security officer

patrol officer

installation technician

sales representative

talent coordinator

First Response Security

I currently work in the Patrol department at First Response. My personal experience is overall very good, management has an open-door policy and you can really talk to management and supervisors as needed without feeling like you're being a nuisance. They genuinely care about how you're doing and will often be flexible with you if you need accommodation. 

As for training: if you don't already know what you're doing, you'll feel like you've been thrown to the wolves. I've been at this for a long time, however, so I settled in pretty quickly and learned the dynamic of the team and how the departments operate. This is not a place you regularly get feedback. Assume you're doing good if no one has talked to you in a while. Communication is decent if and when you initiate, however. Backup will be sent if you need it, dispatch will also check up on you if you have an incident you're responding to.

The work itself is especially straightforward. You're provided with all the gear you need and taught how to use proprietary systems during orientation, and it's pretty straightforward. The biggest thing that I will emphasize is having good attention to detail.

There's good and bad here and there, but overall I feel secure and supported in my job and my department. I could see myself working here long term. Really, my only gripe is that the wages have stagnated a bit. A bump in compensation with how stressful money is these days would be a great morale boost. But definitely not a bad place to work and leagues better than other security companies I've worked for.

This company could truly be successful if it wasn't for the VP of operations.. This family owned company has tons going for them if only they could get one of the brothers under control.. Here are a few things I experienced while working there;

1. You are not allowed to talk in the office. If the VP of operations walks into the room where you are talking, he will jump down your throats for not emailing. Then he will come to his "solution" without hearing out all the facts. So don't you dare think for yourself! 

2. High School drama.. If you didn't get enough of the slander and back stabbing in High School, you will surely get enough from working in this work environment. Its not your co-workers, its the VP and his assistant... They whisper in front of you (as if you can't hear what they're saying) or openly talk about you with the door open. And don't you dare talk to the President of the company.. The VP literally expects you to tell the President (no matter the topic) "I'm already working on this, and me and the VP have a plan".. Even if we don't. 

3.   Privacy. Its one thing to know what people are doing on your dime.. But its totally another to tracker what they are doing off the clock. Forget your privacy once you accept a position with this company.

The best part of the job, giving notice to resign.. The VP all of sudden recognizes how valuable you are, and tries to convince you to stay. 

Advice.. Don't accept a position as Admin staff. You will regret it!

Most shifts are easy to understand and do effectively. There’s very few places with specific security obligations outside of provide a presence and writing reports. The biggest fight is with the office. Least from my experience in flexing. Communication is abysmal, sent to places with no information and no ability to get ahold of someone sometimes for hours, receiving this information is inconsistent alot of the times and wholly dependent on who is sending you there. 

No grave onsite assistance. Most the office leaves and a patrol watch commander is our only help after hours. A lot of the time they’re too busy or don’t offer much guidance to no fault of their own. 

If you’re a static onsite employee you’ll have a good time here the office is flexible with your requests for time off or sick days. Uniforms will take forever or if you need something for the site it’ll depend on if they remember. If you’re a flex you usually go to new places every week, but you won’t have any ability to have a personal life if you’re known to be consistent and their commitment to be flexible for people calling off. Flex officers carry the weight and can’t afford to be out for days or their system crumbles down. 

There’s zero accountability for people abusing their flexibility and call off just to not work leaving the work load to fall on the flex officers who work 6-7 days a week consistently. Which is where the high turn over is. Outside of the onsites not doing their jobs with no one to watch over them when the office is gone. 

During my time at this company, I encountered several challenges that impacted my overall experience.​

Leadership and Management: The leadership approach often felt inconsistent and lacked clear direction. Decisions were sometimes influenced by external sources that didn't align with our industry standards. There appeared to be a disparity in how employees were treated, which affected team morale.​

Workplace Culture: The company culture did not foster inclusivity or open communication. Feedback mechanisms were limited, making it difficult to address concerns effectively.​

Compensation and Benefits: Compensation practices lacked transparency, and there were instances where expected earnings were not met. While health benefits were adequate for individual employees, support for dependents was minimal. The paid time off policy was restrictive, especially in the initial years of employment.​

Resource Allocation: There was a noticeable imbalance in how resources were allocated, with significant investments in executive perks, while employee development and support were overlooked.​

