Armed Security Guard Training and the Covid-19

Armed Security Guard Training and the Covid-19 Pandemic

With much of New York City and the nation shut down amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, armed security guard training is more vital than ever before. Empty stores, industrial sites, and other buildings can present an attractive target for criminals and other bad elements of society. Fortunately, the security industry has been deemed essential by governments across the United States, and security guard training continues to be available for those who are committed to protecting lives and property.

Safety: A Key Concern Inside the Classroom

Whether you are a business owner seeking protection for your building or someone aspiring to become a security guard, your health and safety should be a primary concern. The good news is that the security industry is keenly aware of those concerns and remains committed to ensuring that it works to safeguard the health of its personnel and the general public. In New York, for example, armed security guard training schools are currently following the state’s Covid-19 guidelines for occupancy, social distancing, and disinfecting protocols.

Those rules limit the number of students who can be present in any classroom, and mandate that social distancing guidelines be maintained at all times. In addition, training facilities have reemphasized the need for even more stringent cleaning and sanitization efforts to guard against the coronavirus. Those efforts are designed to ensure that both unarmed and armed security guard training courses are conducted in the safest possible way, protecting students and instructors alike.

Armed Security Guard Training: Safety Beyond the Classroom

To be truly effective during the current crisis, however, armed security guards need to maintain safety habits even beyond the classroom setting. In both on-the-job training and any on-site guard project, security personnel will need to follow the new safety protocols for some time to come. As a result, training efforts will continue to emphasize the most current recommended pandemic safety protocols. For businesses that rely on private security firms to protect their assets, that focus on safety helps to protect clients, customers, employees, and assigned security personnel.

Outlook for the Future

In the short-term, the Covid-19 pandemic has created chaos and uncertainty for many businesses and forced security companies to realign their strategies to meet the virus challenge. However, those businesses can be confident that competent security services will continue to serve their needs long after the current crisis has passed. No viral outbreak can change that fact.

Though the security industry has had to adjust to this new normal, its role in the defense of people and property is more important than ever before. To help meet that challenge, unarmed and armed security guard training will continue to evolve to ensure that guards have the tools and knowledge they need to better protect themselves and others from this virus and other emerging threats.

If you are a business owner facing new security challenges due to the impact, there has never been a better time to consider private security guard protection. And if you are an aspiring security officer, now is the time to get the training you need to pursue your security career.

Picture of George Kozhar

George Kozhar

George Kozhar is a respected security professional, licensed private investigator, and founder of International Security Services (ISS) - New York City’s dedicated security experts since 1999. Mr. Kozhar and his team provide a full array of private and business investigative services in the U.S. and overseas, VIP executive protection, armed and unarmed security guard services and training, and Fire and Life Safety Director training through the company’s Fire Science Institute.

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August 10th, 2022

Property Security Evaluation Report

Your Individualized Property Evaluation Report

Your site’s individualized property evaluation report contains information and analysis that you need to properly manage your site’s security needs. That information includes detailed analysis of the crime rate in your area, site access and parking protocols, and existing security infrastructure. Interior inspection includes analysis of emergency exits, fire suppression capabilities, and alarm infrastructure for emergencies. Exterior inspection includes analysis of structural defects, property lighting, and potential vulnerabilities in building access.

In addition to those inspections, our analysis also considered environmental factors, potential risks from older trees, outside property maintenance, and nearby crime that may overflow to the area. We also examined emergency response planning, including fire evacuation protocols and information supplied to residents about proper evacuation process.

 

Pressing Suggestions


We highly suggest a camera placement along this driveway, as the overhead cameras in the back parking lot may not capture all makes, models, and license plates of cars entering in and out based on the angle they are recording from. The best camera placement would be at the green circle closest to the sidewalk/street.
The common area is easily accessible, but based on the angle that cameras are set at the front lot, anyone can enter the basement common area concealing the side of their face that is facing the camera. This is not to say that the camera arrangement should be changed, but it is highly recommended to have coverage in this common area as the common area is on a lower floor not visible from the sidewalk.


However, a few fundamental problems exist when it comes to access control of the back parking (a big territory). Even though only two issues have ever occurred there, the wide-open access point to that lot may need to be corrected sooner than later as there is a significant uptick in crime in the 62nd precinct.

Furthermore, there are two fundamental surveillance blind spots along the driveway leading to the back parking lot and every common area.

Lastly, however unlikely it may seem, tenants should have resources and a physical guide for situations that may require an evacuation. Whether it be a flood or fire, each tenant should know how to use a fire extinguisher and where to evacuate to during a flood regardless of their proximity to a shoreline.


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