SSC October 2017 Newsletter

SSC Service Solutions Newsletter

October 2017

SSC Teams up with Weathermatic in El Salvador

In This Issue

Safety Moment



Student Reflection



 TX State Univ says Thanks

 Recruiting Spotlight

 Grounds Tips for Your Home

 Diversity and Inclusion

 Making Time in Mainte- nance

 Performance Appraisals

Safety Moment

How to Use a Fire Extinguisher The best way to learn how to use a fire extinguisher is to practice (simulate) before you need to use one. When in doubt, remember the acronym PASS.

P ull the pin at the top of the extinguisher. The pin releases a locking mechanism and will allow you to discharge the extinguisher. A im at the base of the fire, not the flames. This is important: In order to put out the fire, you must extinguish the fuel. By aiming towards the base, you “smother” the fire by robbing the fire of its fuel. S queeze the lever slowly. This will release the extinguishing agent in the extinguisher. If the handle is released, the discharge will stop.

S weep from side to side. Using a sweeping motion, move the fire extinguisher back and forth until the fire is completely out. Operate the extinguisher from a safe distance, several feet away, and then move towards the fire once it starts to diminish. Remember: Aim at the base of the fire, not at the flames!!!! A typical fire extinguisher contains 10 seconds of extinguishing power. This could be less if it has already been partially discharged. Always read the instructions that come with the fire extinguisher beforehand and become familiarized with its parts. WHERE TO KEEP YOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER Location, location, location! Having a fire extinguisher is one thing, having it handy in case of an emergency is another. It is recommended you have at least one fire extinguisher on each floor of your home. Keep them in plain sight and no more than five feet above the floor. Do not put them in closets because that will cost you valuable time when you are reaching for it. And even though a fire extinguisher may not match your décor, do not put it behind curtains or drapes. The most important places to have a fire extinguisher are in areas where there is most likely to be a fire: the kitchen and the garage.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER MAINTENANCE E x t i n gu i sh e r ma i n t e n a n c e i s

i mpo r t a n t

f o r

e ve r yo n e ’ s

sa f e t y .

You must ensure that:  The extinguisher is not blocked by furniture, equipment, coats or other objects that could interfere with access in an emergency.  The pressure is at the recommended level—not too high and not too low. The needle should be in the green zone.  The pin and tamper seal (if it has one) are intact.  There are no dents, leaks, rust, chemical deposits and/or other signs of abuse/wear. Wipe off any corrosive chemicals, oil, gunk etc. that may have deposited on the extinguisher.  If the extinguisher is damaged or needs recharging, replace it immediately! IMPORTANT: Recharge or replace all extinguishers immediately after any use, regardless of how much they were used. (Some household extinguishers are not rechargeable.)

Know Your Fire Extinguisher There are two types of household fire extinguishers for three common household fire categories. Familiarize yourself with them and choose the fire extinguisher that is best for each location in your home. Also review the manufacturer's use and care booklet for your fire extinguisher. This important booklet provides guidance on the type and size of fire with which you may use your extinguisher, and also provides tips on how to properly use and maintain your extinguisher.

The three categories of household fires are:

Categories of fires

Description

Type of extinguisher

Fires involving combustible materials, such as wood, cloth and paper.

Class A

ABC

Flammable liquid fires, including kitchen grease. NEVER use water on this type of fire!

Class B

ABC or BC

Class C

ABC or BC

Fires involving energized electrical equipment.

Household fire extinguishers are available in two basic types: "BC" rated for Class B and Class C f ires, and multipurpose "ABC" rated for all three types of fires. Both utilize a dry chemical extinguishing agent. A "BC" extinguisher would typically be found in a garage or other area of your house where you are storing flammable liquids. "ABC" extinguishers would commonly be placed in all other areas of your house.

Reflections from the Well Over the next few months we will be sharing reflections from the scholarship recipients who took part in the SSC/Weathermatic trip to El Salvador to dig community wells. I couldn’t see anything, and by this point I was finally out of dry patches of clothes to wipe my safety glasses on. Looking down through the opening between the bottom edge of the glasses and my cheeks, I could only see dark, glistening mud. When the spray of sludge and dust started again, from the drill hitting the rock over fifty meters beneath my feet, I instinctively raised my arm to cover my face. It didn’t really change much. I still couldn’t see anything. I pushed down on the lever, bringing down the air hammer, and the spray stopped. I turned to pass off my lever-pulling duties to Caroline while trying to come up with a strategy to clear my glasses. I remember thinking how I would just rinse them under the faucet. No big deal. Except there wasn’t a faucet in the entire village of Puento Viejo. The well we were drilling, the source of the thick layer of mud covering me, was the start of change. Clean, available water. Suddenly, a finger came out of the smog. A man of the village smudged away the mud from my glasses like a windshield wiper. He led me away from the noise of the drill. The language barrier between us made it easier for him to pluck the glasses from my face and begin washing them in a bucket of water he’d brought up from the small reservoirs near the river, rather than try to communicate over the ear plugs, mud, and constant drilling noise. When I went back to drilling, I was still covered in mud, but my glasses were shiny clean. The rest of the afternoon was like that. Villagers would help those of us drilling clean off and get around while covered in mud. Every time I couldn’t see, the same man would clean off my glasses and send me back to work. Every time I could see, I saw this entirely different world from the one I am used to. No running water, no car at every house, no air conditioning or trash cans or sewage. It was a new world. Aimee Bourey from Texas A&M University:

Outpouring of Support

One site showed their support of our staff in a very special andmeaningful way.

