Bullet-Resistant Enclosures: What They Are and How to Use Them
Bullet-resistant enclosures protect frontline personnel such as security guards or intake nurses in Emergency Rooms. They take the form of kiosks, safety enclosures, modular barriers, teller lines, security booths, guard booths, and other protected stations. These enclosures can be interior (security booths) or exterior (guard booths), providing a feeling of safety no matter the location. Essentially, a bullet-resistant enclosure creates a smaller, protected area in the midst of a larger unprotected space.
Initial Considerations
When it comes to designing and installing an enclosure into a security project, there are several elements to consider.
- Visibility and avoiding interrupting lines of sight or creating blind spots for booth occupants.
- Functional features to help users to complete everyday tasks.
- Size and style, while also taking into account the number of users operating within the enclosure.
- Any additional unique risk factors, including the most appropriate level of bullet resistance. For example, government applications usually require a higher UL level, while Level 3 or 4 may be appropriate for an ER.
Security upgrades may sometimes be initiated due to a previous incident, causing safety to take precedence over day-to-day operations. Thankfully, there are features that assist in ensuring functionality without compromising security like ballistic doors, voice ports, deal trays, and package passers.
Specific Projects and Applications
Bullet-resistant enclosures can be utilized in a wide range of scenarios, from government guard booths to hospital security desks and bank teller lines. Here are a few examples of projects Bullet Guard has assisted with:
Private interview booth in a hospital ER. We have installed a custom private interview booth in an emergency room in San Jose, CA that allows patients some privacy with a curved sit-down design. We are among the very few companies that could design and build such a custom, unique enclosure.
Credit union teller lines. For a project in a credit union, we provided arched voice ports and butted designs in teller lines for a bank and a vertical offset design and arched voice ports. This design allows for more air circulation behind the bullet-resistant barrier and for natural sound transmission. Both locations have Bullet Guard Architectural Armor under the counter and in the hoods above.
Guard booths for government applications. We installed a custom security kiosk for the federal government. It is a corner configuration with a butted design and closeable round voice ports. This allowed the employee to minimize the noise in the lobby by closing the voice ports when not speaking with someone outside the booth. The voice ports open easily when a customer approaches.
In addition to the privacy benefits of healthcare interview booths, current OSHA guidelines specifically recommend bullet-resistant barriers in large hospitals. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also recommends hospitals install deep service counters and bullet-resistant enclosures in reception areas, some triage areas, and nurses’ stations.
Bullet Guard: Your Source For Custom Enclosures
When planning ballistic security projects, no two environments will have the same needs—a finely developed system will incorporate a variety of elements that seamlessly work together. Bullet Guard can help create a custom system perfect for the space and the application, providing an atmosphere of safety you can trust. For more information, visit our custom bullet-resistant enclosures product page or contact us to request a quote today.
