Security companies, consultants see increased needs for their services in Las Vegas

As fears of global and domestic terrorism rise, security companies and consultants are seeing increased needs and opportunities for their services.

James Cameron, founder of Security Concepts Group, a Las Vegas-based physical security company, is one of many now offering civilian training on active-shooter situations.

Cameron said he expects such training to eventually become as common and mandatory for companies as sexual harassment training.

“If you haven’t even thought of it, you’re behind the 8-ball,” said Cameron.

Cameron said his company has provided training for Red Rock Search and Rescue and is in talks with the Metropolitan Police Department to offer the training.

After completing a tour in Iraq in the early 2000s, Cameron worked with the State Department to provide physical security for ambassadors.

“I’ve actually been in five mass-casualty situations,” said Cameron. “This class is developed based off of (those) experiences.”

Cameron said his experience in high-threat situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and parts of Africa influenced his decision to emphasize basic medical training for civilians in his courses. The hands-on training explains what to do if someone is shot and how to turn everyday objects such as shirts or belts into tourniquets to stop bleeding.

“With the current situations, companies have got to start taking a look at this, and they are,” said Cameron.

Tony Jones, CEO of Core Group, which provides security and trains aspiring security instructors, said his company has been holding active-shooter trainings for about seven years. “Sometimes we include it in other courses because I think it’s really important,” said Jones.

Jon Simon, founder of Simon Protection Group, said he regularly sees a spike in requests for active shooter training following national catastrophes such as the Orlando nightclub shooting.

Simon, a former Metro police sergeant, said public safety agencies have been conducting active-shooter training for years, but he began holding a class for civilians about a year ago.

Simon Protection Group, which is based in Las Vegas but has a Los Angeles office, has conducted active-shooter trainings for private colleges, hair salons and car dealerships, among other businesses, Simon said.

Alan Zajic, founder of local security consulting group AWZ Consulting, said major shootings in recent years have prompted a response from companies big and small.

“Every time that (a major shooting) occurs, there’s always a surge of companies that start looking and say ‘Well, are we prepared?’” said Zajic, who organized an all-day active-shooter workshop for casinos at the Global Gaming Expo in September.

A 2014 FBI study of 160 active-shooter incidents between 2000 and 2013 found that the average number of shootings per year grew from 6.4 in the first seven years to 16.4 in the last seven years of the study.

Zajic, who consults with casinos and nightclubs, said it’s crucial for companies to have not only a preparedness plan but also a disaster recovery plan for what happens after.

“I think our world is changing, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a 20,000-square-foot casino or 200,000,” Zajic said. “You need to have some basic (procedures) in place.”

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Follow @acoreynews on Twitter.