Highly specialized apprenticeship program offered at Rocky Point

Civilian ammunition technicians in training (Left) Ed Cawley, Michelle Chowns, Tervor Marcotte, Scott Mathieson, Alfred Nelson and Kala Chaulk display a 100 mm Shield Practice Rocket at Rocky Point Ammunition Depot. They are joined by Rocky Point Commanding Officer Maj Jean-Luc Rioux (fourth from right) and Material Processing Officer Makr Field (third from left). Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout

Peter Mallett, Staff writer ~

A unique apprenticeship program at Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Rocky Point will ensure there’s a cache of civilian ammunition technicians for the future.

These highly specialized tradespeople are responsible for the maintenance, storage and cataloguing of an estimated 260 types of ammunition, plus the safe shipment to military units throughout British Columbia, and the loading of ammunition onto and off of Royal Canadian Navy warships.

Currently, 53 civilian staff, including 30 ammunition technicians, two military Ammunition Technicians and two military Ammunition Technical Officers are employed at the depot.  Most of the civilian ammunition technicians work in the Ammunition Maintenance Facility or in the 23 long-term storage magazines, which are located on 500 acres on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

The earth-covered bunker-style magazines, which look like a series of small grassy hills, were built to ensure the force of any potential explosion would be directed upward, not outward. This means if one were to explode, the others would be safe.

“There are two sides to storage; we have new ammunition arriving off contract and we have the ammunition we get back from ships and military units.  In either case, we are required to make sure they are in working order and can be stored safely,” explains Rocky Point Materiel Processing Officer Mark Field. “The other aspect is  periodic inspections, and scheduled maintenance.  It’s up to us to make sure nothing is going wrong with the material during storage, requiring us to do regular inspections, repairs and maintenance of the inventory.”

Six civilians are currently enrolled in the apprenticeship program, which began in 2007.  As apprentices, they are employed in the Public Service as General Technicians Level 1. Upon completion, graduates receive their Civilian Ammunition Technician 2 certification and can be employed in an ammunition depot as General Technicians Level 2 (GT02).

Once they become GT02s, David Ramalho, Rocky Point’s Materiel Control Officer, says civilian ammunition technicians are on equal footing with their military counterparts and have an opportunity to advance their career to the General Technician Level 6.

“One thing we are really proud of at Rocky Point, is that our civilian ammo techs have equal opportunity to compete against their counterparts with a military background for promotion and advancement of their careers,” says Ramalho.

To qualify for one of the six coveted spots, interested candidates must go through an intricate selection progress that determines physical and mental aptitudes.

Apprentices take two years to complete their paid training, which includes 40 hours per week of classroom and hands-on instruction.

It is then up to Ammo Tech instructor WO James Lightfoot to repeatedly test and drill them on their acquired knowledge.

Safety is the highest priority at the Depot, and this is amplified on day one of training. Highly visible in the classroom is a Bristol board stuck with tiny metal fragments, the remains of an exploded ordinance that detonated 53 years ago, killing one civilian worker at the depot and maiming another.

“It’s what we show all of those who enroll in the Ammo Tech program on day one,” says WO Lightfoot.  “It’s a reminder, and valuable teaching tool for all those who take the course, of how dangerous their job can be when the proper procedures and safety precautions aren’t followed.”

WO Lightfoot says he expects the recruiting process to begin for the next wave of students at some point next year and is encouraging anyone who thinks they fit the bill to apply.