Page 94 - Security Today, July/August 2018

Bollards at the Benz
How Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium protects attendees from vehicle attacks
BAy Greg Hamm
tlanta’s new $1.5 billion stadium, home to the NFL Atlanta Falcons football team and MLS Atlanta United soccer club and site of the recent NCAA national college football championship, is protect- ing fans, staff and athletes from terrorists and errant
drivers from using vehicles as weapons. While the threat of terrorists planning to attack soft targets, such as stadiums, increases, stadium security professionals must look for the weak points throughout their facilities to determine where fanatics are most likely to assail.
Taking their cue from soft target attacks, security teams and other stadium management understand that the use of vehicles, either to transport those who carry out the attack or act as the bomb itself, is a very real threat. Installed by Tusco (Cottondale, Ala.), using Delta Scientific perimeter protection products, the new access system in- cludes four DSC501 barriers, five DSC720 bollards, 39 DSC2000 bar- riers and 59 DSC680 fixed bollards.
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“We are experienced with installing Delta equipment,” said Brent Martina, president of Tusco. “Mercedes-Benz Stadium was partic- ular about their security needs and protocols and requested a cus- tomized sequence of operations for their security equipment. Delta Scientific’s products and experienced engineers made them the obvi- ous choice in meeting both the high quality and technical standards required to integrate with the stadium’s sophisticated security system. It was crucial to have a reliable team in place as we received a very compressed schedule to get everything complete by the first football game and, therefore, had no room for errors.”
Because of long, straight approaches to some access points, sta- diums oftentimes need to deploy high performance barriers, at the main entrances where players and VIPs, among others, enter with their cars. The DSC501 is the only K54-certified retractable vehicle barricade in the world. Set in a foundation only 18 inches deep, it will survive and operate after a 5.4-million foot pound impact. That’s
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