The Ransom Everglades administration has taken some new steps to expand the school’s security team and ensure that students, faculty and staff feel like they are in good hands. Mr. Christopher Gonzales and Mr. William Burger have stepped in as RE’s new Security Supervisor and Associate Director of Security, respectively. Behind the intimidating protective gear, utility belt, and IDs lie friendly personalities and people who genuinely enjoy their job.
Mr. Gonzales had just completed his first day at the school and completed his first fire drill when I spoke with him. Although he couldn’t speak yet about what a typical day would look like, Gonzales said his job that day consisted of safeguarding and access control during the fire drill.
He added that he doesn’t see his job as merely just “security” but likes to think of himself as a humanitarian and takes the “helping people” aspect of his job very seriously.
Before RE, Gonzales worked as a security officer for six years at different hospitals.
Gonzales said that remaining calm under pressure was a major part of the role. “I try to keep my team calm as much as possible. We’re all trained to be calm. I tell everybody not to panic. I never panic; I just act,” he said.
Another new member of the growing security personnel at RE is the new Associate Director of Security, William (Bill) Burger, who can often be seen on campus wearing his signature sunglasses.
Mr. Burger said his philosophy about his role is, “If people don’t see it, then that means [they] are doing a good job.”
He revealed that a lot goes on behind the scenes to make sure everyone is safe.
At 6:00 a.m., Mr. Burger starts his day by checking all the camera footage from the night before, and then he does a perimeter check. After the students come in, the security team revamps all the cameras so they are positioned the right way. Then, they try to look at any possible damage to the fencing or anything that doesn’t look secure.
Burger also puts programs together for the security guards at the front gate. He creates patrol patterns, refines post orders, and aligns officer response expectations with updated campus protocols. At other times, he might arrange for a security officer to be with someone who had to come to the campus for an emergency and may not be vetted, or arrange for security in strategic locations during a sporting event.
Mr. Burger said that the security team is effective in part because everyone that the administration hires has some kind of law enforcement background. “We all have a different skill set, and different experiences, and we all have pretty good opinions because we’ve dealt with this kind of stuff before,” he said.
He said that he was drawn to apply for a job at RE because “[he] missed the ability to be able to help kids,” and he is honored to be able to work in a school that has such a strong reputation. He also added that he hopes as time goes on, students don’t get as intimidated by the uniform and better understand the importance of their job.
Dr. Don Cramp, Head of the Upper School, said that he hopes the addition of the new security officers will help students feel safe. “Seeing security around campus visibly, creates that feeling of, ‘Okay, this is a really safe environment. There’s a lot of people looking out for us,’” he said.
