Uncategorized

The purpose of this letter is to recognize the good work of Michael P. Kelly and New England Security Film, LLC.

Mr. Kelly (New England Security Film, LLC) has “hardened” all the entrances and associated areas at the Schuylerville Central School District, approximately a year and a half ago. The installation was smooth and professional. We are very satisfied with the Madico window film and its performance on the main entrances thus far. We are looking into moving forward with hardening all lower level windows in our schools in the same manor.

I can’t say enough for Mr. Kelly’s reliability, honesty, and hard-working work ethic. I would not hesitate to recommend him and his company to anyone. Please contact me with any further questions about New England Security film and Mr. Michael P. Kelly.

Sincerely,

Mr. Peter V. Riggi

I am writing this letter on behalf of the New England Security Film Company.

We are a Pre-K/12 School District in the Capital Region, located in Saratoga County. Our District is approximately 820,000 Square Feet of space and we have approximately 4,300 FTE students.

Over the last the last three years, we have been involved in a Capital construction project that has a value of approximately $55M. As a change order in the early phases of that project, we added the hardening of our renovated entrance glass and entrance side lights. New England Security Film was selected to perform this work.

It became clear early that both the level of quality and the attention to detail in the finished product was producing a greater value than anticipated with this work. As our project is currently winding down, we have continued to engage New England Security Film to further enhance our facilities.

Work awarded beyond the original scope of the contract includes vulnerable ground-level windows, glass areas inside our gymnasiums, hallway display cases, wire glass stairway panels, and classroom doors with wide glass panels.

The work has been completed to complete satisfaction, on time, and always on budget. I would welcome any additional opportunity to provide a reference for New England Security Film on request.

This is a letter of recommendation for New England Security Film, LLC. Owned and managed by Michael Kelly. Michael Kelly’s company has completed a number of Security Film projects for our school district over the last few years. All have been performed very successfully, on time, and in an extremely professional manner. I without hesitation would support the company and its products.

If additional information is needed, I can be contacted at 518-3 68-8821.

Sincerely,

Thomas Quinn

Construction Manager

NYSED’s Office of Facilities & Planning “strongly recommends” that “all existing wire glass locations be evaluated for potential impact and injury.”  [see: Wire Mesh Glass Post]  Why not evaluate ALL glass for potential impact and injury?  Why not also assess the potential for security breach in the event of glass breakage?  This is what we have been doing for some of our clients and they are finding it extremely useful.  Once a glass risk assessment is completed, the school facilities professional can logically plan for glass safety and security improvements.  In most cases, the safety and security risks are greatly diminished once Madico security window film is installed.

The risk assessment for glass considers the following characteristics of the glass:

• The location of the glass (door lite, sidelite, window, transom, showcase, etc.)
• The type of glass identified (annealed, tempered, laminated, textured, plastic)
•  The glass configuration (monolithic or double-glazed)
• Glass manufacturer information (glass tag or etching, if any)
• How it will act if it is broken (shards, spall, wire, granular)

From here, risk assessments are made as follow: 

Impact – How likely the glass is to be impacted.  Doors are considered at “High” risk for impact while sidelites are “Moderate” and transoms are “Low”.

Safety – If the glass breaks, how likely is the risk of serious injury from broken glass.  Annealed glass has a “High” risk because it can form large dangerous shards, while tempered glass has a “Low” risk because of the way it granulates when it breaks.

Security – If the glass is broken, are the school’s Lock-Down/Lock-Out and Shelter-In-Place procedures compromised.  Yes = “High” risk.  No = “Low” risk.  Some glass has no real bearing on security (showcases, hallway doors, etc.).

Finally, a spreadsheet is created to show the glass risk assessment in its entirety and to use as a planning document for prioritizing glass safety and security improvements throughout the school district.  Here is an example:

And here is an example of the updated spreadsheet after the installation of Madico Safety & Security Window Film:

Please contact New England Security Film for more information or if you would like to schedule an appointment for a glass risk assessment at your school or business location.