Conclusion: These experiences led me to seek opportunities elsewhere. I hope this review provides insight for those considering employment with this company.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Super easy job once you get the hang of it, did not feel micromanaged at all during my time there. Talking to management was easy, and this job really supported me during the days I had to take off, I truly felt as if this job had my back.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There was one time where I requested backup over the radio, but I was told to contact the on shift supervisor first to be able to put the request first. Made me think that if there was an emergency situation, the back up would be a while.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture is what you make of it. If you don’t make the effort to talk to anyone, which is what I did, you won’t really get much communication with your coworkers, especially since you barely get to see them. With that being said, there are plenty of people here who have made friends and communicate with each other frequently throughout their shifts.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
My typical day was largely the same, get to work, get your gear ready, and begin your patrols. Consistent schedule was a major plus for my family and I.

I know that's a bold statement, but I firmly believe it to be true. I worked here for about 6 months and enjoyed close to every minute of it. All of the staff is genuinely kind and helpful. You won't interact with them much, as is the way of life in this field of work. You will get appointed to a post and mostly left alone to do your work, especially if on nights. Super laid back job at most posts. If you ever need time off, it will most likely be accommodated for as long as you give them an ample heads up. I had an issue at one of the sites i worked, voice my concerns, and wasn't pressured to go back or punished in any way, and was instead worked with to get me to a new site. Only reason I'm not still working there is because I moved out of state. Only con that's specific to the company and not Security as a whole was that we only had one On Site manager on nights who worked only the front half of the week. This meant if you were on front half and had any issues you were basically SOL. This also meant you were completely left alone so make sure you are someone who can work independently or this is a slippery slope. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking to get into security.

I was employed six months ago and found the environment to be excellent. Supportive management that wants you as an individual to succeed and therefore they succeed as a company. I found their technology to be first rate.  They take care of their equipment and they are open to suggestions on how to make things better.  I have been employed in emergency services from 911 Dispatching, Fire Fighting, EMS, and Law Enforcement.  I went to security for a slower pace.  First Response has not been a slower pace.  They are a forward thinking and care totally for the Client, Employee, and everyone who comes in contact with First Response.  I have found that security is just as rewarding as my former emergency services career and that is due to the environment, employees and management at First Response.  I highly recommend First Response as a career not just a job.

I have been working for this company for almost 7 years now and never have I felt more valued and appreciated anywhere else than here. Not only you are given a fair chance to advance and succeed, but you are constantly encouraged and rewarded by the management and the owner himself in the process of doing so. I have created life-long friendships with people that I work with, and have always felt part of the team. This company and its owners feel strongly about appreciating family values and giving back to the community. The constant philanthropic work they do is such a great inspiration on how to never forget to be humble and try to improve your community. Because of all the hard work and commitment, and the appreciation and encouragement they show toward all of their employees, this company has continued to grow and expand exponentially in the last 30 years, making it one of the most reliable places to work for in the North West.

Like most companies there will always be issues. A lot of complaints come from people that don't put the work in and want everything to be easy. I have worked here for 16 years and while I have my own complaints sometimes this company is actually pretty great. I have a great relationship with the owners and HR who I think are the best out there. And all I have had to do is work as hard as I can and you are golden. Everyone makes mistakes and believe me I have made mistakes but I was willing to listen and adjust. You don't have to agree with everything as long as you do as asked and follow the rules. This is a great family owned business that has gone out of their way to help me through so many aspects of my life. I wouldn't review this company if I didn't believe in them. If you want work here be prepared to work HARD! You will be rewarded and praised.

I am a previous employee of First Response Security and my heart goes out to them not just as a previous employer but they helped make it seem like we were a family and a team and that we all had each other's backs and cared about each other. My personal experience was all the managers and Human Resources Employees are extremely polite and did their job 110% all the time. They care about your safety before anything else which not a lot of other companies do and they hired me when I was going through a really tough time and needed to get back up on my feet. If you are personally looking for a better security company to work for think twice before taking another companies offer because you won't find a better one than First Response Security because there isn't one out there. Thank you First Response and you guys are the best.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Security officer 28 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Patrol officer 7 salaries reported	$23.14 per hour
Installation technician 3 salaries reported	$41.83 per hour
Sales representative 2 salaries reported	$85,000 per year
Talent coordinator 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour

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