Johnson County Fire District #1

SAFETY INFORMATION

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Lightning Safety

Information and photos collected from the National Lightning Safety Institute website, Lightning Safety Group and classroomclipart.com.

You have a 1 in 280,000 chance to be struck by lightning each year in the U.S.

On average, lightning causes more casualties annually in the US than any other storm related phenomena, except floods. Many people incur injuries or are killed due to misinformation and inappropriate behavior during thunderstorms. A few simple precautions can reduce many of the dangers posed by lightning.

Know the Facts
Personal Lightning Safety Tips
Decision Tree for Lightning Safety
New Myths & Old Realities

Know the Facts: Back to Top

In October 1997, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published findings of some 35 years of USA lightning statistics. Fatalities, injuries, and damage were compiled for the years 1959-1994. The report is summarized below:

1. Location of Incident:

40% Unreported
27% Open fields & recreation areas (not golf)
14% Under trees (not golf)
8% Water-related (boating, fishing, swimming…)
5% Golf/golf under trees
3% Heavy equipment and machinery-related
2.4% Telephone-related
0.7% Radio, transmitter & antenna-related

2. Gender of victims = 84% male; 16% female.
3. Months of most incidents = June 21%, July 30%, Aug 22%.
4. Days of week of most incidents = Sun./Wed./Sat.
5. Time of day of most incidents = 2 PM to 6 PM.
6. Number of victims = One (91%), two or more (9%).
7. Deaths by State, Top Five = FL, MI, TX, NY, TN.
8. Injuries by State, Top Five = FL, MI, PA, NC, NY.
References: Curran, Holle, & Lopez: 1997, Lightning Fatalities, Injuries and Damage Reports in the United States,1959-1994, NOAA Tech. Memo. No. NWS SR-193, October 1997.

Personal Lightning Safety Tips: Back to Top

PLAN in advance your evacuation and safety measures. When you first see lightning or hear thunder, activate your emergency plan. Now is the time to go to a building or a vehicle. Lightning often precedes rain, so don't wait for the rain to begin before suspending activities.
IF OUTDOORS...Avoid water. Avoid the high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, power tools, etc. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut. If lightning is striking nearby when you are outside, you should:
A. Crouch down. Put feet together. Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.
B. Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 ft.) to other people.
IF INDOORS... Avoid water. Stay away from doors and windows. Do not use the telephone. Take off head sets. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, & TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shocks to inside equipment.
SUSPEND ACTIVITIES for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder.
INJURED PERSONS do not carry an electrical charge and can be handled safely. Apply First Aid procedures to a lightning victim if you are qualified to do so. Call 911 or send for help immediately.
KNOW YOUR EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS.

Decision Tree for Lightning Safety : Back to Top

NLSI recommends that all organizations prepare a Lightning Safety Plan and inform all personnel of its contents. In a sentence, lightning safety is "anticipating a high-risk situation and moving to a low-risk location." Lightning Safety Plans should be site-specific, but they all share a common outline:

1. Advanced warning of the hazard.

"If you can see it, flee it; If you can hear it, clear it."
TV Weather Channel; NOAA Weather Radio
Fancy lightning detectors; off-site meteorological services

2. Make decision to suspend activities and notify people .

The 30/30 Rule says to shut down when lightning is six miles away. Use a "flash to bang" (lightning to thunder) count of five seconds equals one mile (10 = 2 miles; 20 = 4 miles; 30 = 6 miles).
Notify people via radio, siren or other means.

3. Move to safe location.

A large permanent building or metal vehicle is best.
Unsafe places are near metal or water; under trees; on hills; near electrical/electronics equipment.

4. Reassess the hazard .

It's usually safe after no thunder and no lightning have been observed for thirty minutes. Be conservative here.

5. Inform people to resume activities.


New Myths and Old Realities: Back to Top

by Richard Kithil, President & CEO, NLSI
Here in Colorado we have been reading recent newspaper articles elsewhere about lightning casualty incidents. In the name of safety we offer a few observations about the lightning problem. First some general comments about lightning. It has its own agenda. It is entirely capricious, random, and unpredictable. Man's attempts to fit lightning into a convenient box, with Codes and Standards to describe its behavior, are a best guess. The system of conventional lightning rods as commonly employed does represent the best method for providing a preferred pathway to ground.
Second, lightning safety for group or large scale outdoor events is very difficult - maybe impossible - to accomplish. Injuries at a June 1998 rock concert at RFK stadium in Baltimore are a good example. Some 35,000 people were there. Lightning rods were there. Still, some 13 people were badly injured by incoming lightning. In July 1998 in Las Vegas NV, five firefighters were injured when lightning struck their fire truck. At a soccer match in the Republic of the Congo (October 1998) 11 members of the team were killed by lightning. Third, the myths about lightning persist: LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE (it hits the Empire State Building about 25 times a year.) RUBBER TIRES WILL INSULATE ME FROM LIGHTNING (it has traveled miles through space…a few inches of rubber mean nothing at all.) LIGHTNING CAN BE PREVENTED (unconfirmed/sheer advertising.) FIRST STRIKES FROM LIGHTNING CAN BE PREDICTED (unconfirmed/sheer advertising.) NEW HIGH-TECH TYPES OF LIGHTNING RODS CAN CONTROL LIGHTNING (unconfirmed/sheer advertising.) So how to achieve lightning safety? It is a personal decision. Your decision. At the first sign of lightning or thunder, seek shelter. Good shelters are substantial buildings or fully enclosed metal vehicles. We suggest you remain in shelter for 30 minutes after the last observed thunder or lightning. "If you can hear it, clear it. If you can see it, flee it."

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