Over the years the Study Group on Lightning has participated in scores of educational presentations to Village clubs, church, and civic groups. This has been a very active lightning season with five homes sustaining heavy damage and at least an equal number of close calls. We are frequently asked the following:
Do lightning protection systems (LPS), commonly called lightning rods, work?
This question has been asked and answered from inventor Benjamin Franklin’s time up to the present. They do function as designed based on overwhelming evidence collected over two centuries of exhaustive research found in the public domain. This includes studies conducted by NASA, University of Florida, the Iowa Fire Marshal’s office, the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office, Underwriters Laboratories, and various branches of the military.
Air traffic control towers are equipped with LPS to protect sensitive electronics for critical air safety operations. They also benefit from instrumentation to count the number lightning strikes received by the LPS. A Federal Aviation Administration study showed that the Tampa control tower recorded 25,000 lightning strikes with no damage. The Orlando control tower experienced 20,000 lightning strikes with loss of one telephone line.
The above demonstrates that LPS do work if they are designed, installed and maintained according to the national standard on lightning, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-780, Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems. This standard was first issued by the NFPA in 1904 and has been updated thirty times since by a panel of lightning experts.
In summary, LPS provides a reliable and time-tested method to protect homes from the destructive forces of lightning, ensuring safety and peace of mind for homeowners living here in the Lightning Capital of the US.
For information on personal lightning safety see villages-news.com for June 23, 2024. Surge protection for appliances and electronics is the subject of a June 24, 2024, article in the aforementioned publication.
Villager Len Hathaway is a recognized expert on lightning.
