Don’t get injured by lightning.
Why
You’ll be shocked to know, but getting hit directly or being close to a lightning strike can be deadly. According to NOAA.gov, each year in the United States, lightning kills 20-30 people on average and injures 100s more.
Studies have shown that most people struck by lightning are struck not at the height of a thunderstorm but before and after the storm has peaked. Most people are unaware of how far lightning can strike from its parent thunderstorm or what to do. Lightning can strike more than 10 miles away from the location of rainfall. In addition, putting up an antenna when thunder storm activity is close can increase the risk of a lightning strike.
What I And Others Do
Never be on a summit during a thunderstorm!
Brief the weather before you leave. This is actually “Tip #4” in my series, and is applicable here. Knowing the 24 hour forecast can help you figure out if you should attempt a summit and if so, what time of day it will be safest. Be on the lookout for approaching storms (too many weather apps to mention here but some have lightning warnings or indications).
If you can see lightning or hear thunder, take action!
Get off the summit and the high ground!
Don’t stand under a tree, near a body of water, near metal structures like buildings, fences, poles. Stay away from tall structures or near a telephone pole or electric wires. (I’ve got personal experiences on this one)
When hiking, our instinct is to seek shelter under a tree to avoid rain and hail which usually accompanies lightning. Fight the urge. When lightning strikes a tree, you can become part of the circuit and be electrocuted as all of that energy flows into the ground around the tree. You can also be hit by debris from falling limbs or shrapnel as it blasts off the tree.
Look for other signs of increased lightning potential:
If your antenna connector is zapping static out to the ground (Myself and others have had this happen before), exit the area immediately.
If you are lucky enough to have hair, and it’s lifting up, exit the area immediately and don’t be the tallest thing around.
If you are caught outside during a thunder storm:
Get off the summit.
Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
Wait 30 minutes after the last sounds of thunder before returning to the affected area.
Seek Shelter if possible. Every single piece of research I’ve read instructs its readers to seek shelter. If you are on a hike, this is going to be a challenge but I feel obligated to to repeat it. Recommendations for shelter include non-metal building, or homes. An alternative would be enclosed vehicles such as a car, van or school bus. Avoid standing under trees, near bodies of water, or close to metal structures such as buildings, fences, and poles. Also, steer clear of tall structures, telephone poles, and electrical wires.
If someone is injured by lightning strike
Call for immediate help.
Move them to safety if the area is still dangerous if possible
Assess their injuries
Administer CPR if required and get an Automatic External Defibrillator to the patient as quickly as possible (many police and sharif vehicles have them on-board).
Be OK with aborting the trip and try another day. Being OK with aborting the trip before you leave the house will go a long way to reducing your overall risk. It’s a mindset all pilots have when starting an approach in bad weather. They begin the landing approach expecting to execute their backup plan because they won’t see the runway. I’ve aborted summit attempts when I’ve seen approaching thunderstorms a few times and was glad I did. I’ve also de-summited and ate my lunch while the storm passed by.
References
Visit HamNinja.com/safetytips to see all the tips as they are published. More safety tips to come.
The Ham Ninja’s SOTA Safety Tips
SOTA Safety Tips is a weekly series of quick tips to remember to improve safety of the hobby. This was inspired by the SoCal SOTA group’s meetings on this topic and will be sourced from my own and others' experience. Don’t forget, you also need to support your group and others with this knowledge. I’ll keep these as short as possible. You probably also noticed I’m a pilot, steeped in the culture of safety, AKA try not to kill yourself. Send feedback to safetytips@HamNinja.com.
My Experience
I am not a safety or health professional, doctor, or other expert, just an amateur. Be careful out there and do your research. I’ve activated 817+ summits since Oct of 2017 in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and several other states. Over that time I’ve hiked 2,540+ miles and climbed 626,000+ feet. I don’t have skills beyond class 3 hiking and really, “scrambouldering” and light snow pack are my upper skill limits and my hikes are normally 2 miles, NTE 18 miles. I was an Army medic and was a certified EMT. I have received training on desert survival, and recurrent first Aid training in other roles. First Aid is a perishable skill, get training.. You probably also noticed I’m a pilot, steeped in the culture of safety culture.
You can contact me at safetytips@HamNinja.com.
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