What can you tell us about El Castillo Retirement Residence?
We have all three levels of care — independent living in apartments, assisted living, and intermediate care, which is a nursing facility. The minimum age to live here is 63. We have our own weight room, swimming pool, and community room with a big screen TV and a DVD/VCR player. The apartments range from 800-1500 square feet. We have five buildings total, four are independent buildings and the last is three stories. We have about 150 residents total.
How many employees work there?
There are 90 employees. This is all of the departments including nursing, dietary, maintenance, administrative and house-keeping. We clean all of the apartments and do the maintenance. I am the Maintenance Supervisor. I have been here for 21 years in this position. We have four people in the maintenance department, including myself. We do all of the electrical and plumbing work. We try and do as many of the personal things we can do for residents.
Who handles your security?
We use ASI, or Associated Security Industries. I am the liaison between them and the Center. I interview each guard, make sure they get training and if they do not I find out when they can. I always know who is on shift, and I am the one who downloads every report everyday. I review the report, which is very nice. I can read the report and can scan it quickly. I know where the guard as been, how long he took, whether he was on or off property. Our patrols are all roaming. We have no stationary patrol. We are a 24 hour a day, seven day a week facility, which means we have a nursing staff on at all times. We have one guard on each evening and all weekend. They are always in uniform so that the residents know who they are and why they are there. The PIPE helps me to know where they have been and where they are going. If there is a problem area, I can see that they were in the area when they needed to be. It is wonderful! There are six officers total. So, there are two shifts, one from 4:30 to 11 p.m. and midnight to 7 a.m.
Do the rounds cover the entire grounds?
Yes, we patrol all four acres. I have placed the buttons in every corner of the facility. Some are inside and some are outside. There are buttons in areas that have items that could be stolen such as electronics, and pictures. The other important thing is that we have certain areas that get locked at night. Storage areas, for example, are locked and unlocked. The library is another place that gets locked. Our rounds are very random. Each lobby has a button so that they can see if there is anyone looking at the directory. They have a station at one of the lobbies that views the driveway, the garage and the community room. There is a table there where they can fill out reports and keep an eye on everything.
How many PIPEs are in use?
We own one PIPE. The guards share The PIPE on shift during the night. In the morning, I pick it up from them and download it. I download The PIPE every day, and I love it! If there is a problem, I make an entry on the written report and fax it to ASI and show them where the problem is with my patrol. I would not have that ability without The PIPE. I save the reports to both disk and my hard-drive. We have been using Guard1 Plus for two years, at least.
What did you use before Guard1 Plus?
We had another guard company that had something similar to The PIPE. But the company did not follow through. They did not address any issues, if it broke down, they did not know how to get it fixed and then it became my problem. With TimeKeeping Systems we have had great technical support. They send me recommendations on what was done.
Do you have special issues to check for?
Other than the tourists and people on property that do not belong, we have some areas that are secluded, so we have had some trespassers in the evening. Our security issues are making sure the buildings that are never locked are not broken into. We have had things come up missing. But now that we use Guard1 Plus and I know that the guards are where they belong, we do not have nearly the theft problem we used to have. The residents like The PIPE and they like that our guards are personable; they will help bring their groceries or luggage up to their apartment.
What do you like about Guard1 Plus?
I think that besides the dependability, it is the knowledge. The ability to know what went on, and when it went on. If there was ever to be an incident, I would be able to know that we had our security here, to know that they were in the area they needed to be in, and that part is covered by us. So, for me it is the dependability first of all, second the ability to download a good report and know exactly what went on. I can download a report in thirty minutes, put everything away and move on. It is a time-saver and gives me peace of mind. It is not something we have to troubleshoot or is always breaking down, which makes it nice for me!
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