At Survitec, the passion and commitment to safety is something we are extremely proud of. So many members of our team demonstrate our values day-in-day-out. In addition to working for Survitec many members of our team work with or support local maritime charities. Meet Tony Brown for example, who is a Graduate Project Engineer for the Technical Department in our Dunmurry, Northern Ireland facility.
Tony joined Survitec around 18 months ago, straight from university, where he’d been studying a masters in Mechanical Engineering at Queens University, Belfast. Tony saw the appeal in working for Survitec due it being ‘the ideal combination of both design and hands-on testing’. He felt that the opportunity to combine his degree with his passion for the sea was unmissable. Since joining the technical team at Survitec, Tony has spent most of his time working with and leading the design, development and qualification for a range of new aerospace products.
When asked about the favourite part of his job, Tony responded “hands down my favourite part of the job is getting stuck into the practical testing of new products and ensuring they perform as intended. It normally gets me out on the water, and I get a real feel for customer design requirement to ensure we have the best products on the market.”
Tony also volunteers for a local charity, Lagan Search and Rescue (LSAR). Here, he is one of the Senior Lifeboat Helms and Chief Powerboat Instructor. He has been part of the team at LSAR for just over four years during which time he’s gained a first-hand understanding of the importance of safety at sea. Tony shared an exciting experience where he was able to combine both work and passion. “There are always days to look forward to. One that particularly comes to mind was when Survitec Eschershausen, Germany brought some of the Survitec range of military rescue boats to Belfast. I was helm on the lifeboat that day, acting as a camera boat. Chasing the rescue boats around Belfast harbour for the perfect shot, it was fantastic fun!”
The sea is somewhat synonymous for Tony, having had the privilege of being brought up by nautical minded parents. Growing up, he spent most of his childhood summers on board the family boat, often around Clyde in Scotland. He taught himself how to sail and eventually worked up to competing in the GP14 World Championships in Sri Lanka. He later became a senior dingy instructor and then acquired his powerboat instructor certificate.
We asked Tony what are the key messages you would like to convey to people about safety at sea and he responded “For my entire boating career, time in the lifeboats and from working at Survitec, my message to anyone going on the water for whatever reason, whether for work or for pleasure, is to always think about your own safety. Invest in the best gear as it might one day save your life. No-one can predict an accident, so it is better to be over-prepared rather than having the mind-set that ‘it will never happen to me’”.