➲ Editorial
WE CAN BE HVAC & R HEROES
I’ m sure all of you have experienced it before, those bewildered looks when you try to explain what the HVAC & R industry is about to your friends and family. Sure, you obviously understand how important the industry is to daily life, but explaining that to someone else – good luck. Admittedly, I was probably one of those puzzled plebs a few years ago myself. Shock horror.
Coming into the industry, I had the impression that those involved were in their own exclusive bubble – a close-knit bunch who held song-filled gatherings, much like the Stonecutters from The Simpsons. For those not familiar with this secretive guild, it’ s an all-male club of which Homer and Moe are members, and whose activities consist mainly of drinking beer, singing songs and playing table tennis. The initiation rites involve pranks and being spanked with paddles.
OK, so maybe the HVAC & R community is not that exclusive, but you get my drift.
Soon after beginning work at AIRAH I came to realise that the HVAC & R“ bubble” really isn’ t small at all. I found myself bumping into friends and acquaintances who were all involved in the industry in some shape or form. High school buddies, extended family members, even training partners from my local martial arts school began to reveal themselves as HVAC & R techs, engineers, marketing gurus and the like – it was a case of“ small-world syndrome” every time.
It eventually dawned on me – HVAC & R really is everywhere and an integral part of modern life. And, there’ s plenty of people out there contributing to its constant growth.
The star of this month’ s cover feature Damien De Vincentis( page 10) is one of those guys. Founder of Carbon Monoxide Testing Australia, he works to create awareness and prevent the potentially fatal occurrences of carbon monoxide poisoning – an issue that continues to rear its ugly head following the death of a man in Victoria earlier this year.
Damien is just one of the many unsung heroes working within the industry. And while his work may go unnoticed to most, AIRAH and HVAC & R Nation are here to give these supermen and women the pat on the back they deserve.
After all, we have to look after our own.
Boon Mark Souphanh Editor
HVAC & R isn’ t the secretive, underground clique many people think it is.
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4 | HVAC & R Nation | www. hvacrnation. com. au | August 2016