Two Years a Fridge...

Two years ago, today I arrived at IRS not really knowing what to expect from the world that is the Refrigeration Industry. After lots of warm welcomes from everyone in the office and some lengthy inductions I found myself sat in the corner thinking “oh my life – have I bitten off more than I can chew?”. Pressure Tests, AHU’s, OFN, Chillers… were all terms that I had never heard of in my life. Now, 2 years on I feel I have a good grip on my role and have a good understanding of all things that felt alien to me in the beginning.

When I started at IRS my knowledge of the refrigeration industry was comfort cooling & heating in offices & literal fridges in a kitchen; but as I learnt there is so much more to it than that and it fascinates me. I have also learnt what a critical role it plays in providing healthcare, food production, and even vital scientific research. I can truly say I have fell in love with this industry and so much of it goes on behind closed plantroom doors, that it goes un-noticed how vital it is to the world we live in today.

I went from undertaking simple admin tasks to within 6 months, completing all aspects of the role. As COVID-19 struck and the first lockdown began we went from a strong team of 3 co-ordinators to just me and my newly appointed service manager Scott. It truly was sink or swim and we have both agreed since a learning curve we surfed together. Being thrown into the deep end was the best thing that could have happened to me for my professional development, it forced me to knuckle down and take my time to truly understand the role I was doing to ensure everything I did was completed to a high standard and all my engineers and customers were happy with the service we provided to them in these uncertain times.

I think COVID-19 has had a positive impact on our industry as it highlighted to a lot of our customers the importance of carrying out maintenance and ensuring the equipment was kept clean, maintenance went from a box ticking compliance exercise to ensuring their equipment was F-GAS compliant and appreciating all other aspects of maintenance, which would help to reduce the spread of the virus within their building(s). There was a big focus on Air Handling Units and if they were set to recirculate air or if they were set to supply fresh air and people started to ask about number of air changes in certain areas also to help combat the virus lingering in the air. So, all in all it has brought a lot of much needed awareness to the industry and what it does in the background.

So, after being a part of it all for the last 2 years, I have learnt more than I ever imagined possible and I have gained a great insight into this world and how valuable it is, it seems very much the underdog sometimes, but I know now there is more too it than meets the eye. I hope I continue to learn & develop at the rate I have done in the past two years and better my understanding so I can support all my co-workers & clients at IRS. I want to thank all the people I work with for being so supportive but also pushing me to be the best I can be (shout out to everyone in the office) but especially to my Service Manager Scott as no question I throw at you is ever to stupid or not worth explaining to me, you have made me feel like more is possible and I hope we can continue to grow together.

Georgia – Service Coordinator (IRS)?