“It doesn’t matter if an event is run perfectly, there’s always a small magnitude of chaos in any large crowd situation. The key is to never stand back and let things unfold. We stay engaged. We don’t just monitor situations that seem like they may escalate; we walk through the crowd, in pairs, and engage groups of friendly people in a friendly manner, ask them how their day or night is going and how they’re liking the show – it lets the general crowd know we’re there and we’re approachable.” On top of that, Toursec comes well-equipped on the tech side of things. Dan has invested in a Police Specification Command Post with three dispatch consoles in constant contact with guards, police, fire and EHS to make sure all threats both inside and outside an event are contained before they become an issue for those attended or performing. “It’s still about presence, but it’s done right now.” Thinking of trying to get into an event with a fake id, well if it is a Toursec event, I wouldn’t take the chance, as Toursec’s ID screening teams are all provincially trained, certified for work in a licensed venue and have access to technology to uncover counterfeits. Every year they find hundreds, with many being charged with their use.
“This is great for the Quick Response team – a QR team – and if there’s an incident, they go in and deal with it. At some of the larger festivals we do, we utilize a CCTV system and at others a spotting system. If there’s a fight called, we can be there in seconds. These guys are trained and certified in Defensive Tactics, which is a program by the Human Factors Research Group – the same course a police academy cadet walks out with. It’s absolutely police training. The reason is that what comes with that is what’s called a Forced Continuum or Use of Force and Control Continuum. It means you are certified to use force that is tactically, medically, and legally sound. That’s the training my QR team gets. Keep in mind, the knob doesn’t go up to ten like it does in policing – it’s still private security – and my guys are specifically trained to recognize this, but it’s still critical to have in order to quickly defuse escalating situations in a large crowd. It’s still about presence, but it’s done right now.” Dan would like to see industry standards change. Dan explained that far too often event planners just look at how many shows a given company has worked, you can work a lot of events, but what are their real qualifications. With today’s social media and it only takes one small incident to go viral and that becomes the event, do you want to trust that to just anyone, I don’t think so, there is a lot more than just money on the line when you are doing events.
“I’ve got a mainstream company called APPS and we provide security for everything from retail to industrial warehouse locations. I also operate RMG, which is a little more niche-based, and there we specialize in security for the heavy industrial and healthcare sectors. Across my companies, there are just under 80 training courses available to employees who want to move up to different positions – and that’s in addition to mandatory training, like the Defensive Tactics (DT) course my Quick Response (QR) guys take.” While Dan sees the training, he provides to his Toursec employees as a retention tool, he’s also happy every time one of his employees embarks on a career in law enforcement. “The better trained your employees are, the more comfortable and confident they are doing their job and that translates into people who are happy to come to work.” Barry takes pride in his teamandwants to help them in their careers. Many of Toursec’s employees have gone on to successful careers in law enforcement – and Dan gets personally involved with their application processes as he says, “It’s an honour.” But it’s not all contingency planning and risk management. Dan explained that every now and then, once everything is in place and it’s almost show time, a memory to last a lifetime can be made unexpectedly. “One of the coolest experiences I’ve had was a few years ago in PEI at Credit Union Place when Jerry Seinfeld came to town. We provided security and his manager was talking with a group of us in the back before the performance and he [Jerry Seinfeld] all of a sudden came and joined the discussion. The best part of it all was learning that he is him, if you get me,” Dan laughed. “It felt like I was in an episode of Seinfeld. His whole demeanour is just like his character – he should have never been paid that much to star in that show! There was no pretense; he engaged everybody.”
For Dan and the Toursec team, the only problem is the one you’re not prepared for. “Ninety-nine percent of people are great to deal with – they’re there to have a great time and, quite frankly, they’re one of our biggest assets.” Spotlight on Business Magazine has covered and attended events that Dan and his Toursec team have been working behind the scenes, yes we encourage vigilance in everybody but when we are at an event it is comforting to know that a trained profession with a keen eye is in control of the situation so we and those attending can sit back and relax or stand up and cheer and know that you are in good hands with Toursec. Visit Toursec.com for more information on how Dan and his Toursec Team can make your next event memorable for all the reasons. “The better trained your employees are, the more comfortable and confident they are doing their job and that translates into people who are happy to come to work.”
•
56
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • AUGUST 2019
57 AUGUST 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online