Security and Safety

A month ago or so, I received a pre-recorded message on my phone that informed me that it was possible my credit card security had been compromised and asking me to call back. I was immediately suspicious because the phone number on the message was not the same customer service number as was printed on the back of my credit card.

So I called the number on the back of my card and was immediately transferred to the Visa security department. It turns out that there had been three on-line charges of over $2600 each - one each to Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, and Marc Jacobs - using my credit card number.

I didn't know any of these guys and was a little taken aback when the man on the phone told me that they were all high-end women fashion designers. As anyone who knows me can readily attest, I'm not really a fashion kind-of- guy (and even if I were some kind of perverse cross-dresser, I can't imagine ever spending $7862.19 on three outfits).

After 24 hours of frantically checking into whether not only my credit card number had been stolen but also my identity, the upshot was that the sales were voided, I was not charged a penny, and my credit and identity remain (relatively) unbesmirched.

The very next day, a class of students went outside to finish up a novel and to write in their journals. Unfortunately, when two of them went to sit in a particularly inviting tree they unknowingly disturbed a wasps' nest which disgorged a cloud of angry insects bent on wreaking revenge. Several students were stung multiple times before they were able to find refuge in the school.

After our teacher ensured that all students was safely accounted for, she checked each student's medical sheets to ensure that no one was unknowingly allergic to wasps and would need an EpiPen injection to prevent anaphylactic symptoms. Luckily, aside from a lot of adrenaline having been released and some minor discomfort, the students were all ok, and they eventually returned to their classroom and to the more mundane task of literary analysis.

Not two weeks later, I watched from the safety of Ski Beach as the Angora fire raged out of control. My Grandfather was a captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department, and I grew up hearing him tell of conflagrations, heroism, and close escapes. And while I do not pretend to know what it is like to be trapped in, or even be close to, such apocalyptic devastation, I do know that I always felt safe in Grandfather's scarred arms as he recounted his terrifying stories.

As I stood on the beach watching the angry orange flames leap skyward, I felt sick thinking about all those who had lost their homes and all those who would be faced with the daunting tasks of rebuilding their lives. I also gave silent thanks for those fire safety personnel who were on the scene doing their best to prevent the further loss of property.

I share these three anecdotes because I tend - as I believe most of us do - to take security and safety for granted until something happens to force me out of the relative comfort of my insular life.

And when that occurs, I am comforted to know that when we or our loved ones are in danger, it is reassuring that when emergencies do arise there are proactive measures already in place and specific protocols that are followed to ensure that everyone is safely accounted for and that lives and property are protected.

And it is reassuring to know that living amongst us as neighbors, friends, and family are those professionals whose job it is to protect us from harm, to keep us safe.

Thank you all for all you do for us.

--Steve McKibben
7/21/07