Page 70 - Security Today, May 2017

Security Threats
AOll Too Common Counteracting the threats of vehicle terror attacks
n Dec.19, 2016, the news ex- ploded with information about a vehicle attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed at
least 12 people and injured over 50 more. Less than a month before that, the State De- partment had warned about such attacks in public places throughout Europe, saying that extremist groups including the Islamic State and Al Qaeda were planning to focus on such locales during the holiday season.
Indeed, both terrorist groups have called on followers to use trucks in particular to at- tack crowds. On July 14, 2016, a truck plowed into Bastille Day vacationers in Nice, France, killing 86 people. On Nov. 28, 2016, a vehicle attack and mass stabbing occurred at 9:52 at Ohio State University’s Watts Hall. The at- tacker, Somali refugee Abdul Razak Ali Artan, was shot and killed by the first responding OSU police officer and 13 people were hospi- talized for injuries, nine of them struck by the vehicle. Luckily, nobody was killed.
In addition to those incidents, this year an intoxicated driver injured at least 28 peo- ple when smashing into the Krewe of Endy- mion parade, the largest at Mardi Gras, at a yet unprotected intersection this past Feb. 25 in New Orleans.
To stop such attacks, government secu- rity professionals need to be cognizant of two different types of vehicle access points for such incidents to occur. The first would be in a location where the primary use is pe- destrian but, frequently, vehicles need to pass through. An example could be a square in which the maintenance truck comes through to clean the square periodically. Other ar- eas could be those locations with restricted parking, such as at a shopping mall, in which a street has been permanently cordoned off for pedestrians and the occasional delivery truck. Such access points are well served by bollards, some moveable that go up and down to let vehicles through and others fixed or stationary.
The other access points are those that are temporary. At a stadium, traffic may need rerouting for sporting weekend or a city is having a parade. In either case, sections nor- mally open to traffic will be closed to create pedestrian paths and gathering points. How-
By Greg Hamm
GS16
GOVERNMENT SECURITY MAY 2017
ever, these areas still have a need for delivery trucks and certain other authorized vehicles to enter. These locations are best protected with crash-rated portable barriers that erect in 15 minutes and are then removed once the event is over.
Bollards - the Most Used
Permanent Solutions
Bollards are aesthetically pleasing and let pe- destrians move between them in non-roadway applications. Bollard systems operate indi- vidually or in groups. They are used for inter- mediate level security applications. Individual bollards are up to 12.5 inches in diameter, up to 35 inches high and are usually mounted on 25 inch + centers. They are tested to stop and destroy an attacking vehicle weighing 10,000 pounds moving at 65 mph or a 20,000 pound vehicle moving at 45 mph. They can be kept in the “up” position to stop traffic, or lowered to allow vehicles through.
Ranging from faceted, fluted, tapered, rings and ripples, colors, pillars, to shields, emblems and logos, bollards look nice and are versatile. Buyers can specify ornamental steel trim attached directly to the bollard, or select cast aluminum sleeves, which slip right over the crash tube. Bollards can be galvanized for corrosion resistance, fitted with an internal warning light for increased visibility and engi- neered to suit high traffic volume. If damaged, simply slip off the old and slip on the new.
Fixed post bollards are available to secure the sides of roadways with the same crash rating and appearance as their moveable cousins. Cement barriers such as posts and pots, many campuses prefer fixed post bol- lards for several reasons. First of all, when hit, cement posts and pots can explode, lit- erally spreading shrapnel throughout the crowd, potentially creating numerous inju- ries. Shallow foundation bollards can be in- stalled within sidewalks or on top of concrete deck truss bridges as well as conform to the inclines and turns of a locale.
The fixed bollard, which does not go up and down, provides a significant blocking device solution that continues to challenge security directors faced with threats such as stopping a vehicle from plowing into a city center or park and keeping vehicles on the other side of the perimeter. They let security personnel meet a long-standing challenge— how to easily install bollards on shallow substrates, including those that are not level or have turns. No longer do locations, such as curves on hills, the upper levels of park- ing structures and other unprotected locales have to use unsightly ‘make-do’ solutions to stop car bombers or wayward drivers.
Temporary Barriers
Are Especially Popular
By their very nature, terrorist attacks and er- rant drivers are unpredictable and predicated