First on Scene, but Often Overlooked: Recognizing the Essential Role of Security Professionals

1 day ago

6 min read

Two security guards: one male, one female, standing together at the entrance to an office tower

When an emergency occurs, the first person to respond isn't always the person we picture.

Imagine a medical emergency in a shopping centre. Someone collapses and bystanders gather. Before an ambulance arrives, a security guard is already on scene—assessing the situation, calling for help, retrieving an AED, and starting CPR. Or consider an escalating confrontation in a hospital emergency department. A security professional recognizes the warning signs, intervenes to de-escalate, and protects patients, visitors, and healthcare workers.

These aren't extraordinary situations reserved for television dramas; they represent the daily responsibilities security personnel face. Yet when we talk about the people who protect our communities, private security professionals are often left out of the conversation. It is time to look closer at the people behind the uniform and the essential role they play in keeping us safe.

What Do Security Guards Actually Do?

For many, the image of a security guard is someone stationed at an entrance checking identification or monitoring cameras. While important, those tasks represent only a small part of a much broader profession.

At its foundation, security work is about observation, reporting, and situational awareness. Security personnel serve as the eyes and boots on the ground—identifying concerns, documenting incidents, and communicating critical information so appropriate action can be taken.

Depending on their assignment, training, and authority, their responsibilities generally include:

Observation, Threat Recognition & Reporting: Monitoring property and activities, identifying suspicious behaviour or hazards before they escalate, documenting incidents, and communicating accurate, timely information to authorities.

Medical Emergency Response: Recognizing distress, providing immediate first aid or CPR, operating AEDs, and coordinating emergency medical services.

Violence Prevention & De-escalation: Identifying escalating behaviour, utilizing verbal de-escalation techniques, protecting vulnerable individuals, and stepping in when necessary and appropriate.

Critical Incident Response & Evacuation: Securing affected areas, leading emergency evacuations, preserving incident evidence, supporting emergency personnel, and maintaining order in chaotic situations.

Security professionals are frequently required to make critical decisions when information is incomplete, emotions are high, and circumstances are changing rapidly.

Yet while responding effectively to emergencies is vital, some of the most valuable security work happens when an incident is prevented altogether. A confrontation that never becomes violent, a hazard identified before someone gets hurt, or a distressed person who receives assistance before escalating rarely makes headlines. Prevention may be less visible than emergency response, but it is no less valuable to public safety.

A security guard performing CPR on a person in a mall.

Are Security Guards Considered First Responders in Canada?

Security guards in Canada are not generally included in formal government first-responder classifications. However, depending on their assignment and training, security personnel are frequently the first individuals on scene to identify, report, and respond to emergencies.

When Canadians hear "first responder," they typically think of police, firefighters, and paramedics. But what actually defines a first responder—is it job title, training, responsibilities, or the operational reality of being the first person providing aid?

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s 2023 glossary of terminology related to psychological trauma, a first responder is generally understood to be a trained professional who arrives at an emergency to provide immediate medical or evacuation assistance. PHAC also acknowledges that this definition continues to evolve as recognition expands to include other professionals providing emergency aid.

Official recognition, however, varies by program. For example, Public Safety Canada’s Memorial Grant Program for First Responders uses a specific occupational definition covering police, firefighters, paramedics, and certain correctional personnel, but excludes private security guards.

Conversely, a 2015 Public Safety Canada research report (The Use of Private Security Services for Policing) acknowledged that private security personnel are often the actual first responders to residential and business alarms. The report illustrates how security personnel contribute directly to public safety through their physical presence and rapid operational response.

If security professionals are consistently the first to recognize, report, and respond to emergencies, their contributions warrant wider recognition within our understanding of first response.

What September 11 Taught Us About Security and First Responders

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, demonstrated extraordinary courage and sacrifice. While we rightly honour the firefighters, police, and emergency personnel who responded to the World Trade Center, others working inside the buildings deserve recognition as well. Security guards and fire safety personnel were already at their posts when the attacks occurred, continuing their duties and assisting building occupants amid unimaginable danger.

