ADVICE & OPINION
FROM THE FRONT
REWARDING ROLE
In the latest in our celebration of the role played by FMs working at the service front,
Lorna Jack, Gas Service Engineer for EMCOR UK describes her rewarding career
As a gas service engineer for EMCOR UK,
Lorna Jack has got used to the fact that at
least once a day she is met with surprise that she
is a female engineer. This expectation of course
reflects the reality that female gas engineers
are still quite a rarity, but this is beginning to
change.
Jack’s curiosity in plumbing and gas services
was sparked at a young age when she was visiting
her grandmother and an engineer came to fix
the boiler and she was intrigued by how he took
it apart and put it all back together again. This
interest continued and led to her doing some work
experience with a local plumber when she was still
at school.
A er leaving school at 16, she was keen to
undertake a plumbing apprenticeship but it
proved di icult to find a local company that would
facilitate this, so she approached the plumber she
had done her work experience with and he agreed
to take her on as an apprentice.
Commenting on the apprenticeship, Jack said:
“An apprenticeship is a great way of learning as it is
a combination of practical on the job training – in
my case learning skills first-hand from a plumber –
supported by learning about the theory at college.”
Following her apprenticeship, Jack set up her
own plumbing and heating business and then
became an assessor for plumbing apprenticeships.
However, realising that she missed the practical
work, in 2017, she joined EMCOR UK, a leading
provider of facilities, asset and workplace
12 MAY 2021
management services, as a gas service engineer
and began working for one of its customers,
Lancaster City Council’s housing department.
RESIDENTIAL SAFETY
Lancaster City Council is the landlord for thousands
of residential properties and, as with all rented
residential property, it is a legal requirement for
each property to undertake and pass an annual gas
check. As well as providing maintenance services,
the council is responsible for remedial and
emergency work to be completed as necessary.
The main scope of Jack’s role is to carry out
maintenance and repairs on gas appliances in
residential properties including boiler services and
rectifying faults where required to ensure that all
gas appliances are safe. A typical day will involve
visits to between six to 10 residential properties.
“I find it really rewarding that I am providing a
service which keeps people safe in their homes.
I know that it is critical to ensure that all my gas
checks and boiler services are thorough as the
consequences of not doing my job e ectively are
so serious.
“Experience has helped me to identify many
faults quickly and easily but I enjoy that I continue
to learn as new issues arise that I need to identify
and fix and I like the challenge of this aspect of my
job.”
WORKING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC
During the pandemic, annual checks for rented
properties have
continued to be a
legal requirement and
the deadlines were
not extended and so
this service – together
with emergency work
– still needed to be
carried out.
“At a time when
health and safety has
been such a major
concern for everyone,
it was crucial that
I – and my colleagues
- continued to do our
jobs to ensure that
the tenants remained
safe especially as so many people were spending
so much more time at home and using their boilers
and gas appliances more frequently.
“However, although I recognised how important
my role was, it was daunting as it meant being
inside many di erent properties every day which
increased the risk of contracting the virus. Some
tenants also were nervous of having an engineer
in the house and it could be di icult if tenants did
not follow guidelines, such as wearing masks and
social distancing, as I’d have to ask them to do so
which at times could be awkward especially as I
was in their home. I am pleased that, because of
the service I provide, I have been able to have my
first vaccine.
“Despite these challenges, there was one
new aspect of my job which I found especially
rewarding and this was that I was providing some
company and social interaction for tenants who
were living on their own and who had not been
able to see many people in lockdown. They would
thank me for servicing the boiler or carrying out a
gas check but also express how pleased they were
to see someone and have a chat.”
Gas engineers are mostly male and although
o en surprised to open the door to a female
engineer, this is welcomed by many tenants -
especially female tenants who live alone - and
many female customers request Lorna Jack
specifically when they need any maintenance or
remedial work carried out.
“It is still a male dominated profession but
there is no reason why this should be the case.
It is important that apprenticeships and training
programmes are targeted at both men and women.
One of the reasons I enjoy working for EMCOR
is that it is an organisation that encourages and
supports women to progress in the workplace and
to pursue careers in areas that traditionally are
male dominated.
“I’m sure for many women being a gas engineer
is not a career that they have considered but I
find it is a very fulfilling job. I like meeting many
di erent people every day – and their dogs if they
have one - and using my specialist skills to provide
an essential service which helps keep them safe
and well in their homes. It is busy and stimulating
while I am at work but I don’t have to take the work
home with me which means I can relax and enjoy
my home life.”