Many factors go into choosing the right vehicle security barrier for the right application. Considerations such as the type of vehicle being stopped, vehicle penetration, infrastructure limitations, and even aesthetics go into the planning, choosing, and eventual installation of products. In order to assure maximum protection and effectiveness, advanced planning and proper installation are crucial.
To make the installation process go as smoothly as possible, some companies provide detailed drawings for the installation and rebar cages, if required, so any general contractor can install their units, according to an industry source. The skills required for installation of vehicle security barriers are twofold: general construction skills and integration skills of access control IE card readers, safety loops, and hydraulic or electric actuators. Some companies hire local general contractors to set their barriers in the test track for testing, and then take pictures to verify that the rebar and structure components are set according to the detailed drawings they provided. Manufacturer employees will not be required on site to inspect a product. If general contractors are skilled enough to build buildings, they are skilled enough to set a foundation for their products, stated an industry source.
The British Standards Institute (BSI) designed Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 69 as a complimentary
Lucy Foster, Marketing Executive at ATG Access also highlighted the company's utilization of PAS 69 when its in-house civil teams carry out installations. ATG Access has trained its teams of installers and project managers to ensure that they know how everything should go together in the field, said Foster, as well as providing permanent on-going training. From taking samples of concrete to ensure the correct concrete strength, to making sure that the steel design they have devised can be employed to sign off work when the contractor decides to carry out the work themselves, ATG Access checks to make certain the specifications of PAS 69 are met.
“Hostile vehicle mitigation products are required in any region whereby [UK] national government security specialists have effectively assessed the potential risk of vehicle-borne terrorist attacks,” said Tettmar. Places concerned with truck bombing threats from terrorists, break-ins using vehicles to penetrate facilities, as well as errant drivers, are all places in need of such products, according to Hamm. For Delta, those clients are mostly government entities, ranging from military to embassies to water utilities to water transportation hubs. An industry source highlighted the need for vehicle security barriers wherever criticalinfrastructure is, especially those related to water, sewers, power transmissions, and communication to name a few.
One sector that the market has seen growth in is “soft targets”. Places such as hotels and retail outlets have recently been installing barriers, according to Hamm. Although, most of Delta's clients are in the government sector, they also featured petro-chemical, public and private utilities, and universities as their other major verticals.
In terms of regional growth, Tettmar emphasized a dramatic rise over the past few years from formerly low-threat regions like Scandinavia, due to increased terrorist activities. Cova also sees growth in areas like South America, the Far East, parts of Africa, and Asia; they also see potential for growth in the Northern European market.
It is important to point out that vehicle security barriers are not an end-all solution — they are simply one piece of a more complex complete puzzle, which may include alarm monitoring, security cameras, additional perimeter security, and manned security. Additional precautions such as road narrowing and chicanes can also be implemented to slow approaching vehicles and lower the level of needed protection. While barriers, blockers, bollards, etc. are effective in stopping a vehicle from entering a facility, they cannot, however, protect against blasts or ballistic impact.