A Day in the Life at RCI: Installation Crew

Our clients always find it interesting to get to know more about the folks behind the products that they love. In keeping with that theme, we recently sat down with Josh Shoup, RCI Installation Coordinator, and asked him some questions about a day in the life of the installation crew at RCI. His answers to our questions are below!

Can you describe a typical workday for an install crew?

The typical day starts at 7:00 a.m. and we work a 10-12 hour shift. There’s a variety of different equipment that we use during our installs. For outside attractions, we use variable reach forklifts, boom lifts, and cranes. For the inside attractions, we use scissor lifts, warehouse forklifts, and spyder cranes. As does all of RCI, we take safety extremely seriously. Our crew is equipped with full body harnesses and practice 100% tie off. We require high visibility shirts, hard hats, and safety glasses at all times. It is common for our install crews to move from one job to another for 3-4 weeks at a time without going home.

What type of training and/or certifications do the installers have?

RCI holds training at different points throughout the year, so anyone who has been with us for 2 years will most likely have their core 4 equipment training certifications (scissor lift, boom lift, rough terrain and warehouse forklift), rigging, crane operator, and fall safety training completed.

How long does it typically take to put up a Sky Trail® attraction?

All sites present a different challenge. A typical product for a family entertainment center is a 7 pole, 1 level Sky Trail® course and it will take around 4 days to install if the site conditions are good. Of course, the bigger the Sky Trail® is and the number of extra elements it has, like a Sky Rail™, the longer it takes! We’re always up for the challenge though!

What impresses you most about working for RCI?

Undoubtedly, it is the hard work and dedication of the road crew. When they get put in a tough spot and work 16-hour days for a month straight without any days off, it really makes me proud. It is incredible to see how dedicated all of our employees are and how much they really care about our customers. From a client standpoint, I think our product line is impressive. The Sky Trail®, Sky Rail™, Sky Tykes®, Amaze’n Mazes™, Clip ’n Climb® are all very versatile and can be designed to fit any type of space indoors or outdoors. Each attraction brings joy to many people around the world.

What’s one thing you wish more people knew about when it comes to completing an installation for a client?

I’d like more people to know about the process of how we install each attraction and the environment in which they are placed in different locations around the world. Just because 2 courses have the same pieces and parts, it does not mean they can be installed the same. Every location presents different challenges, whether it be the ductwork on the ceiling or the narrow doorways into the building. Heck, we’ve lifted parts through windows before!

To learn more about some of our recent installations, visit our case study page or check out our time-lapse YouTube video of an install.