Paladin Security is proud to announce ten of our officers have been honoured with the prestigious Canadian Security Lifesaver Award for saving a man’s life in Ontario.
It happened at Square One Shopping Centre in the Greater Toronto Area, the second largest mall in Canada, on October 18th, 2020. The Paladin Security Team found an older man unconscious on the floor of the food court during the busy dinner hour. He was not breathing, had no pulse, and was blue in the face. That’s when they jumped into action, working quickly to contact 9-1-1 and start CPR. They also attached an AED, which ended up delivering two shocks prior to EMS arrival.
The Team continued to do chest compressions for about seven minutes until help arrived, swapping between each other to ensure no compression fatigue happened. But it wasn’t just CPR that the officers had to deal with. Since the food court was very crowded, they had to conduct crowd control, including re-routing customers to keep the man’s privacy in-tact. Once paramedics arrived, the man’s pulse had returned, and he was transported to hospital in critical but stable condition.
“Saving a life is one of the most difficult things anyone can do. Making the decision to put your own safety at risk to do so during a global pandemic is absolutely extraordinary,” said Paladin Executive Vice President Blair Davenport.
Teamwork and Communication at the Forefront
The feat was an impressive one, considering five of the officers have less than two years of experience on the job. They worked together flawlessly, and their work was praised by both EMS and the Mississauga Fire Department.
“The fact that the guards made this decision so quickly, and immediately focused on the needs of another person, speaks to the amazing team we have in this group and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” added Davenport.
The Canadian Security Lifesaver Award
The CSLA award recognizes the above and beyond service security professionals provide daily and acknowledges the extraordinary steps frontline workers have taken to save lives. A member of the Client’s staff at Square One nominated the team and wanted to highlight the excellent communication the officers were able to establish and maintain throughout the ordeal.
“Several customers and tenants have complimented the teams handling of this unfortunate incident and how professional and compassionate they were. Not only were they able to accomplish reviving this male so he could receive advanced care, but they did it while remaining calm and focused,” the staff member said.
Christina Duffey, an Executive Vice President at Paladin Security, is also on the board of the Canadian Security Lifesavers Association. She says with over 140,000 licensed security guards in Canada, it’s crucial to recognize those on the frontlines as they deliver value to the general public on a daily basis.
“It’s a job that must be done; an essential post that must remain filled, even in times of adversity. Their efforts often go beyond the role of ‘policing and enforcement’. There are countless examples of unrecognized incidents in which security personnel, through their direct actions, have saved individuals lives,” Duffey says.
The CSLA has a strict selection process where a number of objectives have to be met in order to be considered. Each nominee is ranked based on scores submitted by other board members, and after discussion and review, a winner is confirmed.
Elements Considered by CSLA
- Celebrate examples where security professionals’ direct actions resulted in saving an individual’s life and that without such immediate intervention those individuals would most certainly perish.
- Enhance the public perception around the professionalism of the private security industry.
- Promote positive discussions around collaboration between Government, Law Enforcement, and Private Industry.
For Duffey, she said what stood out to her about the Square One team was how the Officer's actions saved a life while disregarding their own personal safety. She also praises how they worked effectively as a team and with emergency responders, resulting in a positive outcome.
“They showed compassion and professionalism that is very much deserving of this recognition,” Duffey said. “It should be noted that there were several incredible submissions for the Q4 award where security personnel showed extraordinary acts of bravery and professionalism.”
The Team was honoured with the award on January 25, 2021. Click here to see the video.
Thank you, Justin, Justin, Gabriel, Micha, Supreet, Harjap, Saud, Abbass, Kamil, and Steven on a job well done and making the world a safer and friendlier place.
