Free guides
from working security operators.
Practical planning guides written from the operations floor — how to buy security intelligently, whether you buy it from us or not.
Buy security
like an operator.
SECURICO publishes the guides we wish every client read before their first guard contract — what to demand, what to skip, and how to price coverage against real risk.
- Hiring guide Licenses, insurance, supervision — the checklist.
- Coverage guide Posts vs. patrol vs. cameras, honestly compared.
- Fire watch guide What code actually requires, step by step.
- Event guide Ratios, credentials and venue requirements.
- Written by operators From the ops floor, not a content farm.
- No email gate Everything readable right here, free.
- Updated Kept current with code and market changes.
- PDF on request Email info@securicoguards.com for copies.
Guide: How to hire a security guard company
Check the license first — every state publishes a lookup, and unlicensed operators are more common than you think. Demand certificates of insurance naming your property, not a verbal "we’re covered." Ask how supervision actually works: who checks the officer at 3 a.m., and how would you know? Require digital reporting with GPS verification — paper logs are unverifiable. Ask about training beyond the state minimum, and how call-offs get backfilled. Then price it: quotes far below market mean unlicensed labor, missing insurance, or wage theft that becomes your liability. A real company answers all of this in writing without flinching.
Guide: Posted officer, patrol, or cameras — matching coverage to your risk
A posted officer wins when someone must be present continuously: open gates, lobbies, active threats, cash operations. Vehicle patrol wins when the job is checking and deterring across space — large properties, portfolios, overnight lock-up checks — at a fraction of a post’s cost. Monitored cameras win the long quiet hours: live operators, voice-down, verified dispatch. Most sites over-buy one layer instead of mixing: the honest configuration is usually a post where presence matters, patrol passes overnight, and monitoring filling the gaps. Price all three against your actual incident pattern, not against fear.
Guide: Fire watch compliance — what the code actually requires
When sprinklers or alarms are impaired beyond your jurisdiction’s threshold (commonly four hours), fire code requires a dedicated fire watch: continuous patrols at the required frequency, a log with time-stamps and areas covered, working knowledge of extinguishers and panels, and immediate fire department notification as the officer’s sole duty. The watch runs until repairs are verified and the marshal releases it. Skipping it risks citations, forced closure, and a coverage fight with your carrier after a loss. Schedule the watch the moment the impairment is known — your AHJ has the final word, and we staff to their requirement.
Guide: Planning security for an event
Start with the entrance: every event succeeds or fails at the door, so decide your credential system (list, wristband, scan) before anything else. Staff to roughly one officer per 75–100 guests, adjusted up for alcohol, layout complexity and profile. Confirm your venue’s and insurer’s security requirements early — many now require licensed coverage at set ratios with COIs on file. Brief security on your run-of-show: load-in, doors, peak, last call, load-out. And book two weeks ahead when you can; call anyway when you cannot.
Common questions
Can I get these guides as PDFs?+
How many guards do I need for my event?+
What should a security quote include?+
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Patrol or posted guard — which is cheaper?+
Coverage where your sites are
One operations standard from coast to coast: the same licensed officers, written post orders and live reporting, whether you run one site or a portfolio across state lines.
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