43rd BC Water & Waste Association Annual Conference & Trade Show Operator Challenge Event Summary Sponsored by: Welcome to the 2015 WATER WARS Purpose The BCWWA Annual Conference & Trade Show provides an opportunity for BC’s top operators to compete and share their skills and knowledge with the conference attendees, and to be recognized for their outstanding performance as water and wastewater employees. The WATER WARS competition will be judged on a combination of EOCP knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as a good understanding of the WorkSafe BC regulation and practices as they relate to workplace safety. Competition objectives 1.
Provide challenging events that will test the operational and safety skills of our municipal water and wastewater crews. 2.
Conduct exercises involving scenarios that are common to all municipal workers throughout BC. 3.
The exercises are designed to challenge the participant’s abilities based on routine workplace activities. Therefore the scenario details should be available in advance of the competition, in order to have an opportunity to practice the necessary skills. 4.
The participants will be scored on their handling of equipment, following procedures and completing their tasks in a timed manner. Participants Each team will consist of three members who will be required to participate in all three practical events. The top three scoring teams will then compete in the ‘Jeopardy Game’ (previously Top Ops). The game will consists of EOCP and Safety related questions. Events The competition events will vary from year to year, and should be designed to continuously improve the skills of the participants, and reflect the changes in our equipment and workplace. 2015 Events: 1.
Collection system event will simulate connecting a 4 inch PVC lateral sewer line to an existing 8 inch PVC sewer pipe. 2.
Water Main tapping competition will simulate connecting a service water line to a live system and test the connections. 3.
Removing and replacing a metering pump will be conducted in a simulated Confined Space utility chamber. Note: The three winners of the three events will participate in the Top Ops Challenge (Jeopardy Game). 1 Each team must bring: 
Hard hats, safety glasses or goggles, safety boots, and protective gloves; 
Full body harness for each player; 
Lockout locks and keys, (6) for each player; and 
Confined Space Entry (CSE) Hazard Assessment, permit, entry procedures and any other documents to support your work. The documents should be filled out and available for review at the beginning of the event. BCWWA will supply a Hazard Assessment, Safe Entry Procedures and a Permit for the event (included in the participants information package), or you can provide your own internal permit and documentation. Supplied equipment: 
Tripod and retrieval devices (safety line and winch); 
Gas monitor; 
Lockout procedure (part of the Entry Procedure); 
Ventilation fan and sock; and 
All tools required for each event. Competition support staff: 
Event Facilitator/Director; 
Two Evaluators for operational/safety events; and 
Two Judges for Jeopardy Game (Top Ops). Note: Points will be given for good communication between workers, handling tools and equipment knowledge, as well as safety practices and worker care. The events will be adjudicated by qualified staff and WSBC representatives. Jeopardy Game (Top Ops) Each team will select a spokesperson to answer all questions. The team will listen to each statement, and push the button when they think they know the correct answer. The question will be read in full before the selected group can answer the question. The spokesperson must say “What is _______” as an answer. If the answer is not correct, the group will loss those points and another team can try to answer the question. Points will be predetermined for each question/statement, and the team with the most points at the end of the game will be the overall winner of the 2015 Water Wars. If you have any questions about the event process, please contact Mike Warn at [email protected] prior to the event. GOOD LUCK!! 2