Wreckmaster (What it meant to me)

WRECKMASTER AND WHAT IT MEANT TO ME

BY: SHAWN MICHAUD

In September of this year, I got the pleasure and honor of attending a Wreckmaster 2-3 course with Jeff Martin as my instructor. Today I want to go over what Wreckmaster is and what it meant to me. Being a still a ROOKIE in this industry, about 2 ½ years, I had heard little about Wreckmaster. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what a Eye-Opening experience it would be. The great mix of in-class as well as hands-on training that they have managed to jam into a 2-day course is phenomenal.  Seeing a range of different ages, experience level, and gender within the class was inspiring.

In-class: Although going into the weekend I had presumed that the in-class portion of the training would be long and boring with a monotone instructor trying to force feed you as much information as possible. Let me tell you, I was wrong. Mr. Martin an Experienced operator from the GTA region was a great instructor, His passion for the industry could be felt in every word. Covering everything from basic resistances to working load limits was a huge eye opener! The information was not just something you wanted to know to pass the test, but rather something you wanted to embrace to make yourself a better operator. Any operator that has been in the industry for some time can tell you they have winched many cars, and knew about how much they weighed. But did they know how much load they had on their wire? Or how much anchorability they needed? I can tell you I didn’t.

Hands-on: The hands on part of the course was something going into the weekend I was excited for, after all who doesn’t like playing in the yard? Some of the new techniques Wreckmaster teaches you are well thought out and field tested, from the single lane recovery with a stiff leg, to proper tie down methods. The only problem is as we all know 10 different operators have 10 different ways of doing things. This was a bit of a problem when it came to a group effort of rigging a casualty. All and all the hands-on part of the training did not disappoint.

Overall Wreckmaster is not a text book course, it is a brotherhood of operators and instructors who want to better themselves as well as better the industry. The joking and laughing that was had by all demonstrated that even though we are competition, we are all here for the same reason. I truly encourage any operator no matter age or experience to take at least one wreckmaster course and tell me im wrong……

Cya in the Ditch!

“Lie, Cheat and Steal. Lie with the ones you love at night, Cheat death and injury, And steal time away from this industry every now and then before it consumes you.” – Jeff Martin