Green tree city case study (question 3 only)

Security against Attacks in a Storey Building The case scenario given highlights various reasons for the need to beef u security in buildings as thestorey in the case to mitigate terrorist attacks. Security can be ensured through the participation of various stakeholders including the employer employee and the owner of the building. This paper mainly deals with the security concerns facing a storey-building owner as in the case study and a contrast with the concerns of the employees and the employer.
The main security concern for the owner of a storey building to ensure user security is the need to ensure accessibility of the building. This entails ensuring good packing and entry for clients and all other users of the building. The accessibility of the building also ensures easy and quick evacuation and rescue operations in time of attacks as well as other disaster like fire and floods (National Research Council, 2001). This makes the accessibility of a building a main concern for owners as it forms a factor in elevating the number of people rescued during rescue operations and increases the building’s safety. The other concern for a building owner is ensuring the building is leased to known parties as a means of reducing chances of leasing arts of the building to terrorists who can cause bombings like in the case study. The person renting, therefore, has to provide documentation and a stated use for the building or art of the building leased. The main reason for this is that the owner has the authority in deciding the lease agreement, hence has the responsibility.
The other concern of the owner entails limiting the points of entry to a building as a way to limit unauthorized access to the building. The measures for this include use of not less than eight feet fence along the perimeter, slowing of incoming vehicles through design of the road, use of high security lights protected by wire, to avoid tampering and improve lighting, and the use of anti-ram devices (U. S. Department Security & Federal Emergency Agency, 2013). The importance of these measures includes increased standoff protection against driving in with unwanted materials including bombs and explosives. Limiting access to ventilation system to only authorized personnel also reduces instances of using ventilation systems as channels to spread explosives by terrorists. The erection of electronic security detection devices in all doors and entrances to the building forms the other concern of the owner. Use of glass break censors and closed-circuit cameras surveillance is another security concern for owners. These measures ensure the reduction in unauthorized entry and improve alerts and threat detection, which reduces instances of attacks on buildings. Good configuration of the building ensures the building is resistant to blasts, hence security concern for the owner.
In relation to the other stakeholders on building security concerns, an employer has the responsibility of ensuring a safe working environment for the employees. This can be done through business entry restriction and surveillance on foreigners who pose security concerns. The employer also has the responsibility of hiring personnel who are well known and professional to avoid their disguise as workers with an aim of causing security problems.
The employees have the task of ensuring the identity of the people who request for information on building design and security measures is recorded and only given after authorization from the employer. Employees have the concern of maintaining conduct and ethical work standards in the course of performing their duty. Mainly the guards have this responsibility by performing their duties well and avoid collaboration with attackers for the safety of users of a building.
To conclude security maintenance in a storey building mainly is the concern of the owner through ensuring the design of the building and the landscape takes into respective security reasons. The employees, employers, and the owner all have roles to lay in ensuring security in a storey building.
References
National Research Council (2001). Protecting People and Buildings from Terrorism: Technology Transfer for Blast-effects Mitigation. Washington: National Academies Press.
U. S. Department Security & Federal Emergency Agency. (2013). Risk Management Series: Site and Urban Design for Security – Guidance Against Potential Terrorist Attack. Washington: FEMA.