View Full Version : Lightning Safety and Fire Towers
beaudetious
08-21-2011, 10:07
I recently took two of my boys on an easy overnighter from Tanyard Gap (near Hot Springs, NC) to Rich Mountain fire tower. This was on a night of a full moon so I thought it would be an exciting thing to do as well as an excellent intro to the AT.
We spent the night in the tower which was not too bad. There was only one annoying mouse. The main issue was that a storm came in around midnight or so. I blocked the wind and rain (not all of it, of course) with a tarp.
I was really concerned about the lightning. It was all around the tower for a while though it did seem far away for the most part.
How safe are these towers in case of a lightning strike?
4eyedbuzzard
08-21-2011, 10:27
Not a good place to be as they are usually the highest point/structure in an area