VALENCIA, CALIF. – Delta Scientific, the leading manufacturer of counter-terrorist vehicle control systems used in the United States and internationally, today announced that the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas is using its K12-rated decorative bollards to protect the drop-off to its medical facility and a new vault constructed to house biochemical substances from car and truck bombs.
Three DSC720 hydraulic decorative K12-rated bollards, which will stop and destroy a 15,000 pound (6810 kg) vehicle traveling at 50 mph (80 kph), were installed in front of the biochemical facility so that authorized vehicles can enter and exit as the bollards lower. Eleven fixed DSC701 decorative bollards were also installed.
"The university wanted very high vehicle security for this new facility, which is located just behind the area where cancer patients are dropped off," said Doyle Hinds, President of American Security Integrators, which installed the Delta bollards. "UTMB wanted 100 percent protection for its patients and the facility. The decorative casings also dress up the university."
The DSC701 hydraulic bollards are raised and lowered from a guard station. There is a master control panel and cameras watch the bollards. The driveway forms a circle, and the bollards are placed on the back side of the driveway.
Although UTMB is located a mile inland in Galveston, the installation was complicated by sandy soil and high tides, which caused the trench that was being dug for the bollards to fill up with salt water every day. The sides of the pit were shored up with concrete, however, and the bollards are working well.
"We chose Delta for this job because they are the premier manufacturer of anti-terrorist equipment," Hinds reports. "Delta is the only supplier I have dealt with that ships on time. They also have superior technical support, manufacturing and quality control. These are very important attributes to me, as an installer."
Established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department, UTMB has grown from one building, 23 students and 13 faculty members to a modern health science center with more than 70 major buildings, more than 2,500 students and more than 1,000 faculty. The 84-acre campus includes four schools, three institutes for advanced study, a major medical library, a network of hospitals and clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, an affiliated Shriners Burns Hospital, and numerous research facilities. UTMB is a component of the University of Texas System.
