How to Choose the Best Defense: Permanent Versus Portable Vehicle Barriers
For terrorists of all ideological stripes, vehicles are quickly becoming the weapon of choice. Vehicle attacks, in which a terrorist deliberately drives a vehicle into a building or crowd of people with the intent of causing harm, are an alarmingly common trend, particularly in countries where guns are less readily available than in the United States, such as Canada and many European countries. However, the last two years has seen an increase of vehicle attacks in the U.S. as well, with notable examples including the August 2017 incident in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which one person was killed and 35 injured, and the October 2017 incident in New York City, which left six dead at the scene while two others died later at the hospital.
Since 1974, Delta Scientific has been engineering and manufacturing both permanent and portable vehicle access control equipment, such as security bollards and vehicle barricades. Both portable and permanent barriers provide effective security, but not every barrier is appropriate for every situation. We have some suggestions to help you decide whether you need a permanent or a portable barrier.
You Might Need a Permanent Barrier If…
You Want Your Barrier To Be Seen: Terrorists prefer to strike soft targets; that is, those that are relatively unprotected and vulnerable. Therefore, the mere presence of a conspicuously placed permanent vehicle barrier may be enough to convince a terrorist not to carry out an attack.
Pedestrians Are Particularly Vulnerable On Your Property: If you have a wide walkway that can accommodate a car or pickup, pedestrians on the walkway are vulnerable to a vehicle attack. However, the permanent installation of security bollards prevents unauthorized driving on the walkway while not impeding foot traffic.
You Might Need a Portable Barrier If…
Underground Infrastructure Prevents a Permanent Installation: When adding security barriers to an existing edifice, underground infrastructure beneath the access points, such as pipes, cables, or wires, may make installation of a permanent structure impossible. If that’s the case, portable vehicle barriers can be just as effective as permanent ones and far more convenient.
You Are Holding a Special Event: Perhaps you are hosting a one-time or seasonal event, such as a new facility’s grand opening or a graduation. In that case, it may not be either practical or cost efficient to install permanent security structures. This is especially true for universities and other institutions whose financial budgeting structure may cause complex purchasing scenarios.
At Delta Scientific, we work with you to determine whether permanent or portable vehicle barriers will best suit your needs. For more information, you can call us at (661) 575-1100 or contact us through our convenient online form.
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