Protecting 2010 Winter Olympics Is Big Business
August 1, 2009
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
Contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing to companies involved in providing security for the 2010 Winter and Paralympic Olympic Games. At least half a million visitors are expected ...
Contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing to companies involved in providing security for the 2010 Winter and Paralympic Olympic Games. At least half a million visitors are expected to come to Vancouver and Whistler for the Games, which start February 12.
Three cruise ships are being used to accommodate military staff, in a contract worth $76-million. Meanwhile, a security consortium known as Contemporary Security Canada, which includes Edmonton firm United Protection Services, has been contracted for $94 million to provide 5,000 private security guards to supplement the RCMP and military personnel.
A $30-million contract went to Honeywell in May to provide perimeter intrusion detection systems for 18 of the venues. The company provided perimeter security and surveillance cameras at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including for the famous Bird’s Nest stadium.
In B. C., the venues that Honeywell will protect include the media centre at the Vancouver Convention Centre and the athletes’ village, but also a wide variety of other scattered venues in Vancouver and the Whistler mountains.
Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions, says: ” The challenge lies in the geographic scope, which entails securing approximately 27 kilometers of event perimeter across a wide range of locations, including diverse landscapes from mountain terrain to urban settings.” Orzeske adds: “It’s not a one-size-fits- all, plug-and-play type of installation.” The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit will operate the system, while Honeywell will provide system maintenance and support.
No-one is allowed to reveal what type of equipment will be used to secure the sites, but it will no doubt include electronic sensors along the physical walls and fences, as well as electronic surveillance.
CanWest News reported that the RCMP intends to use hundreds of cameras that employ face recognition.
In July, a New Brunswick company, Allain Equipment, was awarded a contract to build an undisclosed number of mobile security units. The 5-metre long trailers will be loaded with high-tech equipment for screening hundreds of visitors at a time.
