Peter Davey, American Window Film

It’s fall and the Northeast is “shoring up” buildings for harsh winter weather and “hunkering down” for football season. Rituals to keep luck on our team’s side will begin. However, common sense and fiscal responsibility are clearly evident, as building safety and security are not left to chance. Whether catastrophic events including windstorms, bomb blasts, vandalism and break-ins or a simple misdirected football -- glass breakage can cause damage, injury and disruption. A quality, professionally installed security film holds glass in place, mitigating the destruction caused by flying glass shards and exposure to the elements and vandalism.

Rule-of-thumb for films made with standard grade polyester window film is: The thicker the film; the stronger its resistance to impact force. This rule does NOT apply to 3M Scotchshield Ultra Series Window Films. Highly engineered, these security films include patented, alternating micro-thin layers of polyester film -- increasing tensile strength, elongation and tear resistance while providing a wider margin of safety over other security films.

Security films are designed to deter break and entry. Although intruders may eventually break in, they are dramatically slowed down and often move on in frustration. Meanwhile, alarms may have sounded and emergency responders are likely on their way. See “Security Film Attempted Break In” - an actual break-in thwarted by security film at www.americanwindowfilm.com/videos.

3M Scotchshield Ultra Safety & Security Window Films additionally provide energy conservation benefits. Depending upon your specific application and requirements, a balance between safety, security and solar control benefits will substantially reduce heat gain in warm months and heat loss in cold months. The return-on-investment can be appreciated in three years and often in less.

Film choice can be daunting given the plethora of types, technologies, features and benefits. Lean on the experts for advice. A manufacturer with longevity in the field and their authorized dealer will ensure that your investment is supported with knowledgeable representatives, trained installers and sound warranties. 3M Scotchshield Ultra Safety & Security Films have steadily increased in demand and have proven their worth. They are effective, efficient and far less costly than window replacement.  A quick, clean, professional installation creates little disruption to business-as-usual and remains a low profile measure of safety that continues to work hard for you throughout the year. So, get yourselves shored up, hunkered down and enjoy the season! Go Pats!

Peter Davey is president of American Window Film, Inc., a 3M Authorized & Certified Prestige Window Film Dealer, Foxboro and Boston, Mass.