Lightning

If you see it: clear it; if you hear it: flee it!

Lightning’s behavior should be considered to be random, unpredictable and deadly. Preparedness and quick response are the best defenses towards the lightning hazard.

Outdoor Activities

Organized sports activities bring people to the outdoors where these lightning incidents take place. This is especially so in good weather and in the summer. Coaches, umpires, camp counsellors and referees need to be forewarned to take care of their charges, in this context. They can do so, by stopping activities sooner, when the danger is pending-but not necessarily obvious. It is their duty to cease activities. Get people to proper shelter. And quickly.

 Thunder on the horizon - What to Do?

Lightning is generated, connected to a thundercloud. Be warned: it may strike many miles from an epicentre of thunderstorm activity. Many sources quote that lightning has struck from as far as 10 miles away. Others say risk is up to 25 miles away, from the rain area:

 Lightning can kill suddenly.

 That first strike is just as deadly as subsequent bolts. Ten (10) miles is about the distance you can hear the thunder clap. So if you can hear, it can get you. It can strike! Once is always. Sometimes forever.

 There is no safe haven when "outside."

 30-30 Rule

Use the 30-30 rule. When you see lightning, count the time (1-one thousand, 2-two thousand, etc.). If you count 30 seconds or less, and hear the thunder, get to shelter post haste. Immediately get to proper shelter. Then wait 30 (or more) minutes after hearing the last thunder clap, to leave shelter.

 The flash to bang (sight of lightning to sound of thunder) time is 30 seconds, that means the strike is about 6 miles away.

 Proper Shelter

A building or house, that is fully enclosed is proper and best. Often people seek shelter from rain. Foolishly some go to tents, open pavilions, bus stops, trees, bleachers: all are not proper. In fact they are dangerous. Keeping dry may keep you dead for a long time, if the shelter is not proper.

     Myth:  Cars are safe because of rubber tires.

     Truth: Cars are safe because of the metal shell.

 Lightning Safe Crouch

When lighting enters the ground, it can send a lethal radial arc some 60 feet away from the entry point. If you are caught out in the open: crouch down on your toes; hands cupping your ears; bend your head down close to your chest.

Victims

Heart stops. Breathing stops. CPR and mouth to mouth is recommended. Usually it is cardiac arrest. Call local emergency help: EMT, Police, Fire. Victims are safe to touch. Cover with coat or blanket. Treat for shock, burns, etc. Move carefully to safer location.

Some lightning safety guidelines:

1. Establish who will be responsible for the call to shelter, off the field of play. On the field, it is the referee.
2. Assign someone to specifically watch for early weather warnings, thunderstorm activity.
3. Check with local weather forecasts.
4. Pick out a safe, proper shelter ahead of time.
5. Use the 30-30 rule.
6. Wait at least 30 minutes once activity has been stopped, last thunder heard or lightning flash seen.
7. Avoid highest point, open water, trees, flagpoles, utility poles, bleachers, lawn chairs, goal posts.
8. Do not lie flat on ground, in the open. Crouch position is recommended.
9. Make a mistake on the side of safety every time. Everyone has a right to seek shelter. No tournament, league or official should penalize anyone, for prudent safety measures. That includes leaving the activity prior to conclusion or game end, to seek proper shelter.

 7 reasons why lightning deaths are not declining:

1. Low probability: In the USA there are 60-100 deaths and 500-800 injuries each year. This places an individual's odds at about three in a million of being struck. This is deemed to be a low risk by most people.
2. Knowledge: Apparently most people don't judge lightning to be close enough to constitute a threat to their personal safety until the time between the flash that they see and the thunder that they hear is about 6 seconds. That means it is about 2.5 miles (4 km) away. However safety groups suggest that a 30 second interval representing 6 miles (10 km) is the minimum threshold.
3. Capacity to understand. People can't often determine the true threat since they can't see or hear each lightning event. This is why most lightning victims report being taken completely by surprise.
4. Them not me. Many individuals think that they take the proper precautions and that it is only others who are wrong.
5. Proportionality. Other weather phenomena are given more attention by weather service and media. e.g. tornadoes. Therefore, people don't think much about lightning as a hazard.
6. Invincibility. "It won't hit me because it never has in the past" This is a attitude found primarily among men. Perhaps as a result, 84% of deaths due to lightning are to males.
7. Emotional limits. People don't get emotionally involved in saving people we don't know.