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The Educational Source for Lightning Safety

L.S.A. is a non-profit, non-stock national business corporation comprised of lightning protection manufacturers, distributors and installers. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive and focused evaluation and response to legislative, administrative and regulatory issues facing the industry. Additionally, the L.S.A. will act as an informational clearinghouse for its membership.

MAY 2006
Conventional and Un-conventional Lightning
Air Terminals: An Overview by ZA Hartono and I Robiah.

The paper reviews the development of unconventional air terminals and their evaluation based on theory, laboratory and field study. The authors' extensive field study has found that 80 % of the buildings in Kuala Lumpur that have been installed with the un-conventional air terminals have at least one lightning strike damage on them.

OCTOBER 2005
Federal Court Finds ESE Advertising Illegal

On October 7, 2005, the United States District Court for Arizona issued a permanent injunction, which prohibits the vendors of ESE (Early Streamer Emission) lightning rods from claiming that their gadgets have been proven to significantly extend the maximum range of protection against lightning damage beyond that afforded by NFPA 780 requirements. The Order was issued pursuant to provisions of the Lanham Act, which prohibit false advertising.

ESE vendors have traditionally offered a single or a few ESE devices and as few as one ground termination to protect a whole building. On the other hand, Standard #780 of NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) may call for dozens or even hundreds of air terminals, ground terminations at multiple locations and extensive bonding connections for such a building. The conclusion that the protective range of an ESE device does not exceed that of a Franklin rod means that the many buildings equipped with ESE systems are highly exposed to direct lightning strikes and the related risks to life and property.

2004-2005
University of Florida Lightning Test House Research

The Lightning Safety Alliance is proud to coordinate and sponsor a two-year lightning protection research project at the University of Florida's International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT). The study titled, "Triggering Lightning Testing of the Performance of Grounding Systems in Florida Sandy Soil," will be conducted by Dr. Vladimir Rakov, with assistance from Dr. Martin Uman and Keith Rampo, all of the University of Florida's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The study intends to measure the currents occurring in the wiring and grounding of the structure, when rocket-triggered lightning strikes the structure's lightning protection system. The system complies with UL, NFPA lightning protection requirements.

Click below to download the Research Proposal for the Univerity of Florida's Lightning Test House.

If you wish to request a copy of the 2004 Research Results please contact Jennifer Morgan: Jen@LightningSafetyAlliance.org

AIA Continuing Education Credits for Design Professionals

The Lightning Safety Alliance is a Registered Provider with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System. More than 30 LSA members are trained and authorized to present our continuing education program on lightning protection. Contact Jennifer Morgan: Jen@LightningSafetyAlliance.com for more information of LSA's Continuing Education Offerings or to schedule a presentation for your group or firm.

Click here to go to the LSA Education page to learn more.

Lightning Protection Lawsuit Backfires

A federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a lawsuit filed by plaintiffs Heary Brothers Lightning Protection, Lightning Preventor of America of Buffalo, NY and National Lightning Protection of Denver, CO against East Coast Lightning Equipment of CT, Thompson Lightning Protection of MN and the Lightning Protection Institute, based in IL. The Order, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, dismissed all claims against the defendants. The Court also granted summary judgment in favor of defendant, East Coast Lightning Equipment on its counterclaim against the plaintiffs, finding that Heary Brothers/Lightning Preventor of America and National Lightning Protection engaged in false advertising in violation of the Federal Lanham Act. The plaintiffs have indicated that they intend to appeal these rulings.

The full text of the decision can be downloaded by clicking here:
» Lightning Protection Lawsuit Rulings

GAO Evaluates Lightning Protection Systems for Federal Buildings
The objectives of this study were to determine (1) to what extent these selected federal agencies use applicable lightning protection standards to help protection buildings they own from lightning strikes; (2) how these selected federal agencies assess the need for lightning protection systems on their buildings; (3) what practices and lightning protection standards the GSA uses when leasing privately owned buildings; and (4) what data exist related to the financial impact of lightning protection and damage to the federal government.

NFPA Rejects DAD/CTS Lightning Protection Systems
At its meeting of 12-14 January 2005, the Standards Council considered the request of Mr. R. Carpenter, Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, requesting that the Council establish a project to address Dissipation Array Systems (DAS), also referred to as Charge Transfer Systems (CTS). The Council has reviewed and denied similar requests on previous occasions. See Council minute items 88-39 (April 1989), 90-29b (October 1991), and 00-61 (July 2000 and January 2002).