Screening begins for candidates for McCarran security

Monday, Aug. 12, 2002 | 9:47 a.m.

More than 2,000 people stood in lines that at times snaked out the double glass doors at the Alexis Park hotel this weekend as they sought jobs as security screeners at McCarran International Airport.

Jim Blair, federal security director assigned to McCarran by the Transportation Security Administration, marveled at the persistence of men and women dressed in everything from shorts to suits as they stood in the heat well above 105 degrees Sunday.

However, Blair said, it will take more than surviving the heat and filling out a one-page application to land one of the 700 to 900 security jobs paying $23,600 to $35,400 a year at McCarran, one of the nation's busiest airports.

The job fair was only the first step, said the Air Force veteran and former hotel security chief whose job it is to fill the security ranks at McCarran.

In the next month thousands of people will be screened on items from their use of the English language to criminal background checks. It's a tall order to ensure federal security at the nation's 429 airports, including McCarran, by Nov. 19, Blair said.

Transportation officials will check criminal backgrounds, test for drugs and give medical and physical checkups, he said.

Why physicals? "If you pack like my wife, the suitcase is quite heavy," Blair said.

Once applicants pass the screening, the in-person interview could take up to 10 hours, he said.

Screeners must meet minimum requirements, including U.S. citizenship, having a high school diploma, a GED or equivalent, or a year of security aviation screening experience.

The federal government is looking for a certain caliber and quality in people who have to randomly check millions of travelers each year passing in and out of McCarran, he said.

"These are very serious positions," Blair said. "This is the security of the United States."

Job candidates who pass all of the above still face 44 hours in a classroom and 60 hours in training on the job. After that, workers are on probation for a year, Blair said.

By mid-November the screeners should be in place, followed by baggage monitoring machines at the end of the year, he said.

Despite the increased security brought on by terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the last thing on the minds of travelers these days is terrorism , Blair said.

That's where Blair's experience in the military and in the hotel security business comes in handy.

The Nellis Air Force Base installation commander from 1990 to 1992, Blair retired after 25 years in the military and became security chief at The Mirage for six years. At The Mirage each security guard undergoes 40 hours of customer service training to hone their people skills, he said.

"It's kind of a nice composite," Blair said, noting he has lived in Las Vegas since 1989.

Assisting Blair is Jose Ralls, deputy federal security director, who said the Las Vegas airport is a dream assignment after Washington, D.C.

"It is working out very well for me," Ralls said.

By the time experts train the hundreds of screeners needed for the federal security program, Blair wants McCarran to serve as a model.

"We want McCarran to be the success story for the TSA (Transportation Security Administration)," Blair said.