Just got the job and now i'm already in trouble

F

fox2102

New Member
Well I got a line job working at a small airport and I loved it and have been working my butt off for these people.

Well yesterday was the hottest day of the year for us and we were really busy with some star athletes flying out of the airport and having alot of people flying in and out. I was trying to stay cool and well hydrated but i was so busy no matter how much I drank I sweated it all out. Well I had a fuel call on a king air. This is one of those king airs with the inboard fuel ports in the center of the wing and are hard to reach so it took me a bit longer to fuel. Well by the time i finished the fueling I wasn't feeling really good. I was already tired due to only having about 5 hours of sleep because i closed the night before and had to come in early that day and had been busting my butt all day.

I went inside to get a drink and i started shaking, couldnt think straight, and i felt very nauseous. I had one last fuel call and i was so bad that guy refused to let me fuel the plane and made me sit in his car and cool off. By the time i got back to the fbo i couldnt see straight and everything hurt. The boss came in and told me to go home because he thought I was dehydrated. I hung out before i tried to go home and when i did i got about half way home and i started getting dizzy, crying for no reason at all, blurred vision, and shortness of breath. I managed to get home, took two steps in the house and almost blacked out. My mother in law caught me and got me icepacks and lots and lots of water. After about 15 or 20 minutes i felt a little better. So i figured I just needed a good nights rest.

I was scheduled to work a double today and I got there about 7:15 or so and i didn't feel right on the way there but i went in anyway thinking it was nothing. Well I fuelled one plane and my chest started hurting really bad and I couldnt breathe so I tried to drive myself to the ER. Got almost to the interstate and decided to pull into my old college instead and call my wife to come get me. I go in and talk to an instructor i know about what was happening and he called 911 right away. The ems came out and checked my vitals and said everything looked ok on the ekg but i should go in and have it checked.

I go to the hospital and go through the IV fluids and stuff and after I get out I go back to get my car and I went to see my boss since i was right there and wanted to let him know what was going on. I expected a warmer welcome i guess but he was a bit agitated that he had to get out and fuel planes because I left, which I understand, and he thought i might have quit so he took me off the schedule for the rest of the weekend. He then asked me why i went and fuelled the p-51 after he told me to go home. This was news to me because i didnt fuel anything after I went home. Then he asked why i didnt go to the hospital the day he sent me home. I told him i felt better after a while. Not to mention the fact i dont have insurance. After this he told me he was glad I was ok and I told him i was sorry for this cause i know it put them at a loss.

It was 116 degrees outside today and I know i would have stroked out if i had worked a double because I was dehydrated when I got to the ER. Now i'm told i still have a job but he was going to train me behind the desk and kind of half and half me working behind the desk and on the flight line. Sucks cause i like this job but I can only do so much...

sorry for the long rant
 
Bummer that you had a rough couple of days.

I hope you feel better. Don't play with the heat- heat injuries are insidious and can be serious. Hydrate, balance your electrolytes, and get checked out.

In the meantime, drive on. It's a tough job, but because folks like you go out and do it it keeps the rest of the operation moving.

Once again, hope you feel better.
 
Stock up on Gatorade/Powerade/Whatever and drink a LOT of it. Every time I come back in from the ramp I drink obscene amounts of it. Learn the signs of heatstroke/exhaustion (this is required training on the US ramp, it should be everywhere else too), and obviously if it's getting to be a bit much, tell someone and head in for a bit. If they give you grief for it it's not a place you want to work anyway.
 
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Glad you are doing better now, but keep that fluid intake coming through. If you don't have to pee at least once an hour you aren't drinking enough
 
I’m just guessing, but I would say it was a combination of not being acclimatized yet and the fumes from the fuel.

Talk to any soldier who has served in the Middle East. You don’t just drop in and go full speed on day one.

Personally, with those kind of temperatures, if they wanted me to work the desk instead of the ramp I’d be the best darn desk person who ever walked the face of the earth.
 
Guy said:
I’m just guessing, but I would say it was a combination of not being acclimatized yet and the fumes from the fuel.
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I was going to say that too. On the cooler days or days with rain fumes never really bothered me. But when it was 100+ on the ramp, the fumes were killer. Always get the ladder on the upwind side of the fueling port if at all possible. Even with just a tiny bit of wind, it makes a difference
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
I was going to say that too. On the cooler days or days with rain fumes never really bothered me. But when it was 100+ on the ramp, the fumes were killer. Always get the ladder on the upwind side of the fueling port if at all possible. Even with just a tiny bit of wind, it makes a difference
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Excellent advice.

I might also add "don't be bashful about going inside to cool off or get a drink of water". We're all just human. The fact one is giving 110% out on the ramp versus 100% will hardly be noticed, but being passed out face down on the ramp will be noticed.
 
Remember that hydration starts the week BEFORE. You need to set your body to be well hydrated, not just to meet the demands of the current situation.

Next time that happens, make sure you tell people to hold you down and spill a full cooler of ice water all over you. It will be painful and you will lock up, but it will work.

Just drink alot of water and electrolytes.
 
When it gets really hot my boss just leaves a cooler filled with waterbottles in the truck. When I first saw that, I thought it was a little over the top, but when I started getting back to back fuel calls it was the best idea ever. Try doing that. You probably have an empty passenger seat in that fuel truck anyways don't you?
 
Get one of these, worth their weight in gold if you are working outside in the heat.

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And if its 116 out side on the ramp, your boss needs to staff enough people so that you can take a break every half hour or so. No human can work for hours non-stop in those kinds of conditions.
 
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