Mike Dickson, President of Southeastern Stages, Inc, feels that the Inter-City Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP), through the Department of Homeland Security, is a “positive” and helpful aid to the motorcoach industry. Mr. Dickson said that the IBSGP greatly enabled his company to enhance security for all of its employees and customers. Southeastern Stages was provided with equipment that otherwise would not have been available to them without federal assistance.
Southeastern Stages has been able to improve its facility by installing closed circuit televisions at all 4 sites. They also received emergency preparedness training from Plan of Action, which Dickson said, “increased their awareness of pending situations of trouble.” Their motorcoaches gained improvements with GPS equipment and real-time surveillance. Although these new additions took time for employees to become familiar and comfortable with, they soon realized the vitality of these instruments. Employees now have instant communication with their home base facility enabling management to provide quicker
aid and support whenever necessary. Overall, drivers feel safer when at work, especially during early morning and night hours.
Unfortunately, Southeastern Stages experienced an armed robbery in their Florence, SC facility. Thanks to their surveillance cameras, they were able to identify and capture the robbers. The funding from the IBSGP proved to be an essential contribution to solving this negative occurrence.
With all of the positive improvements the IBSGP has brought to Southeastern Stages, it did not come without some difficulty. Mr. Dickson strongly suggests that the program needs revising and simplifying in order to better comprehend what the DHS needs from the client. He also feels that the DHS should better educate the public about the availability of the program and the processes included in it. “If it had not been for Community Spec, our company would not have been able to benefit from the Program,” noted Mr. Dickson, who unsuccessfully attempted to apply to the program himself some years back.
Regardless of previous struggles, Southeastern Stages’ employees, facilities, and motorcoaches have significantly benefitted from the IBSGP.
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