Extortion scam Advisory

The RCMP have asked BCIT to help raise awareness of a “virtual kidnapping” scheme targeting female Chinese nationals attending schools in the greater Vancouver area. To our knowledge, BCIT students have not been affected, or come forward as victims, but we want to do everything we can to bring awareness to students. 

Here are a few important points: 

• The police have told BCIT that criminals are contacting female Chinese students and telling them that their family in China has been kidnapped. At the same time, they are also often contacting the family and telling them that their daughter in BC has been kidnapped.  

• The suspects claim to be Chinese government officials, and they use language that makes them sound like someone working for the Chinese government. 

• If the Chinese government needed to reach you, they would not phone you, they would send a letter or documents through the local Chinese diplomat.

• If you receive a message or phone call like this, do not do what the caller is asking you to do. Instead, you should call 911, Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477, or BCIT Safety, Security and Emergency Management at 604-451-6856.    

You can find a copy of the RCMP news release in English and in Chinese here:  http://bc.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2087&languageId=1&contentId=54945

Shake Out!

At 10:19am tomorrow don't be surprised when every phone across the Institute starts ringing and emails start pinging. Remember, it's all part of our annual testing of the BCIT emergency communications tools including BCIT Alert and the SafetyWise App.

Learn more about ShakeOut.

Get your Pink On!

Get Your Pink On -  February 22

 Kindness is universal – a trait we encourage everyone to openly express every day. The phrase “Make Nice” acts as a friendly reminder that no matter what our differences, kindness is always a choice worth making. Being kind and “making nice” is the underlying philosophy behind the anti-bullying movement that we hope will live on beyond Pink Shirt Day.

For more about Pink Shirt Day, please click here

Securiguard / YVR Airport Watch - March 11

Securiguard/ YVR Airport Watch Program and BCIT students

Airport Watch is a community based volunteer program.  All applicants must commitment to a couple of hours of weekly volunteering around the fence doing patrols in their own vehicle.  This is a great opportunity for students.

All applicants go through the RAIC process, but RAICs are not being physically issued to volunteers. However, students who volunteer receive a Transport Canada clearance through the program. 

Airport Operations Class 21 at AeroMag

Thank you to Nishal Sharma (Operations Manager at AeroMag, and graduate of Airport Operations Class 8) for hosting Airport Operations Class 21 on a familiarization of the YVR ramp and the AeroMag De-icing facility!  This experience was a great opportunity to support both the Ramp Safety and the De-icing modules in Term 4.

Flu Shots at ATC

Once again the Aerospace Campus will hold a flu shot clinic for students and staff!  This year, the clinic will be held on December 16th in room 284 between 1030 and 1300.  This free clinic is just one of the things you can do to minimize your chance of catching a flu this season!
   

Dr. Peter Gardiner Student Grant

Dr Peter Gardiner Student Grant

Current students from both the Airport Operations and the Airline and Flight Operations program can now apply for an expenses-paid opportunity to attend the 12th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit, through grants which honour a long-time advocate of excellence in aviation safety training.  The Dr. Peter Gardiner Student Grant, worth more than C$4,000, covers: admission to the summit; a choice of one of the pre-event courses; as well as C$1,500 in hotel and travel reimbursement.

The summit, hosted by CHC Helicopter, the operating company of CHC Group Ltd. (NYSE:  HELI), is recognized by many as the most important helicopter-safety conference in the world.

This year’s event will be focused on the theme “Back to Basics: Prioritizing Safety in a Challenging Economy.”  The 2016 summit will be held April 4-6 at the Westin Bayshore Resort in Vancouver, with pre-summit courses starting April 1.

This will be the sixth year Drs. Wiegmann and Shappell, of HFACS Inc., have sponsored a student to participate in the summit, in recognition of Dr. Gardiner.  In addition, the Westin Bayshore – the host hotel – has generously matched the grant for a third time, enabling a second student to attend. 

The late Dr. Gardiner was president and chief executive officer of the Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI).  His objective for SCSI was to provide people in aviation with the best possible tools and training, to reduce accident rates and ultimately increase the safety of those that fly.

The focus on the human side of aviation safety and the development of safety management systems attracted Dr. Gardiner to the CHC event, where for three years he brought a unique blend of professionalism and humour to the sessions he taught.  The student grant is a tribute to Dr. Gardiner’s commitment to aviation safety, and is intended to help inspire excellence in aviation students.

Students interested in this year’s grants must apply and submit a 500-word essay by the December 9, 2015 deadline.  For more information visit the Summit website at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.ca

The application can be filled out here  (link to external form)

Ellie Huey - Airport Operations Practicum

Ellie Huey

Between Terms 2 and 3, and again between Terms 3 and 4, Airport Operations students have the opportunity to take skills and knowledge from the classroom to work in an industry setting through practicum experiences.  The practicums offer students a chance to expand their learning while working directly with key industry employers.

Industry employers also benefit by having students to help with defined projects that range from market research to drafting required manuals and maintenance issues.  Students and employers match needs with interests, abilities to ensure that everyone benefits from the practicum experience.

Ellie Huey, blogger for BCIT Life has had a busy summer practicum!  In four recent blog posts over the past several weeks, she talks about her practicum experience at YVR.  Take a moment to check out Ellie's experience:  Wildlife Management, Canadian Airports Safety Week, I love YVR , and Quest for AEDs    

CHC Quality and Safety Summit a Success

For the past eight years instructors and students from the two Aviation Operations programs have supported the CHC Quality and Safety Summit as Ambassadors, providing assistance with conference registration and customer service.  In exchange, CHC is very generous.  For example, not only are students able to meet and learn from world-renown safety experts during the plenary sessions, they are also thanked in some very tangible ways!  This year, five lucky students from Airport Operations Class 20 and Airline and Flight Operations Class 13 won new i-Pads for their efforts!

Each year the Safety Summit gets bigger and better, and this year over 750 delegates from around the world attended the 3-day conference. Students, instructor's and delegates agree this was a memorable conference indeed.

Check out the slide show below for a peek at the 2015 CHC Quality and Safety Summit volunteers.  

February 25 - Pink Shirt Day 2015

Pink Shirt Day began with two Nova Scotia high school students who decided to take a stand against bullying in their own school.  On February 25, BCIT employees at the Aerospace Campus wore pink to show that we all work together to prevent bullying - in school, in the community and online.

Wear Pink on February 25!

February 25 is a pink letter day.  

Airport Operations Class 19 will graduate in the hub at 1400, and the special guest speaker for this graduation is Craig Richmond, CEO of the Vancouver International Airport!

And, February 25 is also Pink Shirt Day.  Let’s show our commitment to ensuring that BCIT is a learning and working environment free from discrimination, bullying, and harassment, by wearing pink tomorrow. 

CHC Safety and Quality Summit 2015

Current Airport Operations students as well as current Airline and Flight Operations students can now apply for an expenses-paid opportunity to attend the 11th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit, through grants which honor a long time advocate of excellence in aviation safety training.

The Dr. Peter Gardiner Student Grant, worth more than C$4,000, covers admission to the summit, a choice of one of the pre-event courses, as well as C$1,500 in hotel and travel reimbursement.

This year’s pre-event training courses will include “Human Factors Analysis Classification System,” taught by Dr. Douglas A. Wiegmann and Dr. Scott A. Shappell and others to be confirmed.

The summit, hosted by CHC Helicopter, the operating company of CHC Group Ltd., is recognized by many as the most important helicopter-safety conference in the world.

This year’s event will be focused on the theme “Integrated Safety Management Systems: Access All Areas.” The 2015 summit will be held March 23 to 25 at the Westin Bayshore Resort in Vancouver, with pre-summit courses starting March 18.

This will be the fifth year Drs. Wiegmann and Shappell, of HFACS Inc., have sponsored a student to participate in the summit, in recognition of Dr. Gardiner. In addition, the Westin Bayshore – the host hotel – has generously matched the grant for a second time, enabling a second student to attend.

The late Dr. Gardiner was president and chief executive officer of the Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI). His objective for SCSI was to provide people in aviation with the best possible tools and training, to reduce accident rates and ultimately increase the safety of those that fly.

The focus on the human side of aviation safety and the development of safety management systems attracted Dr. Gardiner to the CHC event, where for three years he brought a unique blend of professionalism and humour to the sessions he taught. The student grant is a tribute to Dr. Gardiner’s commitment to aviation safety, and is intended to help inspire excellence in aviation students.

Students interested in this year’s grants must apply and submit a 500-word essay prior by the January 5 (2015) deadline. More information about the grants and access to the application are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com.

Fire Training Wraps up at the Prince George Airport

Airport Operations Graduate Geoff Stocks is interviewed by CKPG News
(April 2014) as he is in the process of training to become an Airport Firefighter and AOS 3. Geoff says that moving to Prince George and taking a seasonal job turned out to be once of the best career opportunities he ever made.  He also says, "To be honest, one of the main reasons I got the AOS 3 job was because of my knowledge from BCIT. My manager is aware of the program and the benefits that graduates can bring to the table. The small things, that I can say now that I dreaded some days, such as TP312 and CARs, were the some of the keys to getting the job."  For more about Geoff's amazing career, please click here 

YVR FOD Walk

Lucie Stevens captured the Airport Operations
students who participated on Team Peace

One day each year the Vancouver Airport Authority sponsors a FOD (Foreign Object Debris, or Foreign Object Damage) Walk to highlight FOD as one important aspect of the airport commitment to safety and security. 

BCIT Aviation Operations Class 19 students gathered with employees from YVR, airlines, service providers, and more at 0400 to walk the runways and aprons to collect FOD, learn about airside safety and, perhaps, earn great prizes donated by several airport organizations. 

One of the big winners this year, Jesse Thompson from Airport Operations Class 19, won a Simulator Experience, donated by Air Canada. Congratulations Jesse! 

Field Trip to YVR EOC

AVAO Class 17 and 18 at the YVR EOC

Airport Operations Class 17 and Class 18 recently  had the privilege of touring the new, state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with Marcia Strang, YVR's Emergency Coordinator.  This field trip allowed the classes to see how their current studies are applied in a real airport and provides an opportunity to ask questions and make links to other aspects of their training.
Thank you, Marcia  and YVR for your support of the Airport Operations students!

And thank you to Kal Manna for supplying the photo.          

Pilot Safety Training Study

I am launching a research study that will assess the impact of electronic pilot safety training that is organized into 5-7 minute ‘snap-courses’. I am seeking help recruiting participants for the study and ask that you would consider encouraging your colleagues to participate. There is no cost to participate and all who complete will be emailed a completion certificate at the end of the 4-month study, for their records. Participants are free to withdraw from the study at any time.

The total amount of training that participants will be asked to complete is about 3.5 hours covering the topics of fatigue management, aviation safety statistics, and aeronautical decision making. Participants will be periodically asked to complete safety attitude surveys as well as knowledge tests. All training and testing will occur online through a research portal website.

If you are interested in assisting with this study it would be greatly appreciated. Interested participants can go directly to: http://kearnstrainingsolutions.com/research-participants/.  If you have any questions, please contact the Principal Investigator Dr. Suzanne Kearns at skearns4@uwo.ca

MindShift - the anti-anxiety app

Anxiety is one of the top concerns BCIT students bring to Counselling and Student Development.

The MindShift app is the work of a joint collaboration between AnxietyBC (http://www.anxietybc.com) and BC Mental Health & Addiction Services (http://www.bcmhas.ca). This free app was designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. Users learn strategies to deal with everyday anxiety, as well as:

• Test Anxiety
• Perfectionism
• Social Anxiety
• Performance Anxiety
• Worry
• Panic
• Conflict

http://www.anxietybc.com/mobile-app

by Judy Bushnell, BCIT Student Services Counsellor

FOD Walk 2013



Click to enlarge

 Each year the Vancouver Airport Authority sponsors a FOD Walk to bring awareness and focus to the safety issues that arise from Foreign Object Debris on the aprons, taxiways and runways at the airport.   Volunteers representing every aspect of aviation at the airport gather at 0430 and head out to collect any trash. 

Many Airport Operations students from Class 17 and 18 and Airline and Flight Operations students from class 12 volunteered to participate in this unique opportunity to meet the airport community, do a good deed, learn more about Foreign Object Debris and Foreign Object Damage while they enjoy a fabulous breakfast and perhaps even earn great prizes.  Did we mention the great prizes? Draws for YVR Bucks, flights with West Jet and Air Canada, iPads, coffee and more were all donated by businesses at the airport who are committed to ensuring that airside is a FOD-Free zone!

Thank you to Derek Leung from Airport Operations Class 18 for submitting these photos of the FOD walk and students representatives!  

Operation Surf and Turf

Photo courtesy of YVR

On April 17, the Vancouver International Airport Authority held a huge training exercise, Operation Surf and Turf, involving over 600 participants and 30 agencies. Emergency Exercises are a critical component of the YVR overall Emergency Management Plan, which is focused on three key principles:  Prevent, Prepare and Practice.

Operation Surf and Turf was based on the scenario of a "Crash On" involving an international inbound aircraft.  The complicated emergency response plan  included a 75-man raft, the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft, 442 squadron Cormorant rescue helicopter from Comox, and of course, a host of volunteers including Airport Operations classes 17 and 18 along with instructors Reana Selody Joubert and Lynne Denison Foster.

Reana's participation reaches back a year as a participant on the YVR Emergency Exercise Planning Committee in addition to playing a key role at the site of the exercise serving as a volunteer coordinator at the scene along with Lynne Denison Foster. .

Marcia Strang, Coordinator Emergency Programs with YVR said, "I want to take this opportunity to thank our emergency planning team who have been working on planning this exercise for over a year. It is a testament to their hard work that this training exercise was able to run smoothly while involving such a diverse group of people – Airport Authority staff, business partners and volunteers."

This exercise is a perfect segue for students who will be taking Airport Emergency Planning very shortly and highlights the importance of the training and experience students obtain in the program. 

Pink Shirt Day - Anti Bullying

In honor of Pink Shirt Day, please take a couple of minutes to watch the To This Day Project by Shane Koyczan: