KFWB IN LOS ANGELES RUNNING STORY ON AIRPORT GLASS AND BOMB BLASTS

KFWB news; dfu ^ | 6-26-02 | dfu

[doug from upland]

KFWB news reporter Erin Kotecki met me yesterday at the Ontario International Airport (ONT) and spoke with SSAF USA LLC president Nick Ashton on the phone. She had been to the airport but really didn't pay that much attention to the amount of glass in the terminal. She acted almost astounded.

KFWB news 980 in Los Angeles is running a series today about what would happen if a bomb blast went off in the short-term parking lot, which is only 150 feet from the terminal.

The company with which I am associated, SSAF USA LLC, has been raising the issue across the country. Without searching vehicles at the perimeter, the close short-term lots are re-opening all over the country. Structural engineers are telling airport officials that a car bomb blast would not cause a "catastrophic failure" in the terminal. That means it wouldn't collapse. They are not talking, however, about what would happen to the people inside when shards of glass rip them to shreads.

Amazingly, they had a comment from the blast engineer who certified Ontario's re-opening who actually said that film on the window would be more harmful. SSAF International in England is offering 50,000 pounds to the engineer to prove his claims. He is simply wrong and has never tested SSAF IMPAX Security Window Film.

Parts of the story will continue to run throughout the day on KFWB. They just did a great promo: "Something to think about while waiting at an airport. A bomb blast could send glass shooting at you."

We will have an answer for the engineer who has already been mocked by Applied Research, which does blast testing for the GSA. Whoops.

Attention, Los Angeles World Airport officials, you are not going to simply run away from this public safety issue and pretend there isn't a problem.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

My Jeep was searched before they let me park in short term parking at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Not painstakingly searched, mind you, just a flashlight wave and a 'could you open this box for me'. A false floor could hold a bomb, but how much damage could that do so far from the terminal? The story sounds a little bit overblown. Why not hit a bus station instead? Less security, closer to town (for the 'scare' factor), and just as many people likely to be hurt.

[DETAILER]

SSAF IMPAX Security Window Film.

If that's anything like safety glass in cars, it'll turn into a big pile of about 1/4: cubes of glass. Can still cut you up, but not like a big guillotine of glass falling down on you.

[archy]

Why not hit a bus station instead? Less security, closer to town (for the 'scare' factor), and just as many people likely to be hurt.

Because congressmen, celebrities and other such targets whose demise or injury would generate additional publicity for a successful terrorist attack do not travel by Greyhound. But a bombing of LAX, with scores of dead and wounded, say on or around the annual Academy Awards ceremony, would indeed achieve that end.

And if the event were to be cancelled, or if the airport were to be shut down, success! They score again, and win.

-archy-/-

[doug from upland]

The pieces of glass are flying bullets at tremendous speeds. In dead victims, they have found small pieces of glass in their lungs.

[Salgak]

Why ? "Rich" people fly. "Poor" people take the bus. You want to impact decision-makers, threaten the "rich" people who donate to the politicians. . . .

[doug from upland]

An attack on an airport terminal would immediately shut down all aviation. How much bad economic news can we sustain?

[dalereed]

Worrying about being killed by a terrorist will kill 100 times more people with heart attacks than all the terrorists in history.

[archy]

An attack on an airport terminal would immediately shut down all aviation. How much bad economic news can we sustain?

That would require all of three people, if the last such successful incident were to serve as their prototype.

The shooters at Columbine could easily have done such a thing with no more specialized equipment than was used in the rampage at the school. After all, all the victims will be unarmed.

[Digger]

Keep on it, Doug & good luck to you.

[fourdeuce82d]

"Rich" people fly.

Depends on what you mean by rich- thanks to de-reuglation,schoolteachers, plumbers, etc. fly regularly. Don't get much food, and the service/leg room sucks, but it's cheap.

[DETAILER]

The pieces of glass are flying bullets at tremendous speeds. In dead victims, they have found small pieces of glass in their lungs. Can't argue with that... hope there's somebody bigger than me in front of me. No, I take that back... I sincerely hope nobody ever gets close enough with a bomb to make this a reality.

[doug from upland]

There was a reason that on 9-11, tow trucks were removing vehicles from the close parking lots (anything within 300 feet of the terminal). Valid waivers, or "alternative circumatances" as described by the TSA, are being given if the airport supplies engineering data that a bomb would not take down the terminal. We do not argue that point. But most have stopped inspecting at the perimeter where security really begins.

There is also a reason that trucks are inspected before being allowed on Wall Street.

[OldFriend]

Denver International does NOT allow parking close to the terminals. All cars are searched no matter where they are going to park.

[KSCITYBOY]

Checking cars going into parking close to the terminal is being done here in KC and it's a very good idea. There are several airports around the country where a large car bomb in a garage would cause major loss of life. In fact the ought to have atleast profile car searches at any significant parking garage.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Reminds me of when we had a tornado and high wind threat this spring in DFW. The airport terminals were evacuated to prevent injuries from flying glass if the tornado had hit.

[rwfromkansas]

bump

[doug from upland]

Reminds me of when we had a tornado and high wind threat this spring in DFW. The airport terminals were evacuated to prevent injuries from flying glass if the tornado had hit.

==========================

They apparently know something the fools in L.A. do not know.

[doug from upland]

There is a sniffer device being used in a major European port that detects traces of nitrates in cargo containers. If airports were really serious, all vehicles entering the airport would drive over or past such a device. We would stop any bomb at the perimeter.