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September 14, 2018

Assa Abloy introduces attack-resistant door kits for schools

By Natalie Missakian

In the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. and others around the country, Swedish door-lock maker Assa Abloy said it has introduced a product to help buildings withstand an attack.

Assa Abloy, which has its North American headquarters in New Haven, partnered with safety glass manufacturer School Guard Glass on a retrofitting kit to make existing doors attack resistant.

It includes a steel vision framing kit and safety glass that can be used on existing wood or hollow metal doors, sidelight frames and windows, the company said.

Testing shows the retrofitted doors can withstand an attack with 90 rounds of high-powered, military-style ammunition -- enough to keep an attacker out of a room for about four minutes. That’s typically the average time it takes for police to arrive, the company said.

“Buying time for teachers and students to get to safety in the relatively short duration of an active assailant situation is a recognized lifesaving strategy,” said Ron Baer, Assa Abloy’s director of K-12 business development.

Dan Glover, product manager for Assa Abloy’s door group, said the company has seen a wave of school districts looking for ways to retrofit existing doors to defend against shootings, a more economical solution than replacing every door.

“Glass at doors and sidelights have been a weak point allowing access to attackers,” Glover said. While many schools are adding security films to their glass, he said, “that simply doesn’t compare to the product we are offering.”

The company is marketing the product primarily to schools but said it can be used in any building an armed attacker may target.

Reach Natalie Missakian at news@newhavenbiz.com

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