Security & Risk Consulting
Jeff Hightchew
Plain-language security and risk assessments for small businesses, churches, and families.
Download a free assessment
Plain-language security and risk assessments for small businesses, churches, and families.
Download a free assessmentFor more than two and a half decades, I have worked on both sides of the assessment—designing plans and executing them under real pressure. That experience includes a Level I trauma center consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the country, a major automotive headquarters, executive protection details for entertainers, athletes, and public figures, and a county-level water rescue team responding to drowning incidents.
When I write a risk assessment for your business, church, or home, you are getting the judgment of someone who has seen what happens when the plan is good — and what happens when it isn't.
Generic checklists are easy to generate. Sound judgment — understanding which risks truly matter in your environment and which controls will hold up during a real incident — comes from years of hands-on experience. The risk assessments I provide are built on:
Before you hire anyone — including me — you should know what you actually have. These three self-guided assessments walk you through the same questions I'd ask on a paid engagement, organized by setting. They're yours to keep. No email required, no follow-up unless you ask for it.
Physical access, employee safety, after-hours vulnerability, incident response. Designed for independent operations under fifty employees.
Download PDF →Congregational safety, volunteer teams, emergency planning, de-escalation. Written for houses of worship of all sizes.
Download PDF →Residential vulnerability, family emergency planning, personal readiness. For families and individuals.
Download PDF →Every situation is different. When you need more than a self-guided assessment, these are the ways we work together.
One-on-one advisory sessions, remote or on-site. We talk through your specific situation, your constraints, and what a sensible next step looks like. Billed hourly.
A formal, written assessment tailored to your location, organization, or family. Includes a site visit (where relevant), documented findings, and prioritized recommendations you can act on or hand to a contractor. Flat fee, quoted after an initial call.
Every engagement begins with a free twenty-minute conversation.
Supervisory role at a Level I trauma center consistently ranked among the top hospitals in the country. Responsibilities include shift leadership, incident command, workplace violence prevention, staff development, patient and family safety, and coordination with local law enforcement and emergency services.
Five years of corporate security experience at a major automotive manufacturer, four of those in a supervisory role. Served as Training Coordinator for executive protection and personal security detail operations, and led protective coverage for the company owner during visits to the United States.
Lieutenant on a search and recovery water rescue team. Help direct on-scene operations during drowning and water incidents, coordinating with local police, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies in time-critical, high-stress environments. Certified in search and recovery diving, public safety diving, and associated specialties.
Team leader on executive protection details for a range of high-profile principals, including internationally recognized entertainers, a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback, a prominent socialite, and a pioneering NASA astronaut and physician. Training Coordinator for executive protection and personal security detail operations.
Conducted international travel risk assessments for clients, evaluating destination-specific threats, developing mitigation strategies, and advising on secure travel, accommodations, and contingency planning across a range of global environments.
Nearly two years of experience working at a high-volume nightclub, managing crowd control, conflict de-escalation, and incident response. The kind of practical, people-facing security experience that no classroom can replicate.
Selected highlights, organized by area.
Inquiries answered personally, usually within 24 hours. Evenings and weekends are fine.