Airport screeners merit more respect

As a local fire officer with 16 years of experience, I watched in horror, along with millions of other Americans, as the World Trade Center came crashing down on Sept. 11. My first thoughts were of the hundreds of firefighters and officers I knew were rushing headlong into the Twin Towers to perform the same job that firefighters do every day in this country. Their heroism and bravery cannot be matched.

But my involvement, if you will, does not end there. I, like so many of my brother firefighters, also have a part-time job. I am employed at Bangor International Airport as a security screener.

Reading the papers and watching the news reports of security lapses and the blame that is being heaped upon my fellow security personnel around the country greatly disturbs me. The people I have the honor of working with at BIA are deeply dedicated to their profession and are also saddened by this event. The simple fact of the problem with security is this: low pay and no benefits.

When someone is paid barely above the minimum wage to perform their job you have one of two things happen. You either have dedicated people who stay on the job because they like the job and the people they work with or you have a high turnover rate where you must constantly hire new personnel. This is the case at BIA. Those few individuals who stay on do so not because of pay or benefits but because they are dedicated to their job and enjoy what they do.

Unfortunately, the city of Bangor does not see or understand this. Most of the traveling public does not understand that the security screeners at BIA are not employed by the airlines but by the city. It has long been the city’s position that screeners are not an important function at the airport and do not deserve to be acknowledged or paid well for their services.

This results in a high turnover rate at the airport. This in turn results in a loss of continuity in security. You cannot have optimum security if you are constantly training new people to replace those who have left. The attitudes of our leaders must change from replacement to retention. Security screening is much more than looking at an X-ray machine and searching for weapons. It takes skilled individuals with experience to notice when events and people are suspicious.

Now we have National Guard troops stationed at our airports both here and around the country. Although the Guard serves a vital function at the airport, their presence is mere window dressing designed to allay the fears of the flying public. The Guard members themselves perform no security functions except to show themselves. They do not check bags or watch the X-ray machines or scan passengers. Those duties are still the responsibility of the local security screeners.

Changes need to be made at airports around the country. Security personnel must be treated with respect and paid accordingly if we are to have the trust in flying that Americans have long enjoyed. The city can show the rest of the country the way by taking the lead and improving the way they perform security and treat the security screeners at BIA.

Not only am I a fire officer and a security screener, but I am also a member of the flying public. My faith in flying has been shaken by the events of the past few weeks. I hope changes in our system are forthcoming not only around the country but at our local airport.

Gary Parent lives in Bradley.