412-298-6397 [email protected]
PCCD approved provider registry
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

School safety, security and emergency preparedness consulting

Security Assessment and Facility Evaluation (S.A.F.E.) LLC is a Pittsburgh-area consulting firm specializing in your business, worship sites, school safety, security, emergency preparedness, threat assessment, and all-hazards crisis management.

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Assessment report — excerpt
FINDING 04.12

Exterior door 4 (gymnasium) was propped open and unattended during the site visit.

Recommendation

Install a door position sensor tied to the front office; brief custodial staff on propping.

Every engagement ends in a written register of findings, each with a severity, a reason, and a recommendation you can act on.

Full walk-through of your buildings and grounds, access control, and procedures — documented as a register of findings with severity and recommendations.

Team structure, referral pathways, and case management practices for identifying, intervening in, and mitigating threats before they escalate.

Emergency operations plans, crisis response and incident management, including planning for individuals with disabilities and special needs.

Active threat and civilian response preparedness, school police and school resource officer training, and exercises that test coordination with responders.

A defining characteristic of our approach is that we do not rely solely on theoretical models or generalized security recommendations. Our consultants bring real-world operational experience and an understanding of the complexities of implementing school security measures in an active educational environment.

We recognize that effective school safety must balance security with the educational mission, student and staff needs, legal requirements, operational realities, and the importance of maintaining a positive school climate.

Read our approach

Prevention, preparedness, protection, response, mitigation, and recovery. Our goal is not simply to identify what is wrong; it is to help organizations understand where their vulnerabilities exist, why they exist, what can reasonably be done to reduce them, and how personnel should respond when prevention is unsuccessful.
K–12 schools

Districts, buildings, school police and school resource officers.

Houses of worship

Worship site security and vulnerability assessments.

Healthcare

Healthcare buildings, clinical staff safety and preparedness.

Business and public agencies

Office buildings, workplace safety and organizational readiness.

Start with an assessment of what you have

If a measure will not work in your building, we will say so and explain what will.

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Services

Assessment, planning, training, exercises

Our consultants have provided instruction and professional development at the local, state, and national levels on a broad range of safety and security topics.

We review your existing emergency operations plan, prior assessments, incident history, and site drawings before we arrive.

Walk-through of grounds, perimeter, entry points, interior circulation, and physical security measures during normal operations.

Each observation is written up with a severity level, why the vulnerability exists, and a recommendation that is practical in your building.

We brief leadership, train the personnel who must act, and run drills and exercises to test whether the plan holds.
01K–12 school safety and security
02School security assessments and vulnerability assessments
03Worship site security assessments and vulnerability assessments
04Office buildings security assessments and vulnerability assessments
05Healthcare buildings security assessments and vulnerability assessments
06Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management
07All-Hazards Emergency Planning and Crisis Management
08Active threat and civilian response preparedness
09Emergency operations planning
10Crisis response and incident management
11Management of individuals with disabilities and special needs during emergencies
12School police and School Resource Officer training
13Security planning and physical security measures
14Emergency preparedness drills, exercises, and simulations
15Threat identification, prevention, intervention, and mitigation
16Workplace, healthcare, and organizational safety
17Training for schools, churches, hospitals, businesses, and public agencies

Executive summary, findings register with severity levels, and prioritised recommendations grounded in current practices, professional experience, and applicable standards.

Gaps identified in existing plans, plus specific improvements to coordination among school personnel, law enforcement, emergency responders, and other stakeholders.
Sectors served

Schools first, and every building that has to open tomorrow

Our expertise and services are adaptable to a wide range of organizations, including healthcare facilities, houses of worship, businesses, and other public and private institutions.

K–12 education

Our professionals currently serve in school safety and security leadership positions within public school districts in the Pittsburgh area, giving our team direct, current knowledge of the operational challenges facing today's educational institutions.

Building assessments Threat assessment teams SRO and school police training Drills and exercises
Houses of worship

Worship sites operate with open doors, volunteer staffing, and large gatherings. We assess the site as it actually runs on a service day and recommend measures a volunteer team can sustain.

Worship site assessments Safety team formation Civilian response training
Healthcare facilities

Our consultants have extensive experience working collaboratively with healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and organizational leadership on workplace violence prevention and emergency response.

