Veterans protecting children in schools

Their mission is to safeguard the most precious assets of our communities — our children. Through proactive measures and rapid response strategies, their angel guards are committed to creating an environment where every child can thrive without fear.

It all started April 16, 2024, when founder and active duty 20-year veteran Joshua Yirkovsky got the cops called on him by the principal of the school that his sons attend. He was the first in line in the car-rider line waiting to pick up his children at the end of the school day.

A homeless man walked up to the front door of the school and knocked on the door, trying to get in. The man was trying to attend a local church that uses the school’s facilities for its weekly service and Bible study. When the voice over the intercom told him he couldn’t come in, he became frustrated, threw his hands up in the air and walked away.

The principal saw the video footage, and it appeared the man got into Yirkovsky’s car. The principal called the cops and about 30 minutes later an officer showed up. When Yirkovsky was approached by the officer, he put his hands up and asked if everything was OK. When the principal, who knew Yirkovsky as a responsible and involved parent, came out of the school and saw that the officer was talking to him, she was relieved. She found out the homeless man had left the premises.

The whole experience got Yirkovsky thinking. He was pondering the amount of time it took for help to get there and considering security in schools overall.

“If there’s only a piece of glass between my kids and an intruder, that is not sufficient enough,” he thought. So, he told himself when he retired from the military, he would go watch the school and provide additional security. He thought about it more and came up with the idea of creating an organization of trained veterans providing security in schools.

The next day, on April 17, 2024, Yirkovsky bought his domain and started to build his website. On April 18, he applied for his LLC.

Angel Force Protection recently partnered with Rocky Bayou Christian School and will start providing security there this upcoming school year.

Two angel guards are assigned to each school that partners with Angel Force Protection. Their job is to protect the school and ultimately allow children to learn in a safe and free environment.

“We are a proactive organization in a society that has been reactive regarding safety in our school system,” Yirkovsky said.

This organization takes preemptive measures to prevent danger in schools.

“It’s spotting red flags that kids or staff may be showing, seeing bad guys with smiles on their faces, recognizing them, learning the intricacies of the school and the children to a point where they can tell if something’s wrong, and guide them to a position where they can talk to someone,” he said. “It’s educating children in advance on firearm safety, active shooter safety, and let them know what dangers are there; and that they’re safe as long as they’re educated on it and have our angel guards with them.”

Currently, a school resource officer (SRO) is assigned to a public school, and their job is to protect the school.

Yirkovsky wants to be clear that he is not trying to take away anything from the police force.
“I want to work in conjunction with them,” he said. “They are underappreciated and overutilized.”
School resource officers have been around for years and years, and they are police officers at the end of the day, Yirkovsky added.

“The goal is to get the police where they’re supposed to be, and that is in the police force protecting our streets. Police officers are underappreciated and overworked already. Basically, we want to allow them to do their job,” Yirkovsky said. “And we want to let teachers do their job, which is to teach.”

Angel Force Protection is looking at longevity. Yirkovsky said the organization plans to establish long-term relationships with schools on the Emerald Coast.

The angel guards protecting the school are exclusively veterans.

“Military war veterans are a different breed,” he said.

Angel guards are equipped physically, mentally and emotionally to handle any possible danger in our schools and prevent it from escalating.

Angel Force Protection not only provides security, but it also employs veterans, bringing them back into society and employing them in a way they are qualified.

“In my opinion, there’s nothing more important than the protection of our children.”

Angel Force Protection
www.angelfp.com
850-797-5288