All Too Common
Counteracting the threats of vehicle terror attacks
On Dec.19, 2016, the news exploded
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 Department
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 attack
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 attacker,
Somali refugee Abdul Razak Ali Artan,
was shot and killed by the first responding
OSU police officer and 13 people were hospitalized
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 people
when smashing into the Krewe of Endymion
parade, the largest at Mardi Gras, at a
yet unprotected intersection this past Feb. 25
in New Orleans.
To stop such attacks, government security
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 pedestrian
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 areas
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 normally
open to traffic will be closed to create
pedestrian paths and gathering points. However,
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 pedestrians
move between them in non-roadway
applications. Bollard systems operate individually
or in groups. They are used for intermediate
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 engineered
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 bollards
for several reasons. First of all, when
hit, cement posts and pots can explode, literally
spreading shrapnel throughout the
crowd, potentially creating numerous injuries.
Shallow foundation bollards can be installed
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 parking
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 errant
drivers are unpredictable and predicated on surprise. Staying one step ahead by identifying vulnerable areas,
and securing them, is critical to staving off vehicular attacks. That
means being able to deploy security equipment in tough conditions,
at a moment’s notice. Such equipment has existed for several years in
the forms of portable temporary barriers.
Terrorists typically don’t go where they see barricades, so placing
them wherever possible attacks can happen reduces security risks dramatically.
Temporary barriers are often used to protect facilities while
permanent ones are being built. Plus they’ve even been effective for the
long-term where physical conditions preclude permanent solutions.
Their most common use, though, is for when vehicle access is required
temporarily. Parking for the football game, a grand opening
for the new facility and open houses are temporary events needing
only a temporary solution. These barriers can be deployed quickly
and effectively, even in places where it’s impossible to excavate for a
permanent foundation.
Moveable self-contained barricades can be towed into position
to control vehicle access within 15 minutes to answer the need of
organizations that quickly require a temporary barricade system to
address a specific threat or secure a facility during special events.
These mobile deployable vehicle crash barriers carry a M40 rating,
stopping 30,000 pound vehicles traveling 40 mph. No excavation or
sub-surface preparation is required. Once towed into position, the
portable barricade uses DC-powered hydraulic pumps to unpack and
raise and lower itself off its wheels. There is no hand cranking. Wheels
are stored along the sides and the vehicle ramps fold out, completing
the implementation. To move the barrier from that spot to another,
the procedures are just reversed.
A second version, light enough to be towed by a golf cart and set
up in only 10 minutes, provides an ASTM crash rating of P40, which
means it will stop a 5,000 pound vehicle going 40 mph. With no foundation
or electrical hook-up needed, two people can set up and take
down the barrier in minutes. A self-contained power system provides
all the power necessary to raise and lower the unit onto its trailer and
open and close the barrier. This battery-powered system re-charges
with a solar panel or external means. Controls can be locked or operated
at the barricade or remotely.
Differing from the “hard stop,” wanted with anti-terrorist barricades,
the Soft Stop technology of the portable barrier decelerates and
stops the vehicle over a short distance. This is important because, in
many cases, the tragedies that the portables negate are accidents, such
as happened several years ago at a Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica,
Calif. Authorities want the vehicle stopped but they also want to minimize
injury to the driver.
No Application Too Large or Small
Protecting people from vehicle attack is no small responsibility; it’s
becoming mandatory. Knowing that you’ve got the right equipment
in place to secure the campus from vehicle threat and prevent what
is becoming all too common human tragedy brings a peace of mind
that no amount of money can buy. Carefully researching available
options and consulting with experts will ultimately lead to the right
solution in helping you protect your campus from vehicle-based
terrorism.
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Security Today.