'Hooked' on drilling

Judsonia teen takes advantage of local drilling class

By Misty Brown

LITTLE ROCK — Now that Travis Feurt of Judsonia has completed the Floorhand Training Program through Arkansas State University-Searcy, he hopes his "rough-necking" days will soon begin.

"I'd heard about it growing up through high school," Feurt said. "I thought about when I graduated, going and doing some rough-necking."

Rough-necking is a term used in the gas-drilling industry to describe working on a drilling rig.

Feurt, who has lived in Judsonia all 19 years of his life, heard about ASU-Searcy's program through a friend whose mother helped him enroll in the course.

The program, which lasted five days, provided Feurt and his classmates with critical onthe-job experience using a simulated drilling rig, occupational training skills and classroom training. The program also focused on Occupational Safety and Health Administration safe working procedures. At the end of the 40-hour week, students received a Forklift Operator's Certification, Rig Pass, Basic CPR and First Aid training and a Floorhand completion certificate, which are recognized by the International Association of Drilling Contractors.

Feurt said he only had to pay $15 for a drug test for thecourse, a small investment for the $14-to $22.50-per-hour average wage he is looking forward to earningonce employed by a gas-drilling company.

"There's a lot of money to be made in the oil field," Feurt said. "I'd like to work on a rig because it's one of the best-paying jobs."

Feurt, who graduated high school in 2007, said he got his start in the energy industry right out of high school when he worked for Express Energy Service on a supervac crew. His job on the crew was to perform rig-washes and clean out mud-storage tanks before the crews changed job locations. Though it was a dirty job, Feurt still enjoyed it and now looks forward to a career in the industry.

"Now I'm hooked on the oil field," Feurt said.

Feurt said the Floorhand Training Program was beneficial because it gave him real-world experience. "We learned how to operate thetongs and the spinning chain and the slips, which is what we'll use when [we] get a job on a rig," Feurt said.

He also believes the program will give him a head start on the hiring process with drilling companies.

"If I go out to a rig and talk to a tool-pusher, I don't have to wait a week to go through a class before I start on the job,"Feurt said. "I can get started that day."

Feurt said he already has applications out and has been interviewed a couple of times. Though he said Judsonia doesn't have much to offer industrially, he hopes the training will land him a job that will support his future goals.

"I don't have much of a desire to leave Judsonia," Feurt said, "but I do want to buy a house and land out here." - misty.brown@ arkansasonline.com

Three Rivers, Pages 62, 65 on 10/02/2008