Fife's unsung heroes: Michael Shields
Fife has many unsung heroes who have gone the extra mile to help others during the coronavirus lockdown. They are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that our buses still run, our prescriptions dispensed, and our services all keep ticking over. They deserve their moment in the spotlight as part of our Big Thank You.
Michael Shields, from Kirkcaldy, is a network service operator with Scottish Water who ensures that people in Kirkcaldy have fresh, clean water running to their houses.
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Hide AdMichael said: “I’ve been in my current role with Scottish Water for 18 years now and I help to maintain the water network in Kirkcaldy, we look after the service reservoirs, water pipes and pumping stations to make sure our customers get water to their taps.
“My duties vary each day which helps to keep the job interesting, one day I could be dealing with burst water mains and another I could be testing chlorine levels to make sure the water is safe to drink.
“The main thing that we are dealing with now is to ensure that the water supply is maintained as there is an increased demand with hand washing due to the coronavirus, there is a lot of work that we do that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t realise.”
Although the coronavirus has changed the way that people live their lives, Michael is confident that there will be a return to normality further down the road.
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Hide AdHe adds: “I am a little bit worried about being out working when the virus is still here, but Scottish Water are really good at looking after its employees, we have updated signage and new hi-vis vests that have reminders for people to keep socially-distanced.
“Safety is a big issue and all of the work that we do is risk assessed.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but our work and personal lives will not be the same for quite some time, I, like everyone else, is hoping that a vaccine will be developed, but who knows when that will be?
“We just have to try to carry on the best that we can.”
» To nominate someone for our Big Thank You please email [email protected]
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Thank you
Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press