Testimonial - from a Client who had a break-in

We just received this testimonial from a client who had a break-in:

"I was extremely pleased with Armor Glass film. It worked just as advertised. We were burglarized through a door with a large glass window and the glass held together with the film. The weak point was the plastic frame holding the glass in place.

It is clear this film offers the protection needed for hurricane force winds. It also offers a great first line of defense to discourage burglars who attempt to enter through the glass windows and doors.

Armor Glass film worked just as advertised.

Gary R"

Burglars, Rioters & Iranians - Breaking Glass

The photo is a picture of Iranians breaking glass at the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran. Notice that the glass is definitely broken, giving the culprits easy access to the interior of the building.

But whether it is Iranians, rioters or just the ordinary everyday burglar, it is another example how Armor Glass security film protects people and property from intrusion through every building's weakest link - its windows.

It is the same film that was installed on Washington DC federal buildings after 9/11, including the Pentagon. But it doesn't cost a Pentagon price. We put it on a lady's house last summer. Five (5) days later someone tried to break in - and failed.

Armor Glass security film has done the same thing countless times --keeping vandals at bay. At the same time it also reduces solar heat and protects from hurricane force winds, making it unnecessary to "board up."

Who needs it? Anyone with glass windows....Call us today for a free quote.

Wacky News: Strongest Late Season Hurricane - High Rise Hazards

Two Wacky News items of note:

The strongest late season hurricane on record -- Kenneth -- reached CAT 4 status before diminishing to tropical storm strengh. Details at:

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/hurricanes/story/2011-11-25/kenneth-pacific-storm/51391834/1?loc=interstitialskip

And then there is this gem:

Pedestrians in England REALLY needed protection from Armor Glass when a man broke a high rise window with a fire extinguisher and started hurling furniture, computers, etc out the window in a fit of "office rage"! Fortunately, most of the pedestrians below were protected from being hit by a canopy. However the fire extinguisher landed on a car (wonder what his insurance agent will say?). Details at:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/11/24/man-on-apparent-office-rampage-hurls-office-furniture-from-uk-high-rise/

Had our film been installed, the "office rager" would have been even more frustrated - he never would have been able to break through the glass! LOL.

You just never know when you'll need protection...

Last Theft Rage :Eye Glass Frames

It appears that thieves have taken to stealing eye glass frames. Here is a link to a recent Washington Post article on this trend:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/thieves-set-their-sights-on-high-end-eyewear/2011/11/22/gIQAL4ummN_story.html?hpid=z10

"Thieves have hit eyewear shops in other parts of the country, too. In August in Miami, they stole eyeglasses, a television, three printers and a laptop computer, with a total value of $254,000, according to the Miami Herald."

One used a rock to break the glass: "in Grandville, Mich., police spotted a 41-year-old man hiding in a ditch outside an ophthalmology office, one he broke into using a rock, according to the Grand Rapids Press. The suspect was accused of stealing $13,000 worth of sunglasses and eyeglass frames."

Had the store been protected with Armor Glass security film, he never would have gotten in...

Frankly, burglars seem intent on stealing anything of potential value. If all you have is plain unprotected glass as a barrier, then they will have no trouble at all getting in.

Don't be a victim! Get protection.

Building Codes Outdated in Extreme Weather

Extreme weather is becoming the norm and building codes are not keeping up, according to Homeland Security experts in this article:

http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/building-codes-increasingly-unable-withstand-extreme-weather

"According to Munich Re, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, weather related incidents serious enough to cause property damage have risen sharply since 1980. The company says that extreme floods and windstorms have approximately tripled, while the number of days with heavy rainfall in South America, North America, and parts of Europe has also increased."

"Currently engineers build structures to survive a “hundred-year storm,” the term given to a massive weather event that has a 1 percent chance of happening in a year.

The increasing prevalence of these hundred year storm events has led engineers to debate what types of safety measures they need to build into new designs and whether older structures need to be retrofitted."

And finally this comment by an insurance company:

"Munich Re will now offer lower premiums to homes built to resist higher winds. The company has also refused to cover buildings in areas it deems too risk-prone and mandates wider floodplains."

How to make a house resist higher winds? Install Armor Glass certified security film that protects the building's weakest link - its windows - from blowing out. That leads to interior damage (including mold), dangerous flying glass, and roof loss from the pressure. It will also keep out human burglars, another extreme hazard.

Extreme Weather: The New Normal?

2011 has had 14 Extreme Weather events costing over a billion dollars each so far this year - from Super-tornadoes to triple digit heat waves to Floods to Drought.

A new report out suggests that climate change creates extreme weather conditions and that this may become the "new normal."
Link:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/story/2011-11-17/report-blames-climate-change-for-more-extreme-weather-events/51276310/1

That means we can expect more of these freak events that are causing so much damage. Extreme weather in 2011 has produced costs of nearly $50 billion.

"Unprecedented extreme weather and climate events" look likely in coming decades as a result of a changing climate, says the draft report.

Bottom line? The need for Armor Glass security film will increase as a means to cut triple digit heat and avoid window blow outs from hurricane-force winds -- not to mention man-made actions like burglaries.

The $500 tax credit for energy efficiency improvements to your home will expire December 31, 2011. There is no expiration date on future extreme weather events...

white house shooting: ballistics and explosions

The recent incident in which someone took shots at the White House shows why the government installed the same film as ours on all federal buildings after 9/11.

In addition, some buildings --like the white house --received ballistic glass, which is an entirely different animal.

