Bryan wrote:
My Opinion
Qualified is a vastly overused term when discussing regulator servicing. 1/2 day spent in a meeting room with 2 coffee breaks a lunch break and a crappy power point presentation gets you a ink jet certificate that says you are "Qualified" to service X companies regulator. Not saying this is the case with every mfg but in the last 10 years it has become very prevalent. The dumbing down of regulator/equipment servicing is only exceeded by the dumbing down of the qualifications to be an instructor. 90% of the people have no business doing either.
re: Your Opinion
Your opinion about the half-day-half-trained regulator "technicians" and one-week-wonder inexperienced Instructors is shared in this household! I could say a lot more about those subjects after spending 31 years in the business smack in the middle of Dallas-Fort Worth area, but I think I'll just bite my tongue for now.
Well, maybe just one more comment... There sure were a lot of unqualified ignorant knuckleheads (and a couple of crooks) come in go in dozens of short-lived "dive boutiques" and dive dumps in this highly-populated area. That's about as kind as I can put it.
OK, now I probably should be fair and say that there are actually a few respectable facilities around here run by nice experienced good-hearted people with common sense, and with genuine hard-earned technical and instructional skills. I enjoy staying in touch with them, help most of them with their breathing air and gas systems, benefit from their knowledge and kindness, and refer my friends to them. I just stay away from the others.