I want to look into some of the available products for delaying access through glazing for schools and other types of buildings. The glazing goes hand-in-hand with the door hardware – even the most secure hardware can be overcome by breaking the glass. The challenge is that I’m not sure where to start. I’ve seen a few products over the years, but I don’t have direct experience with what works best, the cost differences, installation pros and cons, etc.
Please share your insight in the reply box at the bottom of this post. What products have you seen used in new schools or retrofit applications? Do you know someone who is an expert in this field who would be willing to weigh in with some suggestions?
WWYD?
Photo: Greg Abel, Advocates for Safe Glass
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Lori,
at least in the case of the door pictured any film would need to be approved for use in a fire rated situation. The wire glass in the picture has never been approved for use in a non-fire rated situation as it is not safety rated. As you may know, code no longer allows the use of wire glass in any area that requires a safety rating which includes doors, transoms and sidelights along with some other safety rated areas. We have even had problems getting wire glass that is safety rated (has a film on it) approved in many situations because many inspectors have adopted the view that if it wire glass they will not accept it. I would suggest 3M’s Safety Series for your needs. Their web site has a link to find commercial dealers in your area.
Hi Lori –
I think I had mentioned this some time ago in a comment on another of your posts, but there is a great security film product out there made by 3m that is highly impact resistant. I have personally swung a pipe wrench at a window it was installed on, and not only did it not break the glass, but the wrench bounced right back at me. There is a good clip up at windowfilmdepot.com (sorry if ads or referrals like that are not allowed, but the clip on the website in question shows someone shooting the protected glass with an assault rifle, which is relevant to the discussion.) Jeff Franson, the owner of that company may be open to speaking with you about the product and its applications.
Check out School Guard Glass (SGG) at schoolguardglass.com
Look at http://www.ARMOUREDONE.com They have an interesting take on a shooter attack certified film.
Wireshield by Technical Glass or similar products by Safti-First are the best way to go.
Contact Sam Berg at Technical Glass.
While there are shop or field applied safety films on the market, applying them in the shop or field is a pain at best
and a nightmare at the worst. The application must be done in a controlled dust free area.
Hello Lori,
Thank for all your interesting posts.
I found this one interesting because a few of our residential customers
require additional protection for sliding glass doors.
We have a contact with 3M. products.Millard Enterprises. 1 888 508 8889
http://www.window-filming.com
I am looking forward to future responses,
Gil
School Guard Glass:
http://schoolguardglass.com/
For exterior doors and windows in Florida, the state and Miami-Dade County provide websites for searching for hurricane impact resistant doors and windows for exterior use. They are not bullet resistant but would definitely delay entry.
http://www.floridabuilding.org/pr/pr_app_srch.aspx
http://www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp
The DOJ has NIJ Standard 0108.01 which establishes different levels of bullet resistant protective materials. Several door and window product manufacturers are available that meet these standards. Amortex is one that comes to mind but there are others. However, these are more pricey than typical doors and windows and would not be installed everywhere, only at points of entry, etc.
well, if they’re going to break in by shattering wire glass, they deserve any injuries that might result
Hum
Not sure if the explosive stuff works for this.
I guess just like everything else,,
What type of impact??
In a past position I dealt with a jewelry store that had suffered break-ins. The last involved the perp breaking the glass on the storefront door to gain entry. The owners had shatterproof film applied to the replacement glass. Shortly after Mr. Perp returned with a hammer which he used to pulverize the glass near the lock which the film held in place. He simply folded the film and glass remains back and reached in and unlocked the door with no worries about cutting himself.
As for institutional use, we no longer use wire glass in our schools due to the risk of injury. We generally use laminated glass. If the bad guys get though the glass we then rely on the alarm and police response. We have found that films are subject to vandalism as the kids learn very quickly what can be scratched, torn,and painted, and it does not clean up well.
I am going to check out School Guard Glass. Thanks for the recommendations!
One of your competitors has posted a good video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtBrcFpFLwk&feature=youtu.be. It compares film to school guard glass
Thanks Augie.
– Lori