul says. “We’re constantly taking care of customers — installs, maintenance, repairs and upgrades when it’s time — and we do it the right way. If there’s something wrong, we don’t sweep it under the rug. We figure out a solution.”
Socializing a new generation
More and more, those solutions are high-tech. Changing oil and turning wrenches is still part of the job — and having good mechanical aptitude is key — but a career as an EPG field tech today also involves precision electronics, advanced controls, remote asset monitoring and constant learning.
“In my mind, it’s quickly becoming a young person’s job because of all the electronics, computers and programming involved,” Paul says. “The technology is insane — it’s really advanced.”
To that end, Paul’s embarked on something of an unofficial recruiting campaign for Foley. He uses social media — to showcase the variety of equipment he services, locations he travels to and problems he solves.
Through social media, Paul’s connected with other EPG field techs from across the U.S. and introduced friends and strangers alike to the complexity and diversity of this career.
“I just really enjoy what I do, and I like to share it with people,” he says. “A lot of people don’t know this job exists and how cool and satisfying it is to do this type of work. This is an awesome field, and working for Foley is fantastic. If you have the want and the drive and the ambition, then you can make as much out of this job as you want.”
Want to continue to follow Paul Ingram on his journey? Follow @FoleyEngines on Instagram where you can learn more about Paul and his life as a Foley EPG Field Technician.
