Former B.C. hospital security guard airs concerns about gear issued by health authority

A former in-house security officer employed at Lower Mainland hospitals is speaking out about his concerns over the equipment guards use to help protect patients and staff.

Since 1130 NewsRadio first reported concerns from insiders about about how relational security officers (RSO) are allowed to deal with violent situations, a number of current and former officers have come forward with similar frustrations.

That includes one who questions the testing and certification of the protective vests issued to RSOs since 2023.

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“When we were first issued our gear, it was from a local company called Genesis Tactical Gear (GTG) and the first thing I did was inspect the vests,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.

“It did feel like good quality, but when I opened it up to see the protective portion of it, what concerned me was there was no NIJ tag. The National Institute of Justice is the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and it’s the widely used benchmark for ballistic and stab and slash protection.”

“Any reputable manufacturer of protective equipment that has had their products tested and meets the standards of NIJ will have a tag that is sewn onto the protective piece itself. If it doesn’t, it will have accompanying paperwork with it.”

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The former RSO, whose identity 1130 NewsRadio protecting due to concerns about reprisal, says the vests they are issued have neither qualification.

He says he raised his concern with management, but claims he never received a definitive answer. He then went to the Hopsital Employees’ Union.

“My union rep, on our behalf for the relational security officers, was met with the same answer — ‘we’ll look into it.'”

The manufacturer’s website lists information for the vest but, under the protection heading, it says “certification and specifications to follow shortly.”

“As recently as yesterday, speaking with some of my colleagues, that has still not materialized and there hasn’t been any movements on my original concerns.”

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to GTG with inquiries about its certification but has yet to receive a response.

Fraser Health Authority (FHA) — which is one of the BC health authorities that uses RSOs — did not address the lack of visible certification on the vests.

In a statement, an FHA spokesperson said, “the protective vests issued to Relational Security Officers were selected based on the specific safety needs of the health care environment.”

The former RSO says he is not reassured.

“When we are put into a position where we unfortunately do have to go into a ‘hands on’ situation, we are hoping that this is going to protect us if the situation spirals out of control. It’s concerning,” he said.

“Either the health authority and Integrated Protective Services went ahead and issued equipment that wasn’t fully tested, and could have potentially led to a serious injury of an RSO, or even if it was tested and this product is safe to the NIJ standards or the equivalent, why wasn’t that information shared?”

Delay in handcuffs for RSOs

1130 NewsRadio has also heard concerns from a number of RSOs about not being issued handcuffs to help restrain violent or disruptive individuals in hospitals, despite being trained and licensed to use them since 2023.

“When I was an RSO, there was a lot of talk that we’re going to be issued handcuffs. In the equipment room, there were boxes upon boxes of handcuffs that were ready to be issued. For whatever reason, they were not,” said the former employee.

“The leader of Integrated Protection Services said they don’t want their officers to be engaging physically. Then why is it a requirement for RSOs to be certified in Advanced Security Training (AST) which is the precursor level of security, in order to be issued a handcuff endorsement?”

FHA says it is taking a “careful and deliberate approach” to the use of handcuffs by security teams in its hospitals.

“We are finalizing the policies, procedures, and training needed to implement their use responsibly,” said a spokesperson in a statement.

“Once implemented, our security teams will use them only when absolutely necessary to ensure the well-being of the patients, visitors, staff, and medical staff. Implementation is anticipated in the coming months.”

Calls for peace officers in hospitals

BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, who serves as opposition critic for solicitor general and public safety, has made repeated calls for the province to deploy trained peace officers in high-risk areas within hospitals, including emergency rooms.

The former RSO agrees with the idea.

“I truly believe that our hospitals do need peace officers. Should they be trained to the level of police officers? Maybe in the future. If security officers can meet the same demanding regimen as a police officer, I wholeheartedly agree.”

BC’s Ministry of Health indicates that is not in the cards.

“Ensuring hospitals are safe for staff and patients is a top priority of our government,” said Health Minister Josie Osborne in a statement to 1130 NewsRadio.

“That is why we have worked closely with hospitals, frontline staff, and the BC Nurses Union to hire 781 relational security officers in the past three years. These officers have specialized training to prevent and respond to violent situations in hospitals, and are often required to use force, restrain and detain violent individuals as needed. Results show they have been effective in reducing violent incidents and WorkSafeBC claims.”

Neither Osborne nor the ministry provided data on the number of violent incidents in B.C. hospitals, but the minister suggested they are working on changes to help address the problem.

“I have also directed Ministry staff to investigate other ways to make sure hospitals are safe places for patients and staff. This includes examining feasibility of putting in place AI weapons detection technology at emergency rooms – something many hospitals across Canada are now starting to consider.”