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NEWSWORTHY PHILANTHROPY ShatterGARD, an Atlanta-based glass protection solutions company, and its subsidiary Global Vehicle Protection Inc., donated 100 VehicleGARD kits to help protect U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We believe that our soldiers have the right to feel as safe and secure as possible,” Jordan Frankel, vice president of ShatterGARD said in a company statement announcing the donation. “Frequently we hear from soldiers about how our film has saved lives and prevented serious glass related injuries in combat zones. This is ShatterGARD’s way of saying thank you to the men and women who diligently serve our nation.” Protecting People First
Foundation Issues Safe Window Report According to the report, the research team performed site inspections and interviews with property owners, building contractors and insurance adjusters for the study, along with wind calculations that were determined by ABS engineers using a catastrophic modeling program. Where window film is concerned, the report notes that in some instances solar film alone “has prevented broken windows from shattering or breaking loose from their frames, it does not do so with the same level of effectiveness as films designed precisely for these purposes.” The report goes on to detail the difference between “film that is attached to the frames by securing bars or wet-glazing techniques” and states “daylight safety film does not increase the strength of the glass plate.” Subsequent to the description and analysis of each protective technology studied (including hurricane shutters, hurricane screens, plywood and different types of glass), the report includes a chart comparing each technology. Per the chart, hurricane shutters protect the best, followed by hurricane screens, laminated glass and plywood. According to the chart, security film provides passive protection across the board, with “wet glaze” and “mechanical attachment” both providing small missile impact (and mechanical attachment providing partial large missile impact). Overall, the report notes that while modern building codes are in place and help protect the public, many older homes and buildings could stand some retrofitting. It also states that “security window film performance could be systematically improved if more applications used a wet glaze silicone to adhere window film to the frames of a window or mechanical attachment systems,” and that solar control film should never be considered acceptable protection against hurricane winds. “Our research shows that despite Florida’s experience with hurricane season, windows, the most hurricane-vulnerable component of most homes and office buildings, did not get the attention they should have. They were under-protected, and it is precisely when a hurricane shatters a window and gets inside that the damage begins,” Eric Cote, manager of the Protecting People First Foundation said at the news conference. A consumer reference edition of the report is available online at www.protectingpeople.org. ANNOUNCEMENTS To qualify, students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5, be enrolled in a full-time program with an accredited university, college or proprietary program in the United States or Canada and be pursuing studies leading to a career in the automotive aftermarket or related field. Applications for 2005 are available online. “We’re excited to welcome Penny back to the staff,” said Window Film publisher Debra Levy. COMPANIES The expansion also includes the addition of ViewPoint Industries principal John Yard joining the Hüper Optik USA group of distributors to head the new office, according to a Hüper Optik press release. “ViewPoint Industries, headed by John Yard, culminates our extensive search for a partner in the Southeastern region of the United States,” said Faisal Nazir, president of Hüper OptikUSA, in the press release. |
The company released a statement announcing its plan in late December 2004, shortly after the now-infamous press conference in which a soldier with the U.S. National Guard asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield about the lack of armor on the vehicles U.S. soldiers were using in combat. Though it was later reported that a member of the press who was also attending the session planted the question, it highlighted the deficiencies in protective hardware U.S. troops in the Middle East have.
Former Window Film editor Penny Beverage Stacey has returned to the Key Communications Inc. staff as a member of the production department. She left last year prior to getting married.WINDOW
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