In its July 2004 findings, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) documented building security guards and fire safety personnel performing critical duties following the aircraft impacts. However, for that specific analysis, NIST defined first responders strictly as individuals who arrived at the site from external locations—excluding on-site security personnel. NIST’s subsequent 2005 investigation and the 9/11 Commission Report both formally documented the vital response activities performed by building security personnel.

While emergency response classifications in the United States differ from those in Canada, the lesson remains universal: people already present when an emergency begins often perform critical response duties without being captured by formal classifications. Recognition should reflect the responsibilities people carry and the contributions they make, not simply the titles they hold.

A pie chart showing all different types of first responders; a stick man holds one pie piece called security guards but there's no room in the chart for it.

Why the Private Security Industry Deserves Greater Recognition

Public perception remains one of the greatest challenges facing the security industry. Too often, security is viewed as an entry-level job requiring minimal skill or professional value. While some positions are entry-level, that view ignores the vast scope of the modern security field.

Private security encompasses critical environments including hospitals, schools, commercial towers, industrial sites, critical infrastructure, entertainment venues, and residential communities. Professionals in this field specialize in close protection, loss prevention, investigations, emergency management, risk assessment, and security leadership. Others dedicate their careers to front-line service, developing advanced expertise in observation, communication, conflict management, and emergency response.

Security is not merely a placeholder job until something better comes along; for many, it is a rewarding career built on service, responsibility, and specialized expertise. The value of security professionals extends far beyond emergency response—their daily preventive presence, communication skills, and early threat identification are foundational to community safety.

Recognition Is Beginning to Change in Alberta

There are encouraging signs that attitudes toward security professionals are shifting, including here in Alberta.

On December 6, 2024, 20-year-old security guard Harshandeep Singh was fatally shot while working at an Edmonton apartment building. His tragic death brought sharp attention to the real risks faced by front-line security personnel. At his memorial service on December 15, 2024, the Alberta First Responders Association (AFRA) organized an honour guard involving police, fire, sheriff, and correctional services.

As reported by Global News and CityNews Edmonton, AFRA President Jerry Galliford publicly recognized Singh as a first responder, noting that this marked the first time the association had organized such a tribute for a civilian member.

While professional association tributes do not equate to formal legal reclassification across Canada, this moment demonstrated meaningful progress: members of the traditional first-responder community publicly validating the front-line sacrifices and responsibilities of security personnel.

Why Training and Preparedness Matter

Being first on scene carries significant responsibility, but presence alone does not guarantee an effective response. The ability to make sound decisions, communicate clearly, and act appropriately stems from structured training and preparation.

Effective security training must teach professionals when to act, why a response is appropriate, and when a different approach or additional assistance is required. Training in situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, emergency procedures, first aid, and defensive tactics gives security personnel the tools to respond effectively. Equally vital are judgment, empathy, professionalism, and composure under pressure.

At TalonPoint Defence, we believe security training must prepare people for the operational realities of their work—not simply check a box for certification. Security professionals deserve to return home safely at the end of their shifts, and the public deserves the reassurance that those entrusted with their safety are properly prepared.

Recognizing Canada's Security Professionals This Remembrance Day

As Remembrance Day approaches, Canadians pause to honour the service and sacrifice of military members and veterans who have served our country. That reflection also invites us to consider the broader meaning of service and the many ways individuals dedicate their lives to protecting others.

Many military veterans transition into private security careers, applying their leadership, discipline, and commitment to community protection. Countless other security professionals from diverse backgrounds demonstrate that same dedication daily. Their work may not always be visible, and their successes may never make the news, but their contributions are real.

To the security personnel who remain calm during crises, the professionals who de-escalate situations before they become violent, and those who offer quiet protection every day: your work matters.

Security personnel are a vital part of the safety network protecting our workplaces, businesses, public spaces, and communities. The next time you walk past a security professional, consider looking a little closer—the person quietly standing watch may be the first to recognize a problem, call for help, or step forward when it matters most.

We should not have to wait for a tragedy to recognize the importance of the people who work to prevent one.

From all of us at TalonPoint Defence, thank you to the security professionals who serve our communities every day.