The Challenge:

A public elementary school located in Ballston Spa, N.Y. had windows with re-rated wire mesh glass that did not meet impact standards in accordance with New York State and/or national building codes. The glass was installed prior to 1977, when impact glass standards were adopted into the National Building Code, and was “grandfathered” for continued use.

Wired glass was used to create a fire stop at each landing of the three stairwells that provide access to each door in the elementary school. e wired glass doors and sidelites are located in what is considered a “high impact area,” meaning that there is a chance that a child or other person could impact the glass in these areas and potentially su er a serious injury. Additionally, the New York State Education Department Office of Facilities and Planning had issued specific recommendations to New York public school officials regarding solutions to make wired glass safer that had to be followed.

The Solution:

The local school district consulted with various experts regarding the best method of making their wired glass safer for the school’s occupants and in adherence with the National Building Code. Wired glass is only half as strong as regular plate glass so a sophisticated solution was needed to transform the glass into impact resistant. Michael Kelly of New England Security Film evaluated the school’s wired glass doors and sidelites as well as overall safety and security needs and recommended SafetyShield 800, a clear, 8 mil thick safety film.

The Results:

The installation of the SafetyShield 800 film raised the safety level of the wired glass to that of the safety/impact resistant glass required and is essentially invisible. Moreover, the film does not adversely affect the performance of the wired glass as an effective fire stop, as the fire ratings of the wired glass remain unchanged by the addition of security window film. The school district was very pleased with this easy and affordable solution for the elementary school that will help to keep students safe and secure.

From Carl Thurnau, P.E. from the November 2014 NYSED Office of Facilities Planning Newsletter:

The New York State Smart Schools Bond Act of 2014 has been approved by New York State voters. This means a “smart schools bond fund” will be established in the amount of $2 billion to fund public school technology, pre-K construction, and security capital projects. To access funds, the Smart Schools Bond Act stipulates that school districts must submit a Smart Schools Investment Plan to the Smart Schools Review Board for review and approval. The Act further states that “in developing the plan, school districts shall consult with parents, teachers, students, community members, and other stakeholders.”

“Smart Schools Projects” (of which there are four subcategories of projects) will need to be included in the Investment plan to be eligible for a Smart Schools Bond Act Grant. The four project subcategories are

(1) pre-k construction or transportable replacement project;

(2) community connectivity project;

(3) classroom connectivity project; and

(4) school safety and technology project.

At this point, it is suggested that schools engage community stakeholders to determine the highest priority for bond funds in your community and begin to consider the elements of your Smart Schools Investment Plan. This process should be well documented.

More guidance will be forthcoming with specifics regarding the Investment Plan approval process and how Bond Act funds may be used in conjunction with other capital funds and any additional authorizations required. 

Individual school district allocations under the Bond Act can be viewed on their 2014-15 State Aid Projections at:

https://stateaid.nysed.gov/output_reports.htm  or on the Governor’s web site at:http://programs.governor.ny.gov/smart-schools-ny

Here are a few answers to some of the most common questions about

Security Window Film. Enjoy!

Question: How Does Security Window Film work?

Answer: Security Window Film, which is available in a variety of thicknesses and tints, is generally installed on the interior side of the glass, though specialized exterior films are available. In the event of an impact or explosion, the film serves to reduce the likelihood of glass breakage, but where shattering does occur the film firmly holds the pieces of glass safely in place. The films have an exceptionally strong, energy-absorbing mounting adhesive, and are composed of polyester film layers that are extremely high in tensile-strength and break-strength.

Question: Is it BULLETPROOF?

