Honoring David Poynor, Richard Vacar and Mark V. Mancuso - June 2006 |
This month, we are honoring one of the nation’s most successful citizen’s volunteering to assist in Homeland Security programs, the Houston Airport System’s, Airport Ranger Program, and the men that made it happen and become so successful. In 2003, Richard “Rick” Vacar, the Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System, a department of the City of Houston, observed that a number of horse riders were illegally using City land at Bush Intercontinental Airport for riding. He learned that the area being ridden on was used by local horse persons for riding for dozens of years even predating the airport itself. He did not see this as a problem, he saw this as an opportunity to build a program that allowed citizens to legally use the land their taxes paid for while at the same time solving a pressing need of the Airport, especially in this Post 9-11 world. The need was to have eyes and ears assisting the Airport on providing security for the near 12,000 acres of Airport property, approximately 10,000 of which was outside of the tightly controlled AOA (Aircraft Operating Area). To make matters even more difficult, the area that needed patrolled was in many places heavily wooded and in almost all other places had high grass and shrubs -- perfect places for terrorists and criminals to hide. Director Vacar and his wife, Marie, are both avid horse persons, and he realized that horses could go where his department vehicles could not go and that the height advantage and silence of a person on horseback was great for patrolling and surveilling the area. Thus, he commissioned the Airport’s Public Safety & Technology Division to build a citizen volunteer program that serve this purpose and the was named: Airport Rangers. Mark V. Mancuso, the Deputy Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System, in consultation with his three Airport Security Managers, reviewed the matter, reviewed the laws, rules and regulations pertaining to security and use of governmental funds in such a program and came up with a detailed program that was loved and supported by politicians at all governmental levels, had the blessing of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), the local equestrian community, the airport staff, and the media. Rules and Regulations, Identification Badges, a Security Background Clearance System, plus so much more had to be developed and put in place and it was under his leadership. But both Director Vacar and Deputy Director Mancuso realized that to really make the program a success they had to have someone coordinating and running the program on a daily basis that do the database work, review and process the applications, set up security training programs, run a communications program to keep up the interest of the volunteers, work with management and contractors to develop the trails, work out emergency procedures, develop a rapid call-up of forces system, organize interesting events to keep the Rangers and their horse in excellent condition and familiarize themselves with the trails, be out on the trails a significant amount of the time riding and getting to know the volunteers (including, not only work days, but on weekends and holidays) and yet, someone that the volunteers could relate to, be comfortable with as a leader and respect when he told them “no” as to some of their ideas and desires. They found him in David Poynor, a retired newspaper editor and publisher, who was then working as an Airport Security Officer, so he’d have something to take up his time while his wife, Paula, a teacher and special programs manager, finished vesting herself in a school district retirement plan. David did everything expected of him and so much more. Under David’s coordination and hard work (he himself volunteered his own time so that he normally ends up spending about 80 hours a week involved with the program instead of just the 40 hours that he gets paid for) and the program grew to a membership in excess of 750 people, all badged, all background checked, all security trained, and all familiar with the trails. In 2005, David brought to the Director and the Deputy Director a proposal to include in the program the Rescue Dogs of Greater Houston, which at that time was the only search and rescue dog program that had a FEMA Level One Certified search and rescue dog (a dog of this rating basically has the final word on whether or not someone or their body is in an area, including being buried in rubble of collapsed buildings. As always HAS upper management had vision and saw how children or mentally handicapped people could wander onto Airport property, or how someone could be hiding in the foliage, or how such a program could help find survivors or deceased from a plane crash on the property, etc. and the authorization was given to go forward with adding the dogs. But David didn’t stop there, he instituted a program to allow the dogs and the horses to learn to work together as a team. David looks like a true Texas cowboy, even though he is from Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Journalism (which has been of great value in assisting with all of the media inquiries over the Airport Rangers), but more important, David has the traditional Texas cowboy ethics of a good heart, his word is his bond, enthusiasm for horses and horse people and a strong desire to serve his community. While, thank God, the Airport Rangers have not captured a terrorist, they have assisted HPD in apprehending a car thief, found and reported illegal dumpers (including a couple of environmental hazards which could have cost the City mega-dollars had they not been discovered prior to leakage setting in), they’ve found and reported fire dangers, they’ve found and reported holes under the fence dug by animals (jet engines new cost about $ 10 million each, to repair one from bird or animal ingestion can run between $ 3 and 5 million), they’ve coordinated with HPD over hunters and shooters on the Airport property, they’ve coordinated with Airport Security on 4 wheeler and other trespassers, they been there to assist in floods, and so much more. Many other facilities throughout the U.S. have instituted similar programs using the Airport Rangers as their guide and David has assisted these other institutions in starting their programs. |
