Safety – a Priority and Necessity for Nick Coonts
Spectrum Industries’ employee, Nick Coonts, is the company’s Safety Manager and has worked at the niche furniture manufacturer for over a year. On a daily basis, Coonts analyzes and redevelops safety procedures, leads Spectrum’s safety and wellness teams, and is constantly looking for new ways to keep Spectrum employees safe.
Coonts has been implementing and practicing new safety procedures for many years now, because his life has depended on it.
In 2008, Coonts joined the Navy and was stationed at a base near Corpus Christi, Texas, and a year later was reassigned to a new base in San Diego, California.
Eventually, Coonts was deployed as a Mineman, a Mine Warfare Specialist, in May of 2009, and spent his first deployment in Bahrain, a small island west of the Persian Gulf and east of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is a U.S. Navy Base located in the Kingdom of Bahrain directly in the center of the Middle East.
Coonts also served a second deployment in Bahrain in 2010-2011 and traveled to Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Defined by the United States Recruiting Command, “Mineman perform their duties at sea aboard minesweepers assisting in the detection and neutralization of underwater mines. Ashore, minemen are technicians who test, assemble and maintain underwater explosive devices (mines). They test various electronic components to ensure proper repair and make sure that the mine works properly. They are also responsible for safe storage, handling and loading of mines for transporting.”
As a Mineman Coonts served on a minesweeper, a small naval warship, that destroys, neutralizes, and prevents mines from blowing up with the use of sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging). Sonar is a technique used on minesweepers to detect mines on the ocean floor by the reflection of underwater soundwaves.
During Coonts’ deployments as a Mineman, he patrolled oil wells outside of Iraq, was also a search and rescue swimmer, Flying Squad Team Leader, and an Anti-Terrorism Team Leader. As a Flying Squad Team Leader, Nick directed and assisted other Mineman in fighting fires, repelling external attacks, and ceasing floods.
By the end of Coonts’ second deployment in September of 2011, he was ranked an E-5 Petty Officer Second Class (PO2), four ranks above what he was at the beginning of his first tour, which was an E-1 Seaman Recruit (SR).
Coonts’ dependency and reliability on safety during his deployments has stayed with him as a Safety Manager at Spectrum. He continues to develop new safety measures and is constantly creating new strategies in order to keep Spectrum employees safe.
Coonts is a native of Davenport, Iowa, and loves to stay active by hunting, back packing, and spending time with his wife Allison, two children, Maximillian, Lucy, and dog Benny.
References:
https://www.cool.navy.mil/usn/enlisted/rating_info_cards/mn.pdf
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/navy-enlisted-rating-job-descriptions-3345840
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Spectrum Industries’ employee, Nick Coonts, is the company’s Safety Manager and has worked at the niche furniture manufacturer for over a year. On a daily basis, Coonts analyzes and redevelops safety procedures, leads Spectrum’s safety and wellness teams, and is constantly looking for new ways to keep Spectrum employees safe.
Coonts has been implementing and practicing new safety procedures for many years now, because his life has depended on it.
In 2008, Coonts joined the Navy and was stationed at a base near Corpus Christi, Texas, and a year later was reassigned to a new base in San Diego, California.
Eventually, Coonts was deployed as a Mineman, a Mine Warfare Specialist, in May of 2009, and spent his first deployment in Bahrain, a small island west of the Persian Gulf and east of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is a U.S. Navy Base located in the Kingdom of Bahrain directly in the center of the Middle East.
Coonts also served a second deployment in Bahrain in 2010-2011 and traveled to Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Defined by the United States Recruiting Command, “Mineman perform their duties at sea aboard minesweepers assisting in the detection and neutralization of underwater mines. Ashore, minemen are technicians who test, assemble and maintain underwater explosive devices (mines). They test various electronic components to ensure proper repair and make sure that the mine works properly. They are also responsible for safe storage, handling and loading of mines for transporting.”
As a Mineman Coonts served on a minesweeper, a small naval warship, that destroys, neutralizes, and prevents mines from blowing up with the use of sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging). Sonar is a technique used on minesweepers to detect mines on the ocean floor by the reflection of underwater soundwaves.
During Coonts’ deployments as a Mineman, he patrolled oil wells outside of Iraq, was also a search and rescue swimmer, Flying Squad Team Leader, and an Anti-Terrorism Team Leader. As a Flying Squad Team Leader, Nick directed and assisted other Mineman in fighting fires, repelling external attacks, and ceasing floods.
By the end of Coonts’ second deployment in September of 2011, he was ranked an E-5 Petty Officer Second Class (PO2), four ranks above what he was at the beginning of his first tour, which was an E-1 Seaman Recruit (SR).
Coonts’ dependency and reliability on safety during his deployments has stayed with him as a Safety Manager at Spectrum. He continues to develop new safety measures and is constantly creating new strategies in order to keep Spectrum employees safe.
Coonts is a native of Davenport, Iowa, and loves to stay active by hunting, back packing, and spending time with his wife Allison, two children, Maximillian, Lucy, and dog Benny.
References:
https://www.cool.navy.mil/usn/enlisted/rating_info_cards/mn.pdf
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/navy-enlisted-rating-job-descriptions-3345840