Okay, so you've probably heard in the news recently that many AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS who work at 24 hour facilities have been falling asleep on the job! (Now before I start in to this topic, you have to know that the controller who brought in pillows and blankets and actually PLANNED to go to sleep out to be fired in my opinion.)
My amazing husband is an AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER. Past airports have included Boeing Field, Sec-Tac and Portland. Now he is at our local " airport in LA VERNE, CA, called BRACKETT FIELD. (Yep, we have our very own airport right here in La Verne!) It's a smaller airport with many flight schools so one could consider it a teaching airport or one for recreational planes. It actually closes at 9pm so we do not have these type of issues here.
However, when my husband worked in a 24 hour airport, the schedules were not every day at the same time. And to this day, they are still NOT the same every day. This poses a huge problem at the end of a controller's week.
His schedule was something like this: 1st day 4PM-12Midnight, 2nd day 2PM to 10PM, 3rd day 9AM-5PM, 4th day 5AM-1PM and now here's the really CRAZY part the 5th day is 10PM to 6AM. What this means is that when your fourth day is complete you have to go back to work for your fifth day like nine hours later!!!! I mean, REALLY? By the time you get home (especially in LA County traffic) and settle down enough to go to sleep, you can't possibly have enough rest to do the job properly.
So, Whose fault is it anyway? Honestly, what's wrong with a set schedule? One where you work the same hours every day and your body doesn't have to adjust to so many different sleeping times? Personally I think the FAA has more blame than the controllers. It's about time they added a second man AND changed the scheduling procedures!
Warmest Regards,
Linda K. Mayer,
Realtor, Office Manager
License # 01767321
A Realtor you can Trust!
(626) 824-8927 Cell
LindaKMayer@live.com
