Vehicle Terrorist Attacks Prompt City to Purchase Portable Barricades
In Fremont, Calif., near San Francisco, city officials purchased a dozen Delta Scientific barricades to safeguard street festivals and other outdoor venues.
Above, a digital rendering of the Delta Scientific Corp. MP5000 portable barricade.
FREMONT, Calif. — Recent vehicle terrorist attacks such as those in London, New York City and France have prompted city officials in this Bay Area community to spend more than $543,000 for portable barricades to place around festivals, parades and other public events.
A dozen portable vehicle barricades, manufactured by Delta Scientific Corp., are intended to keep cars and trucks from driving onto roads and plazas where events such as the Fremont Festival of the Arts are held, the East Bay Times reports.
Fremont Police Chief Richard Lucero told the newspaper the potential danger of cars driving into public gathering areas to kill and hurt people is “very real,” adding that the barricades are a “good, flexible way to be able to protect these venues cost efficiently.”
A city staff report on the barricades purchase quoted a May report from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that stated, “terrorist organizations overseas have advocated conducting vehicle ramming attacks — using modified or unmodified motor vehicles — against crowds, buildings, and other vehicles.”
Fremont is purchasing Delta’s MP5000 model. The 20-foot portable barricade has a battery-operated road plate that can be lowered to allow emergency or police vehicles through when necessary. The company says each barricade can be set up within 15 minutes and are lowered into place with hydraulic jacks.
Although some vehicle incidents are the result of drivers experiencing a medical emergency while behind the wheel and losing control, Delta sales manager Jeremy Andrews told the newspaper terrorist attacks are the primary reason such barricades are used at military bases, embassies, colleges and other organizations.
“After 9/11, our business has grown tremendously,” Andrews added.
Lucero said the purchase of barricades is simply “about protecting the people that are in the venue.”
Andrews said the barricades also can be used quickly if an impromptu road closure is needed for repairs or police activity. The company plans to deliver the barricades before the Aug. 5 start of the Fremont Festival of the Arts, he added.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
