Working Hand-In-Hand With Local Communities
It takes a dedicated team to keep a military base running smoothly, and Natasha Mclean, Site Manager from Serco Canada, has the tools to get the job done. Natasha and her team provide site support services to the Royal Canadian Air Force 5 Wing Goose Bay. Their responsibilities are numerous but each piece slots into place to keep the base running smoothly year round.
Everything from roads and grounds maintenance, military air traffic control, water treatment for drinkable water (which also serves the Goose Bay community), accommodations, disposal of hazardous materials, emergency services, radar maintenance, IT and phone services are all managed and kept in working order by Natasha and her team. “There are around 250 buildings on base, so it really is like keeping a small town running!” Natasha says.
If you come to 5 Wing Goose Bay, you’re going to learn something.
The integration and support of the local Goose Bay community is crucial to Natasha. A native of Goose Bay herself, Natasha travelled after school, only to return home to work on the air base. In a remote community such as Goose Bay, located in Labrador, on the northeast coast of Canada, it can be hard to find work that isn’t in a specialized field. Serco is the largest private employer in Goose Bay, and over 30% of its workforce is made up of indigenous employees.
“It’s something I’m really keen on, and something I’ve worked on for a number of years,” says Natasha. “If you come to 5 Wing Goose Bay, you’re going to learn something.” Natasha and her team work hard to impart those specialized skills that members of the community need in order to find fulfilling work on the base through opportunities and apprenticeships in radar and IT maintenance, weather observations for flight planning, aircraft and fire emergency services, and more.
5 Wing’s primary mission is to support NORAD operations and military training for the Canadian Armed Forces to protect North American airspace and support NORAD allies who come from around the world to train in Goose Bay. However, 5 Wing also receives all of the civilian air traffic coming to and from Goose Bay.
Natasha is proud to support the collaboration between the community and 5 Wing. It’s a 20 year long working relationship that supports not only the maintenance of the base but has a significant impact on the economy and the lives of the people of Goose Bay.