Quick Check
Starting at$450
For a small shop, office, single rental property, or home.
- One to two hour walkthrough
- Top 10 fixes ranked by cost
- Findings memo
- Report within five business days
Planning before worry.
High Ground Risk Advisory finds the security gaps at your business, church, school, event, or town and gives you a written plan to close them. Based in Blue Ridge, serving all of North Georgia.
A conversation at no cost. We get to know you and what you are looking for, then give you an estimate of what should be fixed.
Example site walkthrough
Retail storefront, Blue Ridge, GA 34.86° N, 84.32° W
- 1Rear door is dark after closing. Fix: a motion-sensor light, usually under $100.
- 2Side exit is propped open for deliveries. Fix: a door alarm and a delivery check-in routine.
- 3No posted evacuation route. Fix: a printed route map at each exit, at no cost.
Illustration of the findings list in a Quick Check report. Not a client site.
Advisory only
We sell no cameras, locks, or alarms and take no commissions, so every recommendation is made in your interest.
Written plans at fixed prices
You get a clear report with every fix ranked by cost, at a price agreed before any work starts.
Local to Fannin County
Based in Blue Ridge and on site across Fannin, Gilmer, Union, and Pickens counties within days, not weeks.
Who we help
Most organizations know they should have a safety plan. Few have the time to write one. We walk the site, write the plan, and train your people to use it.
Businesses and employers
Theft, cash handling, late closings, and the written emergency action plan federal workplace rules require once you have more than 10 employees.
Security assessmentsCities and towns
Downtown safety assessments, festival and parade plans, emergency plans for city buildings, and exercises for city leadership.
City safety planningChurches and faith groups
A safety team with clear roles, child check-in procedures, and an emergency plan volunteers can follow on a Sunday morning.
Church safety plansSchools and public agencies
Support for Georgia's 2025 school safety requirements, emergency plan reviews, drills, and tabletop exercises with written after-action reports.
Public sector supportEvent venues and organizers
Entry and exit flow, crowd limits, weather and medical plans, and coordination with the sheriff's office and EMS.
Event safety plansCabin owners and property managers
Evacuation plans for fire, flood, and storms, guest emergency cards, and door code practices for every property you manage.
Cabin safety plansIndividuals, families, and travelers
A home safety review, and country-by-country travel briefings for mission trips, study abroad, and business travel.
Travel and personal securityDoes every cabin you own have an evacuation plan?
Blue Ridge is cabin country. Guests often arrive after dark, on mountain roads they have never driven. If a wildfire, flash flood, or ice storm hits, the plan you wrote ahead of time is the only plan they have.
A safety plan answers the questions your guests will not have time to ask:
- Who do we call?
- 911 first, with the exact address to give the dispatcher, then the owner or manager, then the nearest emergency room.
- When do we leave?
- Clear signals to go: an evacuation order, rising water near the drive, smoke on the ridge, or the smell of gas.
- Where do we go?
- Two routes out by road, a meeting spot, and the nearest shelter if the roads close.
- What do we do right now?
- Shelter steps for storms, where the extinguisher and shutoffs are, and what to leave behind.
- What happens after?
- How guests reach you, how you confirm every cabin is empty, and who calls your insurer.
How a plan protects your business
A written plan keeps the people who stay with you safer and gives cleaners and managers the same steps to follow. It also shows you took reasonable care to protect your guests. That record matters to your insurer and can help if a claim is ever made.
We do not give legal advice. Ask your attorney or insurance agent how a safety plan affects your coverage.
Safety plan binders
We can put the full plan in a printed binder for each cabin or business location, kept where people will look for it. It is a one-time purchase, built so you can keep it current yourself: every page is dated, and a log page and update checklist show what to review.
An Evacuation Safety Plan is $500 per property, and a printed binder is $250 per location. The same plan works for stores, offices, and venues.
In an emergency
Laurel Hollow Cabin
Posted by the front door and in the safety binder- Call 911 and say
- 1234 Example Road, Blue Ridge, GA. The driveway is on the left past the gravel turnout.
- Fire or smoke
- Get everyone out. Meet at the mailbox. Leave by the main drive, or by the east logging road if it is blocked.
- Flash flood
- Move uphill. Never drive through water covering the road.
- Severe storm
- Go to the lowest interior room, away from windows.
- Power or water out
- Flashlights are in the hall closet. The water shutoff is under the kitchen sink.
- Owner or manager
- Call or text, day or night: (706) 555-0199
Example card. Every plan is written for the specific property, its roads, and its risks.
How an engagement works
Every engagement follows the same four steps, and the first one is free.
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Free consultation
A conversation at no cost, by phone or in person. We get to know you, hear what you are looking for, and estimate what should be fixed.
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Site walkthrough
We walk your property in daylight and after dark, talk with the people who run it, and review any past incidents.
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Written plan
You receive a plain-language report. Each finding is rated by risk, and each fix is sorted into free, under $500, or a larger investment.
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Training and follow-up
We train your staff or volunteers on the plan and come back to check progress, so the plan gets used instead of filed.
Security studies, applied close to home
“Every plan I write starts with one question: what would we wish we had done, the day after something went wrong? Then we do it now.”
William Watkins founded High Ground Risk Advisory to bring the discipline of security studies to the places North Georgians work and gather. He is completing a degree in political science with a focus on international relations in the Honors Program at the University of North Georgia.
That training covers how threats develop, how institutions prepare for them, and why prevention costs far less than response. He pairs it with practical experience: nearly three years managing a busy coffee shop in downtown Blue Ridge, and founding and selling a local service business. He knows what opening, closing, and handling cash look like from behind the counter.
William WatkinsFounder, High Ground Risk Advisory
- Education
- B.S. Political Science, international relations focus, University of North Georgia Honors Program (expected 2027)
- Methods
- Built on published ASIS International standards and CISA federal guidance
- Independence
- No product sales and no referral fees
- Home base
- Blue Ridge, Fannin County, Georgia
Assessment packages
Fixed prices, agreed before we start. The Core Assessment fits most small businesses, and the free consultation will tell you which one fits yours.
Recommended for most businesses
Core Assessment
Starting at$1,200
For businesses, offices, and venues that want a complete picture.
- Half-day walkthrough plus an after-dark visit
- Owner interview and short staff survey
- Full report with a risk rating for every finding
- 90-day action plan and a debrief meeting
Complete Security Plan
Starting at$2,800
For organizations with staff who need written plans and training.
- Everything in the Core Assessment
- Written emergency action plan
- Workplace violence prevention policy
- Staff training session and a 60-day follow-up visit
- Printed safety plan binder for your site
Now booking our first five clients at founding rates. Founding clients receive reduced prices in exchange for feedback and permission to share an anonymized case study. Nonprofits and churches receive 15% off every service.
Safety planning for cities and towns
Mountain towns host festivals, parades, and peak seasons that would strain any plan. We help city leaders plan downtown safety, public events, and emergency response before the busy season arrives.
We also support schools and county agencies, including with Georgia's 2025 school safety requirements.
- Downtown safety assessments of streets, parks, and public parking
- Festival and special event plans coordinated with police, fire, and EMS
- Emergency action plans for city hall and other public buildings
- Tabletop exercises for city leadership, with written after-action reports
- School safety plan support built around the state's model protocol
Tell us what you are planning for
Share a few details and we will reply within one business day to schedule your free consultation. No cost and no obligation.
- Phone
- (706) 851-3947
- Office hours
- Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.