Facility assessments Workplace safety Emergency operations planning
Business and public agencies

Office buildings, municipal facilities, and private institutions receive the same assessment discipline: what is vulnerable, why, what can reasonably be done, and how personnel should respond.

Office building assessments Access control review Staff training
Our approach

Experience. Assessment. Preparedness. Response. Resilience.

At Security Assessment and Facility Evaluation (S.A.F.E.) LLC, we believe effective security is built upon prevention, preparedness, protection, response, mitigation, and recovery.

Our goal is not simply to identify what is wrong; it is to help organizations understand where their vulnerabilities exist, why they exist, what can reasonably be done to reduce them, and how personnel should respond when prevention is unsuccessful.

We provide organizations with actionable recommendations grounded in current practices, professional experience, applicable standards, and an all-hazards philosophy. Our objective is to help every client develop a safer, more secure, and more resilient environment.

Our team continuously works with organizations to assess risk, identify vulnerabilities, develop practical mitigation strategies, strengthen emergency plans, and build organizational readiness. We also facilitate drills and exercises designed to evaluate an organization's ability to respond effectively during an emergency, identify gaps in existing plans, and improve coordination among school personnel, law enforcement, emergency responders, and other stakeholders.

01Prevention

Identifying and interrupting threats before they reach your building.

02Preparedness

Plans, training and exercises that personnel have actually practised.

03Protection

Physical security measures suited to how the site is used day to day.

04Response

Clear roles for staff, responders and leadership during an incident.

05Mitigation

Practical steps that reduce the severity of what cannot be prevented.

06Recovery

Returning the organization to its mission after an emergency.

An immediate threat to life safety. Correct before the next school day or gathering.

A significant vulnerability with a plausible path to harm. Correct on a short, dated schedule.

A gap that weakens layered security. Address in the current planning or budget cycle.

A minor deficiency or an opportunity to strengthen an already sound practice.

An observation recorded for context, or a practice worth documenting and keeping.

If a measure will not work in your building — because of how the site is staffed, funded, or used — we will say so, and explain what will.
Credentials

Joseph Kozarian

Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration. Principal consultant, Security Assessment and Facility Evaluation (S.A.F.E.) LLC.

DHS certified PCCD vendor Certified EMT
On record
PA State ID#0004193714
RegistryPCCD
Service areaPittsburgh, PA

Our principal consultants bring more than four decades of combined law enforcement, school safety, and security experience, providing highly respected practical, field-based expertise throughout the region. Our professionals currently serve in school safety and security leadership positions within public school districts in the Pittsburgh area, giving our team direct, current knowledge of the operational challenges facing today's educational institutions.

Our consultants have extensive experience working collaboratively with school administrators, educators, school police, school resource officers, municipal law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, healthcare professionals, and organizational leadership. They have provided instruction and professional development at the local, state, and national levels on a broad range of safety and security topics.

Most importantly, our consultants are recognized on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Approved Provider Registry, demonstrating our commitment to delivering professional training consistent with Pennsylvania's school safety and security standards.
Resources

Questions, standards and documents

What does an assessment involve?

A document review before we arrive, an on-site walk-through during normal operations, and a written register of findings. Each finding carries a severity level, the reason the vulnerability exists, and a recommendation that is practical in your building.

How long does it take?

A single building is typically one site visit with the written report following. Multi-building districts are scheduled building by building. We will give you a schedule in writing before work begins.

Who sees the report?

Only the officials you designate. Assessment reports identify vulnerabilities and are handled as confidential security records; we will discuss distribution and retention with you at the start of the engagement.

Do you install security equipment?

No. We assess, plan, train and exercise. We do not sell or install hardware, which means our recommendations are not tied to a product line.

What does it cost?

Fees depend on the number of buildings, square footage, and whether training or exercises are included. Send the details of your site and we will provide a written quote.

24 P.S. § 13-1309-B School safety and security assessments

The statutory assessment requirement for Pennsylvania school entities.

PCCD School safety and security criteria

The standards the approved provider registry is measured against.

BTAM Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management

Team structure and referral pathway guidance for school entities.

One page: services, credentials, registry status, and contact details — for procurement files and board packets.

Download capability statement

The structure of a S.A.F.E. assessment report: cover, executive summary, findings register, recommendations.

Download sample outline
Contact

Request an assessment

Tell us about your site and what prompted the request. We reply with next steps, a schedule, and a written quote.

Send request Request sent. We reply within one business day.