Monday, April 1, 2013

Adrenaline At Epcot

Not everything about being a Security Host at Walt Disney World is fun and games, sometimes reality or the threat of reality creeps in.
One day I was working Epcot East which is the area of Future World that has Universe of Energy, Mission: Space and Test Track among other things.
I was walking around the area by the fountain when I heard this on my radio earpiece:
Epcot East, Echo 2
Epcot East by (my response)
Signal 21 Universe of Energy
10-4 I'm 51 (my response)
Translation:
Epcot East, this is Echo 2 dispatch
This is Epcot East standing by
There is a burglary in progress at Universe of Energy
OK, I'm enroute
Well, I started to walk briskly as we are trained to do while thinking what I was going to do as an-unarmed security host against a potential burglar.
As I came around the corner I caught movement out of the corner of my left eye and was relieved to see my Duty Manager Charlie Moran hot footin' it out the bushes that was a shortcut from the security office.
We approached the door and Charlie signaled me to hold back. No problem there Charlie.
We entered the building and heard voices from another room and we slowly made an approach.
What we encountered were two IT guys lounging in chairs behind a desk. One of them had hit the
panic button located under the desk with his foot or knee as he rocked back in the chair which sent the silent alarm.
We called it in and cancelled back-up and Orange County Deputies.
You know, for about 4 minutes of adrenaline filled investigation I was a security guard like the ones in real life.