“My guys at the Ajax site are the lowest paid in the place but they have the keys to the organization. How does that make any sense? They’re the ones running to a dangerous incident in the middle of the night.”

Despite what might come off as a cynical feeling about the support, Green says he will probably never leave health care. He cares about the facilities he works to help protect. Walking through the halls, it’s clear many staff members know him.

“I love it too much. There’s no other place in the world where you’re going to have the kind of exposure to people that we have here.”

What does he hate most about the job?

“I hate fighting for the dollar all the time.”

Green has also made personal sacrifices to his job over the years. During SARS in 2003, he worked alongside ER staff to make sure those visiting the hospital observed the rules about protecting themselves and patients in the hospital.

“We were Ground Zero for SARs. I didn’t see my family for weeks and it affected my family in many other ways. My youngest son had a school friend whose parents wouldn’t let him play with Colin because his dad worked in a SARS hospital. It was tough because I chose this life but my kids didn’t choose it,” he says.

Today, he says the industry is better qualified and the profession has a better feel even though there are fewer resources in health care.

“We’ve seen so much change. When I started at St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1983 I had 25 security officers in my department with no training — nothing,” he says, adding he’s also energized by the renewal projects that are happening, hopeful that one day, funding for security systems will be an easier sell.