Lightning Safety For Schools

Lightning is the most under appreciated danger of thunderstorms. Lightning kills more people than tornadoes and hurricanes combined, making it the second leading cause of weather deaths in the U.S. In addition, lightning injures ten times as many as it kills, often inflicting long-term severe disabilities. Yet we hear relatively little about lightning safety. Many school activities can put students at high risk from lightning, e.g., recess outside in open areas and outdoor extracurricular activities. The activity with the fastest rising lightning casualty rate is outdoor sports and recreation. Thus, it is especially important for coaches, referees, and leaders of other outside school activities to practice good lightning safety. Support from school management is essential in facilitating this process. Therefore, schools need an effective lightning safety plan.

Total lightning safety requires four tiers of activity: 1) education, 2) protection, 3) mitigation, and 4) weather warnings. This paper will address only the first aspect of lightning safety, since education is the key to improving lightning safety. The new recommendations from the Lightning Safety Group will be presented. This Group formed in Jan 98 and consists of 16 lightning experts from diverse backgrounds: universities, national laboratories, operational meteorology, medicine, industry, safety, insurance, education, and athletics. The Lightning Safety Group recommended six guidelines designed to help reduce the risk from lightning: 1) safer and unsafe locations during thunderstorms, 2) individual safety, 3) safety for small groups, 4) safety for large groups, 5) important components of an action plan, and 6) first aid for lightning victims. While some lightning safety advice already exists, much of that advice is often contradictory, ineffective, incorrect, or sometimes even unsafe. The Group’s recommendations take an important step in overcoming previous shortfalls and standardizing lightning safety. The National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted these recommendations in 1998, and the Clear Creek School District, near Houston, is adopting them.

Adults must take responsibility for the safety of children in their care during thunderstorms. Schools can serve an essential lightning safety role by practicing good lightning safety for their students, faculty, coaches, and staff, and by educating others throughout their communities. The Lightning Safety Group recommendations can help improve the lightning safety at our schools.