A facility security director is challenged with the difficult task of securing his facility against many different types of threats. These threats can run the gamut from possible terrorist attacks to burglaries to natural disasters. In designing and implementing an integrated security system, it is important to provide a suitable level of security to key vulnerable areas such as windows. This is an area that is often undersecured. Windows pose an easy point of entry, as they can be easily broken. They also pose a possible threat to life in the event of an explosion or earthquake, where more than 50 percent of injuries and fatalities are due to flying shards of glass. In the past, wired glass or very thick tempered glass was a typical solution to this problem. However, there have been some recent technological developments in protective window films that provide the same level of protection but at a significantly lower cost and without impacting the architectural aesthetics of the building.
These window films are polyester-based, average approximately 7-mm thick and adhere to the interior side of the window using special adhesives. Installation is by certified technicians. The film can deter burglaries without having to resort to using wrought iron bars or window gates. Ballistic tests have shown that bullets fired from a variety of weapons including the .38 Special, 9mm Luger and .44 Magnum at the window at a distance of only 25 feet were significantly slowed down, and in some cases did not even fully penetrate the glass.