“I think I speak on behalf of my friends and it’s quite reassuring that these barriers are here to stop a car from driving in. You wouldn’t want to see a car get into the middle of that huge crowd.”— Marina Rodriguez, USC football fan. 

LOS ANGELES, CA, US, November 23, 2021

The annual Los Angeles cross-town rivalry game between USC and UCLA once again drew huge crowds to the USC campus for the traditional tailgate parties, and Meridian Rapid Defense Group was on hand to assist in ensuring a safe pre-game event.

The university is crisscrossed by wide walkways, which created a security issue for university authorities. To ensure no vehicles could enter the heavily crowded areas Archer 1200 mobile barriers were positioned at all entry points.

“We are finding more and more universities are deciding to use the Archer 1200 Barriers because of their mobility and the way they are a lot less intrusive than the old-style concrete barriers,” said Peter Whitford, Meridian’s CEO.

Marina Rodriguez, a USC fan, was walking to a tailgate party, saw the barriers and said, “I think I speak on behalf of my friends here and it’s quite reassuring that these barriers are here to stop a car from driving in. You sure wouldn’t want to see a car get into the middle of that huge crowd.”

Mr. Whitford explained, “One rogue vehicle, driven in on purpose or by accident, could create a tragedy of mammoth proportions. So being able to prevent that using our barriers is increasingly becoming the simple answer to a complex problem for many universities across America.”

The Archer 1200 Barrier is made of 700 lbs of American steel, yet it can be easily moved into place by one person. An essential part of any set up is the agreement that Meridian will provide a fully certified vehicle safety mitigation plan (VSMP) to clients to ensure the safest of events.

Meridian provides Archer 1200 Barriers on a regular basis to many other schools including the University of Alabama, University of Tennessee, and the University of Arizona as well as NFL teams such as the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Meridian Archer 1200 Barriers are “SAFETY Act Certified” by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) providing the ultimate standard in keeping people, communities, and places safer. For more information about Meridian Rapid Defense Group and the Archer 1200 vehicle barrier or beam gate visit www.meridian-barrier.com.

JUDGES ARE IMPRESSED BY THE SAFETY PLAN FOR ONE OF THE BIGGEST PARADES IN AMERICA

PHOENIX, ARIZONA, November 11, 2021

Protecting more than 800,000 people attending the annual New Year’s Day Rose Parade followed by the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, CA is without a doubt one of the toughest security jobs of the year.

Meridian Rapid Defense Group did just that and now Meridian’s Safety Mitigation Plan for those events has won the prestigious Golden Eagle Award at the 2021 National Sports Safety and Security Conference in Phoenix.

Daniel Ward, NCS4 Director of Training and Exercise said, “The Golden Eagle Award is an opportunity to recognize those technologies, services and processes that meet security needs and effectively account for the unique operating environment created by sporting and entertainment events.”

The winner was chosen from three finalists and voted on by the pool of NCS4 participants which included security experts across multiple sports and disciplines. They were asked to take into account everything from relevance to the sport industry, establishing the balance of fan experience while creating a safe crowd environment and the creativity and innovation that leads the industry forward.

Both the Rose Parade and the football game are designated by the Department of Homeland Security as (SEAR)-1-level security events. The Meridian security plan covered a large geographic footprint and a complex traffic scenario that required coordination and consensus-building at the local, state, and federal levels.

After accepting the award Eric Alms, Meridian’s President explained that MRDG’s plan was a significant improvement in security effectiveness with Meridian deploying 443 Archer 1200 barriers across three primary locations: the Rose Bowl Stadium, the parade route and the command center.

“Past events relied on traffic management products such as water barriers and type 3 barricades which aren’t certified to stop errant vehicles and using those is just not good enough these days,” said Mr. Alms.

“We are very proud to win this award because it’s great recognition for all of our Meridian staff who worked day and night before and after the events to ensure that everyone at both the parade and the football game had an enjoyable and most importantly, a safe time.”

Archer barriers are SAFETY Act-certified and crash test rated to stop hostile vehicles while also being both mobile and modular. This allowed for the event perimeter to be closed in a fraction of the time and reopened to regular traffic flow quickly.

Meridian staged the barriers along the parade route and at the stadium a week before the event, allowing law enforcement, local businesses, and the public to become familiar with the new solution. Fliers were distributed to every business near deployment, and company websites were showcased on the barriers to allow people to familiarize themselves with the product.

Meridian Archer 1200 Barriers are “SAFETY Act Certified” by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) providing the ultimate standard in keeping people, communities and places safer. For more information about Meridian Rapid Defense Group and the Archer 1200 vehicle barrier visit www.meridian-barrier.com

CALIFORNIAN CITY PUTS SECURITY OF COMMUNITY FIRST AND FOREMOST

PASADENA, CA, US, October 11, 2021 As the host of one of the world’s greatest street parades, Pasadena, CA takes no chances in keeping safe the close to one million attendees. Once again, the city has chosen Meridian Rapid Defense Group to be part of the solution.

This week the City of Pasadena agreed to purchase another set of Meridian anti-terrorism vehicle barriers and a trailer for use at the Tournament of Roses Parade which is held every New Year’s Day and for the many other events throughout the city.

A city official explained, “Vehicle mitigation strategies are a necessity as vehicle assaults are one of the primary forms of attack at large events and gatherings by Home Grown Violent Extremists (HGVE) and/or terrorists.”

The official pointed out that in 2018 and 2019, the Pasadena Police Department utilized Archer 1200 Anti-Terrorism Vehicle Barriers to secure the Rose Bowl Parade route after discovering that the security being provided by water filled barriers was inadequate.

Security was stepped up for all events in Pasadena starting with the Rose Parade after a driver deliberately drove a truck into the Christmas market next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin in December 2016. The incident claimed the lives of 12 people and injured 56 others.

“Pasadena has been at the forefront of pedestrian security,” said Meridian CEO Peter Whitford. “At the most recent Rose Parade we were chosen to secure the entire parade route using more than 400 of our mobile Archer 1200 Barriers.”

“The city was most impressed with how quickly all of the barriers were staged in the hours before the parade and just as quickly removed after it was all over allowing traffic to flow again freely,” he said.

City leaders were told: “It is in the city’s best interest to award the purchase order to Meridian Rapid Defense Group, LLC as the barriers will help to mitigate any potential HGVE attacks and other vehicle incursions into secure areas.”

Meridian’s Archer 1200 Barriers are made of 700 lbs. of USA made steel, and are Homeland Security Certified safe and can be quickly wheeled into place by one person.

Meridian Rapid Defense Group rents and sells barriers throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Europe.

Meridian Archer 1200 Barriers are “SAFETY Act Certified” by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) providing the ultimate standard in keeping people, communities and places safer. For more information about Meridian Rapid Defense Group and the Archer 1200 vehicle barrier visit www.meridian-barrier.com

TORONTO, CANADA, September 24, 2021

Tens of thousands of people on foot and on bikes are expected to be on Lake Shore Boulevard this weekend and Safeguard Perimeter Solutions is joining the city in ensuring they arrive and go home safely.

For the first time more than 40 unique mobile barriers will be rolled out to create safe zones on Lake Shore Boulevard. The company will also set up two Archer Beam Gates which can snare an out-of-control vehicle. The beam gates will provide access for emergency and city vehicles.

The usual large numbers of Toronto residents and visitors, who have been making the most of ActiveTO (the city’s popular safe streets project) will be boosted with the start of BigArtTO, where temporary public artworks are projected onto local buildings and landmarks.

“We’ll be using the same Archer 1200 mobile barriers that were used in Washington D.C. in January during the Presidential Inauguration. You’ll also see them at many other major events throughout North America,” said Shaine Moore of Safeguard Perimeter Solutions.

“With so many people walking and biking they can be reassured that no car or truck, whether by accident or on purpose, can break through the new safety cordon that these barriers will provide. And now with the start of BigArtTO there’ll be even more folks out there checking out the artwork, so keeping them all safe is our number one priority,” he said.

Barbara Gray, General Manager of Toronto City’s Transportation Services said, “Our city program now gives people the opportunity to walk and bike and get out during these times of COVID-19. So, we want to make sure we are providing protective facilities and therefore do it safely.”

Mr. Moore pointed out that the real attraction for cities such as Toronto is that the Archer 1200 Barriers can be moved into place by just one person unlike other temporary barriers which need heavy lifting equipment.

The Archer 1200 Barriers, manufactured by Meridian Rapid Defense Group, are made of 320 kilos of solid steel and will stop a speeding car or truck, yet once placed pedestrians can easily move, unobstructed, past them. They are SAFETY Act Certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

During the height of the COVID-19 outbreak the Archer Barriers were also used to create a “no vehicle” restaurant and shopping zone at the tourist hot spot in Centre Street at Niagara Falls. Once again, this year they will be used at the NFL Super Bowl as well as NBA and MLB games.

Meridian Archer 1200 Barriers are “SAFETY Act Certified” by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) providing the ultimate standard in keeping people, communities, and places safer. For more information visit www.meridian-barrier.com