One size does not fit all when you are deciding upon a security guard booth for your commercial property. In order to choose the best guard shack for your company’s needs, you have to take into account the function and duties of your force as well as your type of enterprise to find the booth that will provide the best logistics for both deterrence and site safety as well as mobilization in the event of an emergency. Careful planning will also provide the guard booth with the best mix of utility and ergonomics.
1. Choose the Booth to Meet the Needs of Your Enterprise
Security booths need to be designed with the type of business in mind. A data center will have different security enhancements than a parking lot for an amusement park or entertainment venue. Oil and gas refineries, manufacturing plants, fulfillment centers, and hospitals also have very diverse needs for the role, duties, and size of a security force. Security booths should be designed to take these differences into account.
2. Choose the Booth for the Functions of the Security Force
How many guards will you need on staff at a given time? Will they spend the majority of their time in the security booth, or will one of the guards be on regular rounds? Will you need entrance and exit wedge barriers with lighted arms? Will the security force hand out badges and need a double door or sliding window in the booth? Will they need to monitor a bank of CCTV cameras? Is it best to have one security booth to handle entry and exit and another for CCTV monitoring tasks? What other activities need to be conducted in the guard shack? These are some of the questions you need to contemplate when deciding upon the layout and size of the security booth. You will also need to take into account if you need lockers for arms and what space is necessary for a charger station for company walkie-talkies, phones, and other guard equipment.
3. Bullet-Resistance and Ability to Contact First Responders
Your security force’s booth should be bullet-resistant, and this feature should not be an add-on. If there is an emergency event on your campus, the guards are the employees who need to be able to contact first responders, no matter what.
4. Modularity and Portability Aid Growth and Expansion
If you choose a guard booth for your commercial site that is built to code with a modular design, it can be more readily expanded in the future in order to meet your needs for enhanced security or a larger guard force. Modular guard booths can even be replicated at multiple sites with common needs. If guard booths are designed with plug-and-play features such as electricity and data transfer connections as well as temperature control, they are portable and can be moved to other locations or sites at will on a flatbed truck. Portability is especially suited for guard booths at construction sites or special events.
When you are contemplating a guard booth for a commercial property, there are many important considerations to make in order to choose the booth that will provide the most usefulness and safety, meeting the needs of your particular enterprise with an eye to today’s as well as future needs of your organization.
