He flies through the night, repairing the damaged and helping students in need. No, he is not Superman. He is Shawn Buckman of the Troubleshooters. Buckman and the rest of the crew -- there are seven of them -- are the ones who take over the duties of Facilities Operations and Management after hours.
The Troubleshooters are the people who keep everything running once Facilities, Operations and Management leaves for the day. Their first shift runs from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. and the second shift runs from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. On the weekends, there is also a third shift that runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The group responds to everything from complaints of no hot water and the door-lock system not working to responding to fire alarms and low temperature alarms. The Troubleshooters also make rounds of Thompson Arena to check on the ice. Buckman mentioned frequent problems with air-handling units this winter. They are easily tripped off by big gusts of wind or very low temperatures, so this winter has been throwing the units off right and left.
The Troubleshooters are also the ones who respond to blown fuses, and are also the guys who will jump your car for you, or if you are very unlucky, tow it for you.
As Buckman described his team as the emergency response crew. Though it's rare not to have any calls, sometimes during Summer term things are not so busy because so few people are around.
This winter, they have been dealing with a lot of problems with the oil burners in the residential houses. "I don't think we've gone a single weekend without having at least a few oil burners run out of oil in the rental houses," Buckman said.
Speaking on the hardest aspects of the job, Buckman claimed that keeping a cool head in crises is probably the biggest challenge. "With so many buildings to cover, you can get called into a building you haven't been through in over a year and you have to remember where everything is quickly."
They cover everything owned by the campus, from residence halls to classrooms, to rental housing, the Skiway, and Morton Farm.
Frank Roberts, another member of the Troubleshooter team, added that learning new buildings provides a constant challenge. Each building the Troubleshooters respond to is unique. Also the complexity of the systems varies by building. "You have buildings like Parkhurst that are pretty straightforward, but then you have some of the science buildings or Baker/Berry which are not so simple."
Both Roberts and Buckman said one of the hardest parts of Troubleshooting is the hours. All of the employees have families, and all except one of them live at least 30 minutes away from campus. Buckman said there is a lot of quick shift turnaround."Sometimes I finish a shift, and by the time I drive 45 minutes home and another 45 minutes back, that doesn't leave me much time." He also said, though, that one of the greatest parts of being a Troubleshooter is the tight network of guys. Everyone is willing to cover for everyone else because they all understand that things come up -- especially family things.
Roberts added that Buckman actually cancelled his vacation last year to cover for one of the guys who couldn't work. They work over Christmas and on every other holiday as well. In the name of around the clock coverage, the Troubleshooters are on campus working even when no one is here. Buckman, because he doesn't have any children, has worked every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the four years he has worked as a Troubleshooter.
Buckman was formerly in the U.S. Air Force, which he said prepared him well for this job. "I was an aerospace ground technician which they called 'jack of all trades.'" The Troubleshooters certainly are jacks of all trades -- drawing from knowledge on electricity, plumbing and heating.
Despite all the hardships the nature of the work brings, Buckman finds it extremely rewarding.
"Helping the students is pretty easy and it's interesting working with the communities. All the guys have a good attitude. Sometimes you deal with some pretty messy stuff, like the sewers, but everyone can laugh about it afterwards."
He said that even the most discouraging days, like the Christmas when he had to respond to over 40 calls alone, are very gratifying when they're over. "You just want to put on your cape and fly home."
Buckman added that one of the benefits of staying in the business is that "you build up a reputation too." People know that the Troubleshooters have a large store of knowledge, but are also able to figure things out quickly and on the spot.
"There's no better game in town than Dartmouth and it's great for a lot of us because we are motorheads and tinkerers -- we like to build stuff in our spare time. The job is perfect."
Buckman also valued the self-reliance the job builds. "At night, we're the experts. Some things are very time-sensitive, particularly many of the systems, so things are prioritized during the night, but nonetheless, even the small things, like jumping a car in A-lot can be done."
He emphasized that students "should never feel bad" about calling Facilities, Operations and Management for assistance. "That's why we're here," he said.
