by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Many things have changed in America since Sept. 11, 2001, but none so much as the public’s perception of what it means to be “secure.”
The security industry has also changed, said First Coast Security Vice President Earle Ginn. He has been in the business since 1977 and was recently named a “Certified Protection Professional” by ASIS International. Ginn said it took him years to prepare for the 225-question test he had to pass to earn the board certification from the global security organization.
The days of a night watchman walking around with a flashlight and shaking doors are gone, replaced by personnel trained in a variety of roles.
“We have to look out for the 3,000 people who work in this building, but we are also very cognizant of what’s going on in the area like people photographing buildings and bridges,” Ginn said as he looked out the window of his office at Independent Square.
He said the modern security industry provides a wide variety of services from concierges who can conduct safety checks and facilitate seminars for the employees of commercial clients to state-licensed armed guards.
First Coast Security has contracts with Downtown property management companies including those at Independent Square and the BellSouth Tower, and also provides services for the City at the public libraries, the Yates Building, City Hall and the Ed Ball Building. The company is also on duty at the Fidelity campus on Riverside Avenue, Nemours Children’s Hospital and gated communities in North Florida including Sawgrass Country Club, Marsh Landing and Queen’s Harbour.
“We try to keep an eye on the whole city,” said Ginn.
First Coast Security’s employees have done everything from administering CPR to delivering babies to helping apprehend people who commit crimes up to and including attempted murder, he added.
Ginn also said First Coast Security works in conjunction with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office in the Security Communication Assistance Network (SCAN), a federally-funded program that provides private security personnel with police radios and trains them how to interface with the police department’s communications system. The system gives the JSO more eyes and ears on the streets.
“It’s what’s called a force multiplier plan.”
Ginn worked for the CPP certification in order to keep up with the rapidly-changing demands on private security firms.
“The industry has become all about education and I have an obligation to keep up with the industry. There is also a continuing education requirement and I have to be recertified every three years in order to maintain my certification.”
The Jacksonville native said he has stayed in the security industry for 30 years because he likes the fact it’s about people. He believes locally-owned First Coast Security’s 400-member staff has been able to compete with larger – including a few global – security companies in the area for the same reason.
“We have minimal turnover because we support our Field Managers and Site Supervisors with recruiting and training. We realize you’re not going to get rich, so we choose people who really want to work in this industry.”