Texas State University took the time to recognize our employees for International Housekeeping week by delivering homemade goodies, certificates, and cards. These kind gestures mean so much to us here at SSC because we recognize our associates are the backbone of this wonderful company. Here is just one example:

Why is it important for all associates to know how to use a fire extinguisher? You never know when a running generator in the back of a van in the office park will catch fire. Fortunately for the construction workers who failed to put out the fire using a wa tercool er , L i sa Guyton, AP Specialist, and Tim Hawkins, CFO, saw the fire from their offices, grabbed the recently inspected extinguishers, and ran to the rescue.

Recruiting Spotlight

External applicants: www.compassgroupcareers.com Internal applicants: www.altogethergreat.com Did you know our critical open positions come with a re- ferral bonus? Well now you do! If your referral leads to filling a high need position you could receive up to a $750 bonus. Critical Open Positions under recruiter Julie Nelms: Julie.Nelms@Compass-USA.com

Position Location Requisition # Construction Project MGR Laredo ,TX JN09011780481

Regional Dir of Ops, K-12 Northeast, US JN08311780422

Regional Dir of Ops, HED Texas, US JN09221781301

Regional Dir of Ops HED Northeast, US JN09131780886

Grounds Manager SE Region Charlotte, NC JN08251780173

Resident Regional MGR Richmond, VA JN08301780394

Unit Director (Ops Mgr) Richmond, VA JN09281781510

Unit Director Richmond, VA JN09141780965

Landscape Equipment Mech Charleston, SC JN08221779969

Unit Director K-12 Charleston, SC JN09121780861

Asst Unit Director K-12 Spartanburg, SC JN09191781115

Facilities Director Dallas, TX JN09291781564

Facilities Director Killeen, TX JN08081779411

Grounds Manager Corpus Christi, TX JN08161779806

Unit Director K-12 Beebe, AR JN09121780855

Unit Director K-12 Pearcy, AR JN10041781778

Asst Unit Director K-12 Tempe, AZ JN09191781130

Unit Director Paris, TN JN09211781228

Grounds Tips for your Home

Fall is for planting, transplanting and root pruning. If you have small trees, shrubs, or perennials that you want to transplant now is the time to do that work. Digging now reduce stress on the plant because it is no longer sending energy to the foliage but to the roots, so as long as the soil temperature remains above 45˚ roots will continue to grow.

For plants that you do not have a designated heal in area, root prune right where they are and then transplant in spring.

How big to make the root ball or when root pruning how far from plant base? For every inch of total height, the root ball should be .75” in diameter, so a plant 12” in height should have a 9” root ball. Angle your nursery spade at a 45˚ angle when slicing into soil – go around plant multiple times, do not wiggle shovel, this will break the root ball. Once you have gone around shrub several times, place spade under root ball, lightly grab the base of plant, and applying equal energy on spade and plant base, pick up the shrub and set on a mulch bag, burlap, or something you can use to transport it to the receiving area. If transplanting, prepare receiving area by digging the hole in advance to reduce time out of soil for the plant.

Water plants thoroughly immediately after transplanting or root pruning and then at least 2-3 times a week even through winter as long as ground is not

frozen. You know what is next, fertilize with organic fertilizer, preferably an Espoma product, Holly Tone, Plant Tone, etc.…

If you need more information, feel free to contact one of our grounds experts.

—George Bernardon Regional VP of Grounds Management

Making the Most of Time

Time is not a friend when it comes to Service Technicians productivity.

If you think about it there is too much to do in an 8 hour day. If you subtract breaks and lunch it’s really a seven hour day. However if you subtract time at the shop to load the truck and travel time to a job, you are lucky if the technician has 4 to 5 hours of actual time to correct our clients issues.

What works for us are the tools we bring to the client to manage time so the service technicians can make the most of their day. Bring in our computerized maintenance management system, Maintenance Connection. This system allows for work order dispatch on cell phones or tablets in real time and instant updates to and from the technicians in the field to the supervisors and client on the status of work requests.

Also available: “ Act Soft ” GPS Fleet tracking Software. Service Technicians can drive the truck from home to their first stop and clock in on the cell phone thus saving time wasted in the shop to load up and get stuck in traffic. Planned repair and maintenance work orders can have parts preordered and shipped to the

location to avoid timely visits to the warehouse.

Evaluations of traffic and its effect on travel times to and from school properties can be looked at in real time as well as evaluated over time to adjust routes and time travel for continues quality improvement.

Monitoring of driving habits can be evaluated and used for Safety training

Time will always be an issue. However using the SSC tools Like Maintenance Connection in concert with Act Soft can give our employees an edge in improving Customer Service.

Salaried Performance Appraisals

Salaried and Salaried Non-Exempt employees should go to MyOpportunity now to complete your 2017 Performance Appraisals.

New this Year: Managers and Associates can complete their reviews concurrently! Managers should give their associates a due date for their self-review and set up an appraisal meeting date. The compensation process will be managed via online compensation tool. Be sure to continue working on your Self-Appraisals and Manager Reviews in the system. The deadline to complete all 6 steps of the Performance Appraisal Process is November 17th however, we encourage you to complete it before that date. If you have technical questions about Performance Appraisals or the MyOpportunity system, please reach out to performanceappraisalsupport@compass-usa.com. For general inquires or questions around PDP items, please contact Kimberly.Butz@compass-usa.com.

Contact Us Would you like to contribute to next month’s newsletter? Please contact us with your idea!

SSC Service Solutions PO Box 52370 Knoxville, TN 37950

865-546-8880

Contact@sscserv.com

Visit us on the web at www.sscserv.com