How 9/11 and Other Terrorist Attacks Shaped Today’s Security Film Industry

by Abby Bowman

Experts say security film was developed in response to IRA bombings, like the 1993 one depicted here. The windows of this London building had to be boarded after being shattered by the bomb blast.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks threw the United States and much of the rest of the world into chaos. Everyone from federal agencies to private businesses rushed to strengthen security before the dust had even settled. Security window film was one solution that quickly gained attention, and veteran installers say the increased awareness and demand that followed 9/11 continue to shape the industry today.

The Early Days

Even before 9/11, blast-resistant film was a common part of U.S. government security measures in response to two other significant terrorist attacks.

Beginning in the early 1970s through the late 1990s, the IRA carried out a series of bombings on British government buildings as part of a fight for Northern Ireland’s independence. More than 1,500 people died during those IRA attacks, according to multiple sources.

“Modern security film was first developed in response to the IRA car bombings,” says Rich Eannarino, managing partner at Philadelphia-based Guardian Bastille. “[British government buildings] had to install it from the first to the fifth floors.”

Early security film was 4 millimeters thick and didn’t become mainstream in the U.S. until the Oklahoma City bombing, he says.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation calls the April 19, 1995, bombing the “deadliest home-grown terrorist attack in U.S. history.” Timothy McVeigh targeted a federal government building in downtown Oklahoma City with a bomb hidden inside a rented truck. The attack killed 168 people, including 16 children, and injured many others.

“After that attack, President Clinton asked the U.S. Marshall Service to do a threat assessment of all federal buildings – owned or rented – in the U.S.,” says Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association (IWFA).

He explains that, as part of that assessment, the General Services Administration (GSA) began exploring ways to prevent glass shards from flying everywhere in the event of an attack. The agency, which manages all U.S. government buildings, assembled a panel of glass and film experts to determine which type of film or other glass protection was needed for varying threat levels.

Part of the Pentagon had already been renovated to add updated security features, like blast-resistant film, when Flight 77 struck. The plane hit the junction between the renovated section and the non-renovated area. The photo above shows the difference in damage between the two sides. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the blast-resistant window units remained mostly intact, preventing severe injuries and loss of life. The collision shattered windows up to 200 feet away on the non-renovated side, ASCE reports.

“I was fortunate enough to represent one of the film companies invited to that group, which was originally called the Technical Advisory Committee on Blast Resistant Glazing,” says Smith.

Heading Stateside

He says that European experts in the group recommended security film to the GSA, explaining its applications on U.K. government buildings to help mitigate damage from IRA bombings. The window film industry began performing “millions of dollars” worth of tests on security film, Smith says, which allowed the GSA to publish a guide outlining the performance levels of each type.

“With that criteria already in place, the U.S. government knew exactly what security film to install after 9/11,” Smith says.

They didn’t waste any time installing the film, either, he adds.

“Many in the industry will tell you that all Federal government buildings in Washington, D.C., had protective glazing or had added security film within 30 days of the attack,” says Smith. “U.S. film manufacturers ran out of security film.”

That demand created a whole new market after 9/11, says Colin Rosse, principal owner of Virginia-based A&C Glass Tinting.

“Before the attack, my security film clients were jewelry stores, clothing stores or anything else with a storefront that displayed valuable articles that would be vulnerable to a smash-and-grab,” he says. “After 9/11, the focus shifted to blast mitigation, and the U.S. government wanted it on all their buildings worldwide.”

Security film became popular in other sectors as well. Eannarino says he saw an increase in demand for security film at higher educational institutions, private schools, office buildings and research facilities.

Security film doesn’t stop an explosion, says Steve DeBusk, technical enablement and project leader at Eastman, but it does help prevent shattered glass from becoming a weapon.

“After the Oklahoma City bombing, people noticed that many of the injuries were from flying glass, not the explosion itself,” he says. “Some of those injuries even occurred several blocks away.”

That attack provided concrete proof that security film helps prevent injuries from glass shrapnel, says Eannarino.

“A gentleman in Oklahoma City who lived about a mile away from the blast site wrote 3M a letter saying that the security film on his windows saved his life,” he says. “His windows broke, and the glass fell on him, but it fell in one big sheet instead of sharp shards because of the film.”

How Does It Work?

That’s exactly how security film is supposed to work, DeBusk says.

“The film is designed with a super strong adhesive that holds the glass together if something shatters it,” he says. “That could be a rock, baseball bat or crowbar, but it also includes objects thrown around by hurricane winds or a bomb blast.”

Security film typically is installed on the interior side of a window, DeBusk says, which prevents broken glass from flying across the room.

Smith says that the GSA rates the performance of security films based on how far the glass flies. Level one film keeps the glass in place completely, minus a few small fragments and glass dust, he says. Levels two and three allow more glass shards to fly away from the wall. Smith says that level four film provides the lowest level of protection. Glass with level four film can fly up to 10 feet from the window, but no more than two feet above the ground.

“Anything above two feet is an automatic failure,” Smith says. “That way, if someone is next to a window with level four film when a blast goes off, the glass would hit you below your hips. [That person might be injured, but] as long as they received medical attention within a reasonable time period, they would survive.”

While security film helps prevent injuries during extreme events like 9/11, says Eannarino, it can’t stop the bulk of the damage.

“Nothing was going to stop what happened to the Twin Towers,” he says.

According to Smith, however, security film did seem to help preserve some parts of the Pentagon.

“They had already started remodeling part of the building to add more security features in the walls and put security film on some of the windows,” he says. “When the plane hit, it absolutely destroyed one section of the building, but the section that had been remodeled actually still had some windows standing.”

This, Smith says, shows just how powerful security film can be in the face of a large-scale threat.

Performance Condition

Abby Bowman is the editor of Window Film magazine. Email her at abowman@glass.com and connect with her on LinkedIn.

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