Security officer Mike Hearn from Rouge Valley Health System was awarded the Medal Of Valour for his actions last year in disarming a patient in the emergency room on the morning of April 16, 2008. He successfully managed the incident which involved a violent and disruptive emergency room patient, armed with a knife, who had self-inflicted injuries.

The patient cut his throat and stabbed himself repeatedly in the stomach with an eight inch serrated bread knife. Officer Hearn restrained the patient until appropriately controlled, thus avoiding the possible use of a firearm by a police officer present during the incident. Officer Hearn suffered minor injuries as the result of his intervention.
 
Joshua Crewe and Aaron Haggerty of Paladin Security, both assigned to St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, B.C. each received the Medal of Merit for their cooperative response to a 911 call on the afternoon of June 15, 2008. The caller, subsequently determined to have been a discharged patient, was making suicidal threats. After responding to the location from which the call originated and not finding the caller, the two officers determined the caller to have moved to an adjacent site. At that location officers Crew and Haggerty found the individual to have secured a tensor wrap around her neck with an end secured to an elevated step in a parking garage. Officer Crewe immediately removed the material from the stair while officer Haggerty secured the still conscious individual who then attempted further self injury. The individual was subsequently returned and admitted to the hospital.
 
Also during the conference the B.C. chapter won the Outstanding Chapter of the Year award, and Ken Close of Trillium Health Centre and Tom Fulford, (Primary Response), successfully passed their Certified Protection Professional Administrator (CHPA) exam.

Jeff Young, Director, Prairie Region with Securiguard was appointed to the Board following on Fraser Health’s Don McAlister’s footsteps and Ken Close was sworn in as a member of the IAHSS Foundation.

News of interest to particular interest to Canadian members is that Toronto has been awarded the 2011 AGM to be held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.