The linked article talks about new federal construction that includes protection from explosions, hurricanes and break-ins. That job is done by our security film. Stopping a bullet requires something else - a very special and very expensive (and thick glass as described in this article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15762682

Over 500,000 s.f. of our security film was installed on DC federal buildings after 9/11, including the pentagon. Yet the cost is a fraction of ballistic glass or even storm shutters.

You are more likely to face a threat from a break-in or hurricane-force winds than a bullet. Like this incident:

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/7-year-old-shot-in-N-Houston-home-invasion-2274024.php

Are your prepared?

Police: Burglary Spike hitting Clear lake

Today's print edition of the Houston Chronicle had a report that Houston Police were concentrating their efforts in the Clear Lake area because of a dramatic increase in the number of burglaries.

It's the economy folks. Unless you have a police officer on your property 24/7 the next best thing is to have the protection of Armor Glass security film. In several recent burglary attempts, our film kept the intruders from getting through the glass.

In addition to our film we recommend homeowners invest in heavier duty locks, like the "ultimate lock." Only then will you have 24/7 protection.

Check out the two minute video that shows how it works at www.ArmorGlass.com

Another Break-in of a Business

I was on my way to breakfast this morning when this sight stopped me. Last night someone broke into this business in the Houston area. The manager told me that it was the second break in in the last two weeks.

Our security film would have prevented the illegal entry - and if it had rained it would have prevented interior damage from that as well. We bond the film to the frame, giving it additional support. The frames will failure before the film does.

Record Hurricane Season - 18 Storms Plus Alaska SuperStorm

We have made another record year for hurricanes in 2011.

According to the Star: "2011 is the 7th hurricane season to have 18 or more storms" (we have time for yet another before the season closes Nov. 30). Also it is "the first time we’ve had 18 or more storms in consecutive seasons, with 2010 having 19 storms." Here is their tally:

Year # of Storms:
2011 18*
2010 19
2005 28
1995 19
1969 18
1933 21
1887 19

In the meantime Alaska Faces One Of Its Worst Storms Ever, Forecasters Say. This storm is deeper/stronger than some major hurricanes. CNN has a good overview of the threat: "Alaska is facing a life threatening winter storm with near hurricane force winds, more than a foot of snow and severe coastal flooding, the National Weather Service says. "This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm which will be one of the worst on record over the Bering Sea and the west coast,"

It seems that "Extreme Weather" is becoming the norm.

Are you prepared?

Tornado Hits Near Kingwood School

Yesterday a small tornado touched down near a Kingwood (Houston) school. Students were moved to an interior space. What if the tornado had hit before they were moved?

This is another case where our security film on their glass would have provided protection schools don't have today. We bond the film to the frames so that windborne debris being hurled by the tornado would have It would have kept glass shrapnel from causing injury or death.

Not to mention that the tint version of our security film would have cut the schools energy bill and operating costs, enough to pay for itself over time.

Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Hail - Extreme Weather the "New Normal"?

Poor Oklahoma. After experiencing an earthquake larger than anything like it in 50 years, today its being hit by tornadoes and hail.

The biggest threat to a building is loss of its windows from stress caused by a shaking earth to windborne debris from tornado winds or falling ice balls.

Reports are that "extreme weather" may be the "new normal." Article link:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/24/nation/la-na-extreme-weather-20110824

In each season this year, Oklahoma has had an extreme weather event. The U.S. has had over 13 extreme weather events in 2011. For example:

"The winter brought ice storms and snow from Mexico to Canada. The "Groundhog Day blizzard," which began in late January, brought Chicago to a standstill, dumped 21 inches of snow at O'Hare International Airport and killed 36 people.

But the spring and summer have packed a wallop of willful and dangerous weather. April spawned 875 tornado reports -- the 30-year average for the month is 135. The "super outbreak," as climatologists dubbed it, killed 327 people.

Floodwaters sprang from the Red River to the Ohio River. A string of enormous storms saturated the Ohio Valley, where precipitation was more than 200% above normal.

The Mississippi River crested from Illinois to Louisiana. As the Mississippi continued to rise, threatening major cities along its banks, a district judge ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to open the Morganza Spillway, inundating 4,600 square miles of Louisiana bottom land along with rural farmsteads and fields.

At times one weather crisis begot another. The storm cells parked above the Ohio Valley blocked the much-needed moisture from the Gulf of Mexico from reaching the southern Plains, exacerbating the region's drought.

Heat and aridity smothered Texas, where 2 million acres were consumed by wildfires in late spring. Another record."

Are you protected --from the heat and storms?

Burglar Meets Armor Glass Security Film

A client sent me several photos of his back door where a burglar tried to break through the glass door which had our film and frame bonding attached.

You can see they tried to beat out the glass. Normally one hit and the glass would have been a pile of fragments on the floor - and the burglar would just step through and "help themselves."

In this case, they didn't make it through our film. However, they were able to break a lock.

Moral: Invest in Armor Glass AND a heavy duty lock!

Another use for AG Security Film: In a Recording Studio!

I received a call today from a recording studio with an unusual request. They wanted our thickest film - 14 mil. Why? To put on the internal windows in their recording studio!

Why? Because the glass vibrates as a result of the instruments. The film would cut the high frequency vibrations being caused by the musicians.

We heard the same thing when we installed our normal 8 mil film on windows in Galveston that are old and thin. After it was put on the homeowners noticed that street noise was muffled considerably -- and they have protection from windborne debris strikes during a hurricane and from burglars trying to break-in.

It's always amazing to me the new uses for our unique product.