Sadly, active shooter incidents and terrorist attacks are becoming increasingly more common. An FBI study revealed that the number of active shooter incidents more than doubled between 2000 and 2013.
“An average of 6.4 incidents occurred in the first 7 years studied, and an average of 16.4 occurred in the last 7 years,” the FBI study reported.
Seventy percent of these shootings happened in either a business or an educational environment. And as we know all too well, Oklahoma is not immune to terrorist attacks and violent assaults in the workplace such as the recent horrific attack at Vaughan Foods in Moore.
Thus, in today’s world, a business’ security plan must take more into account than just burglaries. What can Tulsa and Oklahoma City business owners do to make sure their companies are protected from terrorist-like attacks?
Close any gaps in your Tulsa or OKC security system.
Businesses can is to make sure their security system is up-to-date and working properly. Then, check to secure areas that could otherwise be overlooked or minimized such as underground parking areas, loading and shipping areas, backdoors, and any other points of access. Having CCTV surveillance camerasoutside of the building in the parking or loading/backdoor areas can help increase security in areas where attackers may look for an easy-entry. Also, improving the lighting outside your facility in these normally dim-lit areas, such as parking garages or back alleyways, can help make it more difficult for someone to attack. Today’s access control systems can do much to help make a company more secure and prevent an attacker from gaining access to the company and employees.
Reevaluate your business’ security risks.
Your business may not appear to be a likely candidate for an attack, but as recent incidents have shown, an attack could stem from a variety of reasons, and business owners need to identify those risks.
“Even buildings that don’t immediately stand out as potential targets should be given a second look,” Sean Ahrens, a senior security consultant with Schirmer Engineering, told FacilitiesNet.
As the FacilitiesNet article noted, even if your building isn’t a target, a building next door or nearby could be. The article suggested conducting a thorough risk assessment of your business, “looking at what type of activity occurs in the building on a daily basis, what role the location of a building plays in its appeal to possible attackers and where the occupants of the building travel.” Once owners have identified the possible risks, they can work to minimize those risks as much as possible.
Help employees be more aware of their surroundings.
The article also noted that educating occupants on how to be watchful for suspicious activity is key. Attackers will often ‘scout out’ a facility to identity patterns in a business’ activity that they can manipulate to best gain access to the building. Employees can be helped to know what to look for when it comes to suspicious activity and what to report.
“All of a building’s occupants – not just the security personnel – should be educated and trained to look for possible signs of trouble, be it suspicious actions by other individuals or activity in and a facility,” the article reported.
The Tulsa and OKC security system specialists at Mac Systems can design, engineer, install, and maintain the best security system for your particular company’s security needs. We can help you assess your security risks and design a complete system that will help to minimize those risks and keep your business safe from attack.
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