World Without Oil
May. 10th, 2007 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drewkittyIn a World Without Oil . . .
.
As I look around the office at work, I see only four other employees. Because I am the only member of our management team who can commute to work using mass transit. The others live over sixty miles away and were already having commute problems at $3/gallon. The two from the Peninsula car-pool in a subcompact. We lost two office staff and I'm having to train their replacements. Contact with senior management is mostly by E-mail. Once in a great while they'll visit.
We are very, very busy. We have problems. We provide security services, and most of our people used to commute from as far as eighty miles away.
Now we simply don't have people. We are beating the bush and very actively recruiting. I even have a signboard guy riding transit -- this is not popular with the security contractor (not us) who provides security for transit. They are also screaming for people, because with all the additional people riding the rail, their security issues have increased dramatically. They can hire everyone they need, thanks to unlimited use transit as a employee perk.
We finally broke down and bought unlimited use transit "Eco Passes" for all of our employees and are heavily advertising it as a perk. Had to do it. No way to stay competitive if we didn't.
You may wonder why we don't simply raise wages. We can't. We don't have the margins and most of our contracts do not have that coveted "increase in costs or fuels" clause that became so popular starting May 1st.
Corporate changed all of our fuel card PINs and now thoughtfully requires us to call in for an authorization whenever we gas up a company vehicle. We're installing GPS with tracking on all company vehicles next week to audit unauthorized vehicle usage.
We retired six gasoline-powered vehicles in favor of electric GEVs. They are selling like hotcakes and we were lucky to get them. Other sites I am conducting bicycle security officer training. Not just for coverage (although clients are happy to have the service), but for improved commutes.
Per Corporate order, every single one of our offices across the country has just purchased three (that's right three) 14-passenger diesel vans. Marked with lightbars, radios, the works. Got them cheap, believe it or not. We are preparing to go into the commute business, making sure our officers get to work despite increases in fuel costs. If necessary.
Is bicycle theft an issue? Absolutely. We posted a guard specifically to prevent "snatch and grab" bicycle robberies at one of our major corporate sites. Another customer set up a "valet bicycle parking" area and we have a guard on standby at that location whenever it is open.
Two national customers are literally screaming for more guards. We just started an emergency 504 (that's three guards at all times, day and night) with armed guards for the regional gasoline storage facility. This is where the tankers fill up before heading out to gasoline stations. They were running with no guard coverage at all and unlocked gates, yes, this is in the age of terrorism. Now that we are in the age of scarcity and a tanker grew feet and disappeared last week, security is suddenly real important. Money talks and . . . stuff doesn't walk.
We are looking into escort plans if tanker theft becomes an issue here in San Jose. Typically this will be one armed and two unarmed officers in a single vehicle.
One real concern: ambulance coverage. Many people don't realize that ambulances continuously move around their service area to balance out response times. There are a lot more fire department paramedic engines than there are ambulances.
The fire department will roll. But in order to pay their fuel bill, they are suspending such niceties as community education, training and site surveys (which also use up valuable fuel).
AMR, American Medical Response to those outside the EMS field, has parked its ambulances in catchment areas. They power up and drive to calls. Ambulances used to be left running at calls. Now they are powered down. The net result has been a three to five minute increase in scene times. No proof that this has killed anyone, yet. Their next budget cut is fewer ambulances.
However: one of our sites, bicycle versus pedestrian accident. Head injury. Our "First Responder" (advanced first aid specialist, not quite an EMT) was furious when fire's "STAR CAR" paramedic ambulance refused to transport pending AMR, when AMR had to be expedited TWICE to get them to show up. "Not life threatening." Another guard had to lie on the ground holding the person's head still for C-spine immobilization for twenty-two minutes. Before the World Without Oil, reponse times were more like fourteen minutes. This can only get worse.
I will say that traffic is much lighter. That part is nice. But you simply don't get in the car and drive. You plan your trip. You have to.
I am in a position to see security contingency plans. Two of my clients are planning to close satellite facilities and live cheek-to-cheek in primary facilities. Others are training their employees in emergency response skills. One is even planning to bring dependents onto company property and establish emergency housing.
A new feature of the corporate parking lot -- RV residents. Given the emergency, the usual rules on long-term camping have been waived. So many of our sites now have permanent residents, and instead of guards keeping an eye on empty buildings because no one is around, we are actively preventing crime against the people who are there all the time and do dumb things like hold open security doors for strangers.
We had to respond to a domestic violence incident. Guess what they were fighting over?
You got it, the use of the car. In other words, money.
.
As I look around the office at work, I see only four other employees. Because I am the only member of our management team who can commute to work using mass transit. The others live over sixty miles away and were already having commute problems at $3/gallon. The two from the Peninsula car-pool in a subcompact. We lost two office staff and I'm having to train their replacements. Contact with senior management is mostly by E-mail. Once in a great while they'll visit.
We are very, very busy. We have problems. We provide security services, and most of our people used to commute from as far as eighty miles away.
Now we simply don't have people. We are beating the bush and very actively recruiting. I even have a signboard guy riding transit -- this is not popular with the security contractor (not us) who provides security for transit. They are also screaming for people, because with all the additional people riding the rail, their security issues have increased dramatically. They can hire everyone they need, thanks to unlimited use transit as a employee perk.
We finally broke down and bought unlimited use transit "Eco Passes" for all of our employees and are heavily advertising it as a perk. Had to do it. No way to stay competitive if we didn't.
You may wonder why we don't simply raise wages. We can't. We don't have the margins and most of our contracts do not have that coveted "increase in costs or fuels" clause that became so popular starting May 1st.
Corporate changed all of our fuel card PINs and now thoughtfully requires us to call in for an authorization whenever we gas up a company vehicle. We're installing GPS with tracking on all company vehicles next week to audit unauthorized vehicle usage.
We retired six gasoline-powered vehicles in favor of electric GEVs. They are selling like hotcakes and we were lucky to get them. Other sites I am conducting bicycle security officer training. Not just for coverage (although clients are happy to have the service), but for improved commutes.
Per Corporate order, every single one of our offices across the country has just purchased three (that's right three) 14-passenger diesel vans. Marked with lightbars, radios, the works. Got them cheap, believe it or not. We are preparing to go into the commute business, making sure our officers get to work despite increases in fuel costs. If necessary.
Is bicycle theft an issue? Absolutely. We posted a guard specifically to prevent "snatch and grab" bicycle robberies at one of our major corporate sites. Another customer set up a "valet bicycle parking" area and we have a guard on standby at that location whenever it is open.
Two national customers are literally screaming for more guards. We just started an emergency 504 (that's three guards at all times, day and night) with armed guards for the regional gasoline storage facility. This is where the tankers fill up before heading out to gasoline stations. They were running with no guard coverage at all and unlocked gates, yes, this is in the age of terrorism. Now that we are in the age of scarcity and a tanker grew feet and disappeared last week, security is suddenly real important. Money talks and . . . stuff doesn't walk.
We are looking into escort plans if tanker theft becomes an issue here in San Jose. Typically this will be one armed and two unarmed officers in a single vehicle.
One real concern: ambulance coverage. Many people don't realize that ambulances continuously move around their service area to balance out response times. There are a lot more fire department paramedic engines than there are ambulances.
The fire department will roll. But in order to pay their fuel bill, they are suspending such niceties as community education, training and site surveys (which also use up valuable fuel).
AMR, American Medical Response to those outside the EMS field, has parked its ambulances in catchment areas. They power up and drive to calls. Ambulances used to be left running at calls. Now they are powered down. The net result has been a three to five minute increase in scene times. No proof that this has killed anyone, yet. Their next budget cut is fewer ambulances.
However: one of our sites, bicycle versus pedestrian accident. Head injury. Our "First Responder" (advanced first aid specialist, not quite an EMT) was furious when fire's "STAR CAR" paramedic ambulance refused to transport pending AMR, when AMR had to be expedited TWICE to get them to show up. "Not life threatening." Another guard had to lie on the ground holding the person's head still for C-spine immobilization for twenty-two minutes. Before the World Without Oil, reponse times were more like fourteen minutes. This can only get worse.
I will say that traffic is much lighter. That part is nice. But you simply don't get in the car and drive. You plan your trip. You have to.
I am in a position to see security contingency plans. Two of my clients are planning to close satellite facilities and live cheek-to-cheek in primary facilities. Others are training their employees in emergency response skills. One is even planning to bring dependents onto company property and establish emergency housing.
A new feature of the corporate parking lot -- RV residents. Given the emergency, the usual rules on long-term camping have been waived. So many of our sites now have permanent residents, and instead of guards keeping an eye on empty buildings because no one is around, we are actively preventing crime against the people who are there all the time and do dumb things like hold open security doors for strangers.
We had to respond to a domestic violence incident. Guess what they were fighting over?
You got it, the use of the car. In other words, money.
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 05:24 pm (UTC)If it is meant to happen though, it will, somehow. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 05:41 pm (UTC)Keep your chin up, we depend on you folks, I know it looks rough.
-YM
no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 09:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-11 06:07 pm (UTC)