LIGHTNING SAFETY
Brought to you by the CAP National Safety Team
Lightning Danger:
During the past 30 years, lightning
killed an average of 58 people per
year in the United States based on
documented cases. That's more
than the annual number of people
killed by hurricanes and about the
same as those killed by tornadoes.
Many more are struck but survive.
While documented lightning
injuries in the United States
average about 400 per year,
undocumented injuries caused by
lightning are likely much higher.
What is Lightning?
The action of rising and
descending air within a
thunderstorm separates positive
and negative charges. Lightning
results from the buildup and
discharge of electrical energy
between positively and
negatively charged areas.
Lightning can travel many ways:
cloud-to-ground, ground to
cloud, and cloud to cloud. In
most strikes, the ground is
positively charged.
Each spark of lightning can reach
over five miles in length, soar to
temperatures of approximately
50,000 degrees Fahrenheit ( up
to 4 times hotter than the surface
of the sun), and contain
between100 million and one
billion electrical volts.
Artificial lightning and thunder
can be created in a indoor labs
using Tesla coils. Many science
museums offer demonstrations
of this phenomena.
What is Thunder?
• Lightning rapidly heats the air
in its immediate vicinity to
about 28,000 °C (50,000 °F)
about four times the
temperature of the surface of
the Sun. This compresses the
surrounding clear air and
creates a supersonic shock
wave which decays to an
acoustic wave that is heard as
thunder. The lightning threat
persists for up to 30 minutes
after the last thunder is heard.
Where does lightning strike?
Earth must obtain a charge before it
can be the circuit connector for the
process of lightning. This happens
when a cloud above Earth's surface
passes over and alters the charge
of the ground. Earth generally
acquires a positive charge from the
passing cloud(s) and can then close
the circuit; lightning begins to strike
invisibly through the sky, from the
cloud to the ground, completing the
circuit. The visible portion of the
strike then travels from ground to
cloud.
If you are planning outdoor events:
• Have an action plan to cope
with the chance of lightning.
• Monitor weather radio for alerts
• Plan for shelter needs and
transportation capability,
school buses can serve as
both for large groups.
• Provide communication ability
and warnings to participants in
storm prone areas.
If you are caught outdoors…
Avoid:
Water
High Ground
All metal objects
Unsafe Places include:
Canopies
Small picnic or rain shelters
Under or around trees
STAY LOW!!!
If in the open with lightning
striking around you:
Crouch down and cover
your ears. (don’t lay down)
Avoid proximity (approx. 15
feet) to other people.
IF AT ALL POSSIBLE
SEEK SHELTER
INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY!
…AND SUSPEND OUTDOOR ACTIVITY FOR 30 MINUTES
AFTER YOU HEAR THE LAST OF THE THUNDER
If you are indoors…
Avoid water and plumbing; pipes are great electrical
conductors.
Stay away from doors and windows.
Do not use any 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.
Surge protectors offer no protection from lightning!
First Aid for Lightning Strike
Note: Injured persons do not carry an electric charge
and can be safely treated!
• Call for help or transport immediately to the closest emergency
facility if medical resources are too far away.
• Expose and treat for burns (especially exit wounds on extremities)
• Treat for shock (no pun intended; enter obvious joke here) keep
patient warm with blankets and place in a position of comfort.
• Protect the airway, monitor pulse and perform CPR as needed.
• Be optimistic – most strikes are not deadly
HELP US PREVENT LIGHTNING INJURY!
STAY ALERT!
STAY ALIVE!
To take the Online Safety
Quiz, go to eServices, CAP
Online Safety Briefings