A Pod of Protection

Aug 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Stephanie Silk

It's the desk that people sit at every day. It's the trashcan that is used continually week after week. It's the car that takes you around town. These are all things we constantly use in the world today, and with the ongoing threat of a terrorist attack, they are at risk. In the future, when buying these mundane items, the consumer may face a new choice: terror-proof or non-terror-proof?

BlastGard International Inc., Clearwater, Fla., has developed a blast-proof trashcan called the BlastGard MTR that protects against an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion. In 2005, Ford suggested a concept car, the terror-proof SYNUS that deploys protective shutters over the windshield to render existing windows non-opening and bullet-resistant.

For the office, Gunnar Office Furnishings, Alberta, Canada, offers a blast-resistant line of office furniture. Previously, Gunnar had developed furniture that catered to height and environmental concerns. After Sept. 11, the company saw a need to develop a safer type of furniture.

Susan D. Sparkes-Hoskins, in charge of international business development for Gunnar, says the furniture is designed for situations where there is widespread damage. “There is little someone can do at the point of impact,” she says. But people around that point can reduce their risk of injury from residual damage.

The company offers a U-shaped desk with a bridge, an overhead unit and a “personal protection pod,” all of which can withstand 40 tons of pressure. The furniture is coated in material to protect from shrapnel and to reduce fire hazards, it's anchored to the ground and it has rounded corners to protect against blunt-force trauma.

Although Gunnar's Web site plays video of tests showing the product withstanding explosions and extreme weight pressure, Sparkes-Hoskins says the selling point has not caught on. “What I am finding is that people are lulled into a false sense of security. I've even been told by Homeland Security that although Sept. 11 was a big, bad, scary event, the world is settling down from it now.”

But wouldn't walking into an office and being reminded of precautions against terrorism make someone a little … jumpy? Sparkes-Hoskins says absolutely not and that those who aren't near an exit can feel safer in their personal space. “I've spoken with people that work in prime target buildings, that go to work every day shaking in their boots. [This] gives them confidence,” she says.

She also admits that even though the product has been named an anti-terrorism technology by the DHS (along with BlastGard's trashcan), such precautions are less common because security officers are more focused on the building — and not what's inside of it. “People believe that if it's something bad enough to penetrate the building, then it's too late for the employees. That isn't the case.”

The Personal Protection Pod can be used as a bulletproof shelter — though it lacks the fourth wall in order to avoid complete enclosure. “It is great for first responders to facilitate a good rescue even if the building is 100 percent collapsed,” Sparkes-Hoskins says.

“‘Terror-proof’ doesn't have to mean the world is becoming a more dangerous place,” Sparkes-Hoskins notes. “Educating the world to think a different way is a huge process. But what we are trying to do is proactively saving lives.”

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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