Page 86 - Security Today, January/February 2022

"Portable barriers can be configured in such a way to separate the crowd into smaller, more manageable groups. They can also help to direct the crowd in a certain direction to allow for safer, more effective movement."
eters. Solutions include beam barricades and high-security, shallow- foundation barriers.
Temporary, Portable Traffic Access Control
Some traffic management applications are only needed on a short- lived basis. For example, when there is on-campus road construction, it is necessary to slow down traffic to avoid accidents and keep pass- ing cars out of the area where the work is being done. Temporary traffic management is also necessary to manage the increased flow of traffic during a special event, such as a festival or concert.
For instance, at a stadium, traffic may need rerouting for sporting weekends. These locations are best protected with crash-rated porta- ble barriers that erect in 15 minutes and are then removed once the event is over. These mobile deployable vehicle crash barriers carry a M40 rating, stopping 7.5-ton vehicles traveling 40 miles per hour.
Penn State University uses seven such barriers for home football games and special events. PSU quickly deploys these barriers at stra- tegic sites around the facility. After the event, they are swiftly knocked down and towed to another location.
There are also portable bollards that work in conjunction with the above barrier or as a standalone option to cover even larger openings. The portable bollards carry M30 and M50 ratings and can be put into place with their custom mover or via a forklift. Easy setup and high- level vehicle-threat protection add up to a winning combination for public events.
Controlling Crowd Surges
As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes with more widespread vaccina- tion, people are increasingly able to gather in large crowds for special
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events. Unfortunately, big events pose their own safety risks, such as a crowd surge. Protecting these people, along with security and event personnel, will be a major undertaking and require a number of secu- rity measures to ensure their safety.
On Nov. 5, 2021, a crowd surge occurred during a concert at the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas. An estimated 50,000 spectators attended, many rushing the stage at the appearance of rap- per and festival founder Travis Scott. In the press of bodies, hundreds of people suffered injuries, some of them serious. The latest update shows that 10 people have died as a result of injuries sustained in the crush of fans at the concert.
The potential for a crowd surge exists any time a large number of people gather together in one place. While crowd density is a contrib- uting factor, there is usually some sort of inciting event that acts as a catalyst to get large numbers of people moving in the same direction at the same time. Sometimes the crowd is trying to get away from an actual or perceived threat, such as a person with an unauthorized firearm or a severe thunderstorm. A crowd surge can also occur when a large group of people moves toward something en masse. This appears to be the cause behind the Astroworld disaster.
Portable barriers can be configured in such a way to separate the crowd into smaller, more manageable groups. They can also help to direct the crowd in a certain direction to allow for safer, more effec- tive movement and to create clear paths for first responders to navi- gate during an emergency. Part of the problem at Astroworld appears to be that the crowd was too dense to allow the ambulance to reach injured spectators easily.
Important for Crowd Surges: The Configuration of the Barriers
Effective designs can be a powerful crowd management tool, but a poorly thought-out configuration can lead to more injuries due to members of the crowd becoming trapped against the barriers. The barricades should be configured to allow a route of egress. It may be helpful to have barriers that can be raised or lowered as needed to allow for an emergency exit.
Protecting perimeters of campus facilities from vehicular harm is a major duty. Likewise, shielding the people within the location from themselves is as important. A proper access control plan and the tools to carry it out are a major component of a security director's job.
Greg Hamm is the of Vice President Sales & Marketing at Delta Scientific.
Traffic Management
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