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Recognizing the importance of disaster mitigation for the architect and engineering communities, Build & Protect provides unique content related to lightning safety and lightning protection system (LPS) design, specification, quality assurance, inspection and maintenance.
Visit
lightning.org to find out how the inclusion of safety standard-compliant lightning protection systems in your state-of-the-art designs can benefit the building environment.
Why just build? When you can build and PROTECT!
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Lightning Protection and Sustainability: 5 Reasons for Architects to Design with Lightning in Mind
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The benefits of lightning protection are in the forefront of construction with architects making buildings more sustainable, as demonstrated at this Vegetative Roof in Charlottesville, VA.
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According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), sustainability is a key element of the architecture profession's approach to design in the 21st century. As architects are tackling a myriad of global challenges, including those posed by increasingly unstable weather patterns, more architects and planners are taking a "build" and "protect" approach to design and construction.
Since lightning is a weather hazard that affects people, property and places in nearly every region of the U.S., it's no surprise that lightning protection systems (LPS) have become increasingly important for the building process.
Architects who haven't considered lightning protection, may want to consider these five important reasons for including lightning protection systems in building designs and plans.
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New Lightning Safety Initiative Provides a "Double Check"
"Now you have it. Will it work?" Double Check.
The Lightning Protection Institute Inspection Program ("LPI-IP"), announces its
national lightning safety initiative,
"Double Check."
Check 1. Have a lightning protection system. Check 2. Have the system inspected and certified.
As lightning protection systems gain widespread acceptance as a necessary life safety application, property owners are encouraged to check both boxes.
Demand systems designed and installed by lightning protection professionals. Demand the system be inspected and certified by a nationally accepted third-party.
Because lightning protection systems' performance depends entirely upon the quality of the manufactured components, system design, installation, and suitability, inspection and certification is a must. The Double Check initiative advocates independent third-party inspection and certification of professionally designed and installed lightning protection systems in residential and commercial settings.
For more information about the LPI-IP and its convenient and easy-to-use services, be sure to visit the
new website
today.
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Lightning: How Schools & Campuses can Examine the Risk
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Lightning protection systems, though barely visible to the untrained eye, are an integral part of athletic and academic buildings on many U.S. college campuses.
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Lightning sparked a devastating fire at
Boley Elementary School in West Monroe, LA, earlier this month, underscoring the importance of lightning protection for schools and universities. Security cameras at the school recorded two powerful lightning strikes that ignited a fire that destroyed the school and displaced over 200 students.
Safety is a primary concern for every school in the country, and even more so at colleges and universities where large numbers of students reside in campus dormitories and apartments. Severe weather and fires pose special threats to school communities. Since lightning affects nearly every area of the country, it's important that school administrators, coaches, emergency managers and security personnel understand the threat and develop a plan to protect students and fortify their school structures.
Is your campus "schooled" in lightning and the science of lightning protection? Don't wait for a lightning event to test your school's storm smarts, know the three questions that every school should ask to help examine their lightning risk and reduce exposure.
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Building Lightning Safe
News & Notes from the Community
Home Fire Underscores Dangers of Shoddy Lightning Protection
A tragic home fire in Herndon, PA earlier this month, illustrates the very real dangers that old materials, piecemeal components and improperly installed rods can pose to homes and structures. According to news reports, lightning struck an old lightning rod on the roof, then traveled to ground level where it connected with a gas line that ignited the home fire. The homeowners were able to get out safely, but the home was destroyed by smoke, fire and water damage.
Lightning protection installation is a specialty discipline, so property owners should not assue that roofers, general contractors or even electricians are qualified to install lightning protection systems.
Safe and effective lightning protection begins with materials and installation methods that comply with national safety standards. Reputable
lightning protection specialists
also provide options for a third-party quality assurance inspection of a lightning protection system.
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Old, improperly installed or maintained lightning rods do not equate to a lightning protection system. It's important that property owners understand the dangers that piecemeal components and old lightning rods can pose.
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Looking to learn more about lightning protection? LPI provides important educational resources for homeowners, businesses, organizations, and individuals to understand more about the lightning risk and national safety standards for lightning protection systems.
Lightning Protection Featured "Inside the Blueprint" on Fox Business Network
will be featured on the commercial construction and design series "Inside the Blueprint" on the Fox Business Network on Sunday, April 28th at 5:00 pm EST.
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The crew at Bonded Lightning Protection is filmed while installing LPS for the Hard Rock Hotel in Fort Lauderdale.
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Lightning protection experts from ECLE and Bonded explain the function and importance of lightning protection and review the types of damage that buildings without lightning protection are likely to suffer. The segment reviews the variety of manufacturing capabilities at ECLE and provides insight into the design and installation process involved in protecting a structure from lightning damage.
"Inside the Blueprint" covers innovations in the commercial construction and design space, exploring cutting-edge products and technology impacting how people live, work and play. The series provides in-depth, fast-paced, behind-the-scenes views of how products are made and installed-and how they're impacting the world.
Check out a promo of the program here and mark your calendars for April 28th to catch the full episode.
Austin Man Killed in Apartment Fire Sparked by Lightning
The Austin,Texas Fire Department reports that lightning was the cause of an early April weekend
fire that killed a 61 year-old man at the Cricket Hollow Apartments. Meteorologists tracking the storm say that lightning struck the apartment address twice during the Saturday afternoon storm, once at 2:21 p.m. and again at 3.47 p.m.
In addition to the tragic loss of life, Austin fire officials estimated that $100,000 worth of structural damage and $25,000 worth of smoke and water damage occurred in the two-alarm fire.
News reports of numerous other lightning-sparked fires at U.S. apartment complexes have also been cited by the media this month, including:
A recent LPI blog examined the issue of lightning fires at U.S. apartment structures. Click here to read the report.
Brotherhood Mutual Offers Tips to Protect Churches against Lightning
Thunderstorm season is ramping up and Brotherhood Mutual Insurance has advice for churches about lightning: "Don't let it strike fear!"
"Many times churches don't realize they could be affected a great deal by lightning. We usually see churches install a device after they've been hit," says Brock Bell, senior manager, risk control, at Brotherhood Mutual. "That's why we recommend churches invest in a lightning protection system, but sooner rather than later. It almost entirely removes the risk."
"Even in an era when skyscrapers and cell towers overshadow the tallest church steeple, it's crucial for churches to be intentional about lightning protection."
Brotherhood Mutual -
Lightning: Don't Let it Strike Fear
Do you have a Building Lightning Safe story to share?
Send us
your news for inclusion in an upcoming issue of Build & Protect.
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Support Lightning Safety Awareness Week this June
Recognizing lightning's underrated risks, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), launched the National Lightning Safety Awareness Week campaign in 2001. Since the beginning of the campaign, lightning deaths in the U.S. have dramatically dropped-with an all-time
record low
of 16 deaths reported in 2017.
Unfortunately, property and structural losses due to thunderstorms continue to rise with reports of fires sparked by lightning occurring daily in states across the U.S. As the media continues to share these reports of lightning fires in nearly every part of the country, LPI is reminding safety stakeholders that these losses can be prevented when lightning protection systems are specified and installed for structures.
LPI and the National Lightning Safety Council invite educators and public officials to help build lightning safe communities. Learn more about lightning safety and risk reduction at
lightningsafetycouncil.org and find out about the benefits of safety standard compliant lightning protection systems at
lightning.org.
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Why Just Build, When You Can Build AND Protect?
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Want to keep pace with lightning safety news and lightning protection trends to help build lightning safe communities? Subscribe to Build & Protect and stay enlightened!
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