Security Honor Roll --Robert Vance

Sep 1, 1998 12:00 PM, KATE HENRY

           

As director of safety, security and police for the Millard Fillmore Health System, Buffalo, N.Y., Robert C. Vance III, CPP, surrounds himself with people he trusts, who trust him in return. That may be the key to the transformation he has worked at Millard Fillmore; he has established the once-fledgling security operation there as a model of effective health care security. "My officers have my home number, my pager number and my cell phone number, and they call me any time of day or night they need something," says Vance. "I'm proud that they feel that close to me that they can wake me at 2 a.m. with a problem." The first middle-of-the-night call Vance received was about two years ago. According to Vance, an officer called with what was really more of a personal than work-related issue, fearing that Vance would be angry at being woken up in the middle of the night. "I talked to him for about an hour," says Vance, "and I guess he told everyone about it, because since then, the officers have trusted me enough to call me with their personal problems. I think it's part of giving back. When I was coming up through the ranks, I didn't have anyone I could call with a problem." And Vance now ranks at the top of his profession. The Millard Fillmore Health System comprises a large inner-city hospital, a medium-size suburban hospital and about 16 ancillary clinics and off-site facilities. Today, Vance oversees a security force of 50 security officers and 12 police officers, with a base of operations in the inner-city hospital, but when he came to Millard Fillmore in 1984, the department was fragmented at best, he says. Over the years, he has consolidated the security force, integrated electronic security systems and energized the entire operation with his open-door policy. He stays in touch with what his officers are doing and how they are feeling by working at least four days a month "in uniform" - not supervising, but doing the jobs officers do.

Programs change attitudes, effect change Working this transformation involved several initiatives on Vance's part, one of the most notable of which is a liaison program with local police departments intended to facilitate professional cooperation. As Vance explains it, "Generally speaking, police officers do not trust security officers and think they are undertrained. We reached out to about 30 police agencies in the area to acquaint them with the training we do and the level of professionalism and education our staff has." Security training at Millard Fillmore does indeed go above and beyond. According to Vance, new employees go through 40 hours of core competency training, then approximately 120 hours a year of comprehensive security officer training. "We're not wannabees; we're a semi-military force here," says Vance. "We give more training than police departments do. No police department is going to give you 120 hours per year of police-type training." And the payoff has been a marked improvement in relations with police, says Vance. "Since implementing the liaison program, we have found that when police are needed on site, they are well aware of what we are capable of and treat us differently than in the past; before, they considered the security staff rent-a-cops." Another initiative undertaken by Vance that has been of great benefit to the health care system was the implementation of a Kinderguard nursery security system. Vance began looking into a system that could secure the nursery in 1984, at which time, he says, no one was using electronic article surveillance technology for nurseries. "I ultimately came upon the Kinderguard system and instituted it in 1995," he explains. "We were the first in this part of the state to institute such a system, but since doing so, I have consulted with more than 10 other hospitals who have installed the same kind of system."

Emphasizing staff empowerment Also key to the transformation Vance has worked is the confidence he shows in his staff - empowerment that comes back to him in enhanced performance of the entire department. "I came from a situation where only the top couple of people in a department knew what was going on and knew how to do projects," he explains. "My view on management is you're only as good as the people below and beside you. I delegate projects to staff to give them a chance to perform." Millard Fillmore also boasts a mentoring/training program for students interested in the security or law enforcement fields. But when you have an open-door policy, finding time to balance work and a family life can be a challenge, says Vance. He has done so admirably: The Vance family was recently honored as first runnerup in the New York State Family of the Year Award. Vance, a husband and father of three, is a board member of the North Buffalo Junior Athletic Association and composes music and manages his son's acapella group in his free time. His professional affiliations are numerous and include: ASIS, IAHSS (International Association of Healthcare Safety and Security), ASLET (American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers), NSA (National Sheriff's Association), New York State Sheriff's Association, NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), ASHE (American Society of Healthcare Engineers). He also serves as a volunter risk management consultant for churches in his area that can't afford a risk manager. Vance is working toward a master's degree, has received New York state instructor certification for security officer training, and is the director of the Security Training and Preparatory Academy.

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