Answer: NO, not to any measurable standard anyway.  There are many reported instances where glass windows protected with security film have stopped bullets.  There are even some dealers purportedly showing videos of specially prepared windows stopping bullets, albeit with their security film applied to ½ inch laminated glass which is not commonly used in schools or commercial applications.  However, the ballistic variables are too numerous to allow generalizations.  The size, shape, mass, velocity, and trajectory of the bullet as well as the composition and type of glass on which the film is installed make it impossible to make any precise, warrantable claims.  Generally, smaller caliber bullets can be, in some circumstances, deflected, slowed, or occasionally stopped altogether.  But no reputable film company in the industry is justified in making warranted statements about their films being “bullet-proof” or even “bullet-resistant”.  Until such time as fully defined criteria and controlled tests are in place that are nationally or internationally recognized, and comprehensive product testing is actually performed by reputable testing organizations, there will be no bullet resistant window film.

Here is the official position from the International Window Film Association on Bullet Resistant Window Film:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

The International Window Film Association (IWFA) has the utmost concern about any written specification or recommendation that would call for the use of any type of window film, such as a safety or security film, as a primary component of a “bullet-resistant glazing”. Safety/security films are being used in conjunction with various designed and tested bullet resistance glazings, but primarily as a “spall shield” to reduce the “spalling” off of small fragments of the glazings on the interior side in the event of being penetrated by ballistics.

Our industry believes there are adequate and acceptable standards and methods for testing of products as protection against ballistics. Since window films are an addition to a glazing and not intended for use as the glazing itself, we firmly believe that an individual glazing should be tested both with and without film installed on it for any comparison of improvement in total performance. In some cases, we have seen demonstrations or claims that the use of film imparted some bullet resistant value when, in fact, the glazing itself without film had almost those same bullet resistant qualities. Extreme caution should be taken, however, to make sure that any claims about performance due to the addition of a film layer clearly state the specifics of the glazing itself as supplied by the glazing manufacturer, the specifics of the film itself as supplied by the film manufacturer, and all relevant specifics of the ballistics used and the conditions of the test. Any attempt to imply performance due to the application of the film under any other conditions (different manufacturer, different glazing, different ballistics, different conditions), we believe, would be irresponsible as the margin for error could be one of life safety.

Darrell Smith
Executive Director, IWFA
(276) 666-4932
www.iwfa.com

Question:  What is Security Window Film made of?

Answer: Security Window Film is made of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).  PET film is very optically clear and largely unaffected by heat or moisture.  PET used in the manufacture of window film is a bi-axially oriented crystalline form of PET.  The crystallinity of the PET is why the film retains its optical clarity, as opposed to the PET used in the manufacture of a water bottle, which is amorphous (having no crystalline structure), causing distortions when you look through it.

• Some decorative window films that do not require great optical clarity use Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) as the formulation will enable the manufacturer to import textures, patterns or colors to the film.  Security window film is not made of PVC.
• Polyvinyl Buteral (PVB) is used in the glass industry as the inner layer of laminated glass.  PVB is generally quite thick when compared to window films (up to 30 times thicker) and it is significantly viscous and puncture resistant.  However, PVB can become brittle during extremely cold weather, weakening the structural strength of the laminated glass.
• Security Window Film is typically manufactured as a multi-ply laminate, meaning that there are two or more layers of PET bonded together to make up the film.  For example, Madico’s SafetyShield® 800 film is a two-ply laminate (two x 4-mil layers), while Madico’s SafetyShield® 1500 is a three-ply laminate (3 x 5-mil layers).
• The Adhesive used to mount the film to glass is a pressure sensitive adhesive which is used to aggressively hold the glass to the film (as opposed to holding the film to the glass as in normal window film).  Once cured, the adhesive will have a peel strength exceeding 5-6 pounds per inch.
• Both the PET used in the manufacture of the film and the adhesive have UV blockers blended in to protect the film against the damaging effects of the sun.  Consequently, all Madico Security Window Film reduces Ultra-Violet solar radiation by >99%.
• The outer layer of Madico’s Security Window Film has an acrylic coating to provide scratch resistance.