Paul Timm is Vice President of Facility Engineering Associates (FEA), which helps support and provide owners and managers with progressive and innovative solutions to facility lifecycle challenges. He is a national acclaimed expert in physical security, a board-certified Physical Security Professional (PSP), and is a professional dedicated to helping people make their places of employment safer through education and sharing best practices.
In his position at FEA, Timm specializes in school security, campus security, church security, library security, parks and recreation security, school safety, emergency planning, expert witness, crisis management and staff training.
For more than 17 years, Timm was owner and president of RETA Security, Inc., a non-product affiliated, family-owned firm focused on the education market, acquired by FEA in January 2017. At RETA Security, he provided independent physical security assessments, training, and technical assistance to schools, campuses and businesses nationwide. He also assisted administrators with loss prevention, risk management and emergency planning services.
Timm is also a keynote speaker working with Kirkland Productions through Safe and Sound Schools, a national school safety non-profit founded by Sandy Hook parents. There, Timm works to deliver crisis-prevention, response, and recovery programs, tools and resources to educate members of the school community, from students and parents, to teachers and administrators, to law enforcement and local leaders.
In addition to vulnerability assessment expertise, he is a School Crisis Assistance Team volunteer through the National Organization for Victims Assistance (NOVA). He is certified in Vulnerability Assessment Methodology through Sandia National Laboratories and the ALPHA vulnerability assessment methodology. He serves on ASIS International’s School Safety & Security Council, the Campus Safety Conference advisory board, and the advisory council for the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS).
He authored “School Security: How to Build and Strengthen a School Safety Program,” where readers are introduced to loss prevention and safety practices, including how to implement specific measures, how to raise security awareness and how to prepare for emergencies. The book also discusses how to positively influence student behavior, lead staff training programs, and write security policies. Timm participated in Best Practices for School Building Safety at the Federal Commission on School Safety in 2018, held by the Department of Homeland Security. He earned a degree in speech communications and a certificate in business administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Timm says that to be successful in the security industry, there are two critical aspects. “Number one – Be collaborative. This industry has more than enough individuals who have adopted an isolationist approach based on the misconception that they know more than everyone else. Pursue a better course by joining associations, teams and panels. Let’s make things safer together. Number two – Get credentialed. Obtaining industry credentials requires continuous learning. Challenge yourself and encourage others to do the same,” he says.
Throughout his career, Timm is most proud of publishing his book in 2015. “A lot of time and effort went into that initiative. I’m thankful for the assistance I've received, especially from my family, during both editions,” he says. The 2nd edition is set to publish soon.
