BY VITO PILIECI, Ottawa Citizen
Ex-chief having a blast

Brian Ford helps firm sell terrorist-proof laminate glass

Former police chief Brian Ford has already created a big bang in his new job.

Yesterday, Mr. Ford, now a government liaison officer with Ace/Security Laminates Inc., oversaw the detonation of a live car bomb at a pit in Almonte.

With him was a crowd of heavy-hitting security experts who had come to see how ACE's anti-terrorism window laminate stood up to the blast.

The group included representatives from the RCMP, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, police forces from New York City and New Jersey, and interested dealers from as far away as Australia.

Former federal Industry minister Brian Tobin was also there, although he insisted "I have no formal relation to them at this stage in the game. I think it is a rather exciting Canadian success story."

Ace's anti-terrorism window laminate, designed so not even a bomb will shatter glass, has been around for about 18 months. But since Mr. Ford got on board less than a month ago, interest in the product has swelled.

"We have really noticed a big change in two weeks," said Peter Fabian, president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa based company, which manufactures its products in Gatineau.

"These types of police people and security people all talk the same language. I come from a business side, and they want to talk about it from the crime side. He has really been a good asset."

Yesterday's bomb, equivalent to an explosion created by 5 kilograms of dynamite, gave Mr. Ford a good opportunity to engage in some cop talk.

"It's quite smaller than a suicide bomb would be,"said Mr. Ford after the booming explosion sent a plume of black smoke into the air and blew the Toyota's roof to smithereens.

"In Oklahoma City, it was 500 pounds (1136 kg). That is going to take the side of a building off"

The bomb was strategically placed to blow the doors clean off the car, sending them flying into glass panels placed on either side.

On the driver's side was ordinary, untreated glass. On the passenger's side was ACE's laminate-coated glass. The Ace laminate was shattered, but intact, while the regular glass had scattered.

"In Oklahoma, people as far away as 10 blocks were injured by flying glass," Mr. Ford said.

"If you are a block away, you could be hurt, too."

ACE has had an easier time marketing its products to Americans than to Canadians.

To keep up with demand, the company has released television commercials to entice people to become ACE/Security Laminate franchise dealers in the U.S.

The company already has about 85 dealers, most in the U.S. ACE will also be setting up a manufacturing facility in Ogdensburg, New York.

Some of the company's potential dealers were on hand yesterday, including Ashley Johnstone, who had travelled from Australia after hearing about the company through an Australian friend of Mr. Ford.

"I gave it hell, it held up pretty good, "Mr. Johnstone said after attacking a laminated pane of glass with a Louisville Slugger. The bat broke.

"This is my first swing of a baseball bat, and I broke the thing," he said.

Ace executives say global attention is good, but Canadians also need to start paying atten tion to new security technologies.

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