U.S. Security Associates Security Officer Braves Irma Without Relief
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) September 15, 2017 -- U.S. Security Associates, the market-leading and wholly-owned North American security solutions provider, maintained services in the face of Hurricane Irma. Security Officer Harold Russell braved the worst of Hurricane Irma for two days alone on duty.
When the Category 4 hurricane made landfall in the central Florida area, Russell was on watch for U.S. Security Associates (USA) at a client site in Deleon Springs.
He selflessly remained on site and took on a number of extra responsibilities to ensure the facility’s safety and security, when co-workers were unable to safely make their shifts because of storm damage.
The Deleon Springs site – staffed from the Orlando branch – is a secured facility and requires around-the-clock security, which Russell provided in the absence of any relief.
He made certain that the client’s property was safe and secure throughout Irma’s time in Florida. As the weather deteriorated, he remained vigilant, patrolling when able and reporting any damage he observed.
“Harold Russell went above and beyond the call of duty to preserve our client’s livelihood,” USA Site Supervisor Maj. Valerie Withrow said.
Russell’s dedication was not alone. USA’s operations team in Florida worked around the clock to minimize interruptions to services from the devastation that Hurricane Irma left in its wake.
As early as Monday USA personnel in Ft. Lauderdale were out helping to clear debris from the roads at client sites even as high winds and driving rain continued to pelt the area.
David Kahn, Chief Human Resources Officer for U.S. Security Associates said, “I'm proud to be on the team with the great group in Florida and Texas. Great job to Hank (Henry) Hiday, Larry Price, Eric Glasgow, and the branch managers, ops managers, site managers and Security Officers for doing exceptional work under tough circumstances.”
USA Southern Group President Henry Hiday also had high accolades for Area Vice Presidents Eric Glasgow and Larry Price, who lead the areas impacted by Irma and Harvey.
“It takes a tireless work ethic and a relentless positive attitude to manage the 24/7 regime of a hurricane response team and protocol,” Hiday said. “Without the right people, pre-coverage would fail and post coverage, where the going gets tough, also fails. Our company’s resilience in the face of catastrophic disaster response is outstanding and credit goes to both Larry and Eric for steering our Florida and Texas teams through these horrific storms.”
In West Palm Beach, the team went back to work Monday with no air conditioning or internet land-line connections and worked from hot spots and USB Wi-Fi units to make certain that all posts were covered as client sites began to come back online.
Miami’s office reopened Monday morning with dispatchers being the first to go live. Most of the Security Officers assigned from the Miami branch returned to their posts on Monday and office staff returned on Tuesday morning.
In Tampa, the team returned to operations late Monday night, and the Emergency Response Team was able to stand up to full strength by mid-day Tuesday.
There are nearly 4,500 associates in Florida providing a variety of security solutions to 951 clients. Despite the expansive damage from the sprawling storm that left roughly 90% of the state without power, Glasgow noted on Tuesday, “A level of normalcy is starting to emerge.”
The security company began mobilizing efforts in advance of the storm last week, shoring up their resources and preemptively organizing and distributing pay cards for their Security Officers in the storm's direct path. Currently the teams are diligently working with local law enforcement agencies to minimize the impact and ensure resources are available. USA's corporate headquarters in Roswell is organizing fundraising efforts to provide additional support to the teams impacted by Irma’s storm surge and sustained high winds.
ABOUT U.S. SECURITY ASSOCIATES
U.S. Security Associates (USA) is the market-leading, wholly-owned, American, full-service safety and security solutions provider. With over 160 locally-responsive offices, international locations and over 50,000 dedicated professionals, they offer the most complete array of physical security, remote surveillance, and global consulting and investigations to ensure better outcomes for thousands of clients and a range of industries. Innovative applications of leading-edge, proprietary technology enable USA to rank annually among the world’s best training companies, sustain the highest standards of quality, and underscore world-class customer service with unparalleled accountability. USA’s rise as one of the largest innovative security solutions leaders is a natural byproduct of these differentiators and enables the company to provide the most Safe. Secure. Friendly.® environments for people, assets, and brands. For more information, visit http://www.ussecurityassociates.com.
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Natalie Fischer, U.S. Security Associates, http://www.ussecurityassociates.com/, +1 (800) 705-0999, [email protected]
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