It was the end of a typical day for Paul Roberts, security officer at a large building in Cambridgeshire, where he is part of the team from TC Security Services who provides manned guarding services.
The building is a new complex that is nearing completion and will become home to the 3000-4,000 staff that are currently located in a number of buildings.
Paul was waiting to handover to the officer who was coming on duty at 6pm. They were running a little late so Paul had agreed to stay on until they arrived. While he was waiting, one of the team working on the construction came rushing to the reception desk to alert Paul that there was a fire in the building. The fire department were called to attend.
Paul’s quick thinking led to him contacting the officer who was coming on duty, asking them to block off the building to prevent anyone entering it. Paul and a construction worker worked together to clear the building floor by floor pointing the 30 or so people on site at that time to safety.
The CEO of TC Facilities Management, Tony Reed recently visited Paul to express his thanks on behalf of TC Security Services for his sterling efforts.
Steve Staple, Operations Support Manger for TC Security Services, said to Paul: “I just wanted to send a big thank you from both myself and the client for your exemplary service and the way you handled the fire at the site on the 19th Jan. The fact that you went above and beyond by lending your assistance to Bouyges to clear the building, for staying late to assist with this after your shift had ended, the way you took charge and handled the situation, is an example of your dedication and commitment to the site and the client.”
Paul Roberts, who has been a little overwhelmed by all the attention, said: “I feel that I was just doing the job I’m paid to do. I job that I really enjoy. Whilst no two days are the same, I never expected that managing a fire incident might be one of them. I am pleased that on this evening in question, I was able to put in to practice the training I have been given to make a real difference to the people who were on site, keeping everyone safe and getting the firefighters to get the fire extinguished as quickly as possible.”
