Meet ‘Bub'

His real name is Darrell Butler. As a youngster Darrell's brothers and sisters couldn't pronounce his name, so they called him Bub.

Today, Bub, has created quite a name for himself as a site supervisor with Gibbs Wilson installing magnetic resonance imaging equipment, CT scanners, angiography rooms and general x-ray equipment in hospitals from coast to coast in Canada.

“Our firm specializes in working in hospitals,” Darrell said. “Probably about 80% of what we do is work as a sub-contractor for Siemens Canada. We work for their medical division called Medical Solutions.”

The purchase of a Siemens state-of-the-art MRI by the Brant Community Healthcare System led to Darrell coming to the Brantford General a few weeks ago. “Last summer I supervised an installation in Hamilton so I drove through Brantford all the time.”

“The company is headquartered in Watford near Sarnia,” Darrell said. “The town's population is all of 800 or so, and we employ 40 of them. Our crew has been from St. John's Newfoundland to Prince George British Columbia; and up north in Ft. McMurray Alberta to Sarnia in southern Ontario. The company has been good to me- they have flown my wife and four boys to stay with me. It is a good way for the kids to see Canada.”

The bulk of Darrell's work is installing MRI's. He counted at least 17 of the units in the past couple of years, including a dozen that he has been the supervisor. Ask Darrell what is involved in installing such expensive, high-tech machinery and he is quick to quip, “Mostly headaches!” He is just kidding though.

“Initially, here in Brantford I reviewed all the drawings and conducted an overview of the site, he said. “It is like an assembly line, you have many stages. Right now I need to get all the approvals and line up the trades. We have a lot of work to complete before the MRI arrives in September from Germany where it is being constructed.”

The MRI suite at Brantford General was incorporated into the new D-Wing when the new tower was designed. “This was quite visionary on the hospital's behalf. When the time comes a hatch that was built into the roof will be opened and the MRI magnet will be lowered into place by a crane,” Darrell said. “We did a similar installation at St. Joseph's Hospital in London. Everywhere else was through a side wall or a corridor.”

Darrell makes it sound so simple. The MRI magnet weighs 5,880 kilograms and measures seven feet square. The crane will be located on St. Paul Avenue for perhaps 14 hours. All the planning will include city and police officials.

After the unit is installed Siemens officials will arrive and fine-tune the MRI and fill it with helium. Then the staff will be trained. It is early yet, but we are looking to an opening of the MRI in the fall. Then, Darrell will be off to Vancouver to install a machine that manufactures drugs to fight cancer. He already knows a bit about the project, “We will be working in underground bunkers with 40-inch thick walls and ceilings.”

“The best part about my job is knowing that we are helping patients,” Darrell reflected. This is the same sentiment that all the others that continue to help bring an MRI to Brantford General.

Gary Chalk is senior executive director- public affairs & development for the Brant Community Healthcare System. Brantford General is a regional health centre providing primary, emergency and specialized services. The Willett. Paris is a multi-service health centre providing urgent care, primary and community outreach programs.