Randall Miller, MT2,
Plant Systems Technician, City of Escondido
While working as a fleet service mechanic for the City of Escondido, Randall Miller often visited the city’s wastewater facility. During his visits to the Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility (HARRF), he observed the intricate systems involved in wastewater treatment and became fascinated with the process. Nearly two years ago, he decided to switch careers and began working as a Plant Systems Technician in the city’s wastewater division.
“His prior experience gives Randall a different perspective on problems, and his strong diagnostic skills give him a leg up when dealing with complex systems,” explains Ralph Ginese, a supervising Chemist for the City. “His colleagues admire that he frequently goes above and beyond just ‘fixing’ a problem. He goes the extra distance to inspect the surrounding equipment for potential failures.”
Miller is the first to admit that having a mechanical skill set in the automotive field helped him dive right into working on various projects inside the plant.
“While working on the plant projects is more of an industrial industry, there is a lot of transparency within the two different skill sets,” Miller said. “That being said, I’m a firm believer in education.”
Miller states that he uses a hands-on learning approach and participates in seminars and classes as he works towards his Grade 3 Mechanical Technician certification. Additionally, he credits those around him for helping him understand the equipment and how it works.
“There are guys with 25 years or more experience surrounding me who are always willing to help and answer questions,” he said.
The HARRF operates approximately 360 miles of pipelines and 11 pumping stations, which serve as the community’s sanitary collection system for domestic and industrial wastewater. In early 2019, an energy-saving project was completed at the HARRF that uses biogas as fuel to generate electricity for the plant. The CoGen system generates enough energy to help power the facility.
Randall Miller overseeing a project at the Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility. Photo courtesy of the City of Riverside.
“Randall knows that a proper maintenance schedule can go a long way in preventing catastrophic failures. He has taken the initiative to continually update and check the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and to inform his supervisors of upcoming projects,” Ginese said. “He ensures that the maintenance history on all pumps, vacuums, generators, and other equipment is up to date and in compliance.”
His coworkers have also mentioned that Miller is not afraid to get dirty or help out a colleague. Ginese says he goes the extra distance to inspect the surrounding equipment for potential failures. He uses a variety of diagnostic tools, such as vibration analysis, an infrared gun, a pressure gauge, and laser alignment tools.
“His colleagues are appreciative because they work in the same way, so he fits right in,” Ginese said. “You can count on Randall, no matter the situation.”
One recent, memorable project that Miller worked on was a Centrifugal Pump Replacement. The project involved disassembling two centrifugal pumps, one at a time, and performing a near-complete rebuild of each. Miller and his colleagues had to review and confirm that the piping and instrumentation diagrams were correct. They reviewed the General Arrangement Drawings to ensure proper installation and component fit-up of the new parts. The project was time-consuming and detail-oriented.
“Alignment was a challenge. Ensuring the new parts were compatible with the older housing and components was not easy, but it was necessary to prevent vibration issues across the whole system,” Miller said.
The Plant Systems team got it done, with Miller using his laser alignment skills to ensure the job was done correctly.
Another project had Miller working with a team to rebuild two flights in two different Primary Effluent tanks. This involved draining the tanks and locating the detached chain pieces. Realignment of the chain components was required. The team credits Miller for checking a few other items while the tank was empty. They found they needed to replace an entire motor assembly because the wheel was misaligned, causing the motor to perform below standard.
Miller said that in his nine years of working for the City of Escondido, he has taken pride in his work. The first seven years, spent fixing fire trucks and other city vehicles, made him proud to know that when an emergency occurred, the trucks were in excellent working order and ready to respond.
“Working in the wastewater division brings that to a whole different level,” he said. “The amount of effort it takes to keep the system running and being able to make sure that those relying on us to keep them and the environment safe is something to really be proud of.”
Miller said that he is still learning and hopes to continue learning so that one day he can move on to become a lead mechanic or supervisor. One thing is certain: he will never stop learning.
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