Until now, shielded windows in secure spaces and protected rooms (mamad) usually have been small and located higher up on a wall. This new type of window is meant to start near the floor and provide the patient with an option to be exposed to the sun and the outside.
These tests follow ongoing dialogue with the public and different government bodies and demonstrate the ability to think out of the box and find solutions to unresolved protection issues, Col. Dudu Abada, head of Home Front Command’s protection division, told The Jerusalem Post.
“We call it health windows,” he said. “The Health Ministry approached us and told us that they have a problem with those who are hospitalized and can’t get out of bed. They said the windows in a safe room are too high and too small.”
“For many of us, it might sound like a minor problem,” he added. “But these kinds of things could really impact one’s physical and mental health. So we picked up this initiative, connected manufacturers and companies and developed this window that is both wider and lower.”
The experiment is just a part of a series of tests Home Front Command conducted last summer, which are meant to find protection solutions in areas that are still insufficient.
In 1991, the Knesset passed a law that required every new building, private and public, to have a secure space within it.
Despite various initiatives to build such spaces in older buildings, there are still protection gaps in some areas, Abada said.
As part of the experiments, Home Front Command tested five different methods of solutions for those who do not have a secure space in their homes. These methods are meant to be cheap and to be installed by a contractor on the walls of a room that will be turned into a secure room.
Among the materials that were tested are light-steel planks, a special kind of silicon, glass paint, a solid fabric and a steel box that could be stored and opened in case of an emergency.
“What is unique about these solutions is that they are not expensive and are very easy to apply,” Abada said. “They are also very light, and this solves a major issue. Usually, when you add concrete or steel [to improve protection], it could add weight and damage the structure, on top of usually being expensive and difficult to apply, especially in old structures.”
The tests showed that all methods are effective, he said, adding: “In order to examine it, we build structures that are similar to the typical Israel building. We then carried out a series of explosions and witnessed that all the blocks were smashed, but the secure space remained intact.”
“We are working on these improvements for the good of the public,” Abada said. “We keep looking for more and more ways to make this kind of protection more accessible to the public. But it is also important to ask the people who have access to secure spaces to keep them clean and usable. Do not tear down windows and doors, and keep it ready at all times.”