Facilities, Engineering, Maintenance and Construction:
Palmer Station would not be able to operate without a dedicated crew of people who take care of the station. They are the Facilities, Engineering, Maintenance and Construction (FEMC) group. The station was built in 1968 and without a team of people to maintain it in good shape it would have succumbed to the environment long ago.
Much of the summer involves preventative maintenance. Activities include taking care of the floating dock and the strong-arms that hold it in place (left photo below), or the shut-down of the water to take care of the pipes. Some of our plumbing (e.g. to flush toilets) use seawater and not freshwater. When cleaning the pipes, the growth of corals inside is quite beautiful (right photo)!
Other preventative maintenance included work on the Yokohama “bumper” floaters by the pier. These floating structures are situated between the pier and the ship and serve to protect both.
Tasks like these are essential. The work space, such as the carpenter shop, is spacious and functional! Art work is featured also (leopard seal was painted on the wall by Marissa Goerke). There are some talented woodworkers on station who have made beautiful items here.
Thank you, FEMC crew, for taking such good care of the station: Zenobia Evans (supervisor), Ian Mannix, Mike Stovall, Jeff “el Jefe” Deckard, and Bill Burns.
