Tips For Security Guards To Be Safe
November 12, 2020
As a security guard, you tend to work long and hard to keep people and their property safe. No matter where you’re based whether a busy bank or a small shop because you hold a position of trust and responsibility. To perform to the best of your abilities, what you need is to combine your training and experience with the best equipment you have. If you can do this it will keep both you and your clients safer. So here are some tips to keep security guards safe.
Body Armor
Wearing body armor is essential in certain situations, depending on what your assigned location is. The higher the risk of danger is the stronger your protective clothing should be. However, with so many different vests available, you need to know which is best-suited to the potential threats you may face. There are five levels of protection that are available: 2A, 2, 3A, 3, and 4, covering a variety of rounds from 9mm up to .30 caliber armor-piercing types. You should pick your vest carefully. Providing security guard service in Los Angeles is a lot of work after all.
Stay Aware of your Surroundings
Staying aware of your surroundings is one of the most important parts of the security job duty. No matter how long you’ve been based in a location, you have to make sure you remain familiar with the layout. Keep all emergency exits in mind, as well as all possible hiding-places troublemakers might use to evade you, and the patrol routes of other security personnel. The better you know these things, the better you’ll be able to monitor it.
Wear Bulletproof Vests if Armed
The risk of being shot as an armed security guard is always high. Whether you’re based in a bank or a high-value jewelry store, an armed robbery may always break out. Which means you will likely be armed as well. Thus, wearing a bulletproof vest is essential. Accidents always happen and if you trip while holding your gun, or a shot ricochets. Your vest should stop hits to any area covered. It is also possible that someone else may seize control of your firearm in a hostile situation.
Work as a Team
It is always best to work as a team. If other security guards are also in the same location as you it would be better to combine your efforts. Plan your patrol routes together, perform multiple-point surveillance on suspicious individuals and make sure you are familiar with the procedure for emergency situations. After all, the better you work together, the better the end result will be in handling challenging scenarios.
The Right Stab Vest
It is very common that troublemakers, shoplifters or armed thieves would threaten you with knives if you confront them. Stab vests feature multiple levels of tightly-woven Kevlar, which apply friction to blades, stopping them from tearing through. There are three different levels available, based on varying knives and the amount of energy an attacker uses. Wear the toughest one you can find to defend against even the most ferocious torso-based attack.
Consider Adding Spike Protection
Before you order a stab vest, you might want to add spike protection. As to why, This weave should be tight enough to trap pointed tips found on needles or sharpened items, such as icepicks. So if an attacker stabs your vest with one of these, you should be safe. This would add a little more expense to the overall cost but should prove invaluable.
Stay Alert
You should stay alert at all times. When you end up working in the same location day after day, walking the same routes, seeing the same faces, you start to take it easy. You will feel like you know which situations are most likely to take place, and how to handle them. However, one thing to remember is you never know when things could change. So stay alert and prepare for all possibilities. Just because a particular scenario hasn’t occurred yet, doesn’t mean that it won’t. These tips to keep security guards safe will be of help to you.
Wear Protective Gloves
Another important protective gear you may want to wear is anti-slash gloves. These are designed to stop knives or pointed weapons, this will allow you to seize weapons without risking your hands. After all, a wound to the palm or fingers can leave you unable to defend yourself and could lead to permanent injuries. So always keep these available if needed.
Keep in Shape
You should always keep your body in the best shape. Many of us have seen security guards who look unable to run after a person if needed. Try to stay in a decent physical condition, even if that just means exercising more and cutting down on the calories you take in within a shift.
Check your Armor Regularly
Armed guards especially wearing a bulletproof or stab vest that carries signs of previous damage can still leave you exposed to danger. Bullet-holes and tears would create space for rounds and blades to pass through. Check your vests regularly to make sure that there are no defects. Follow these tips to keep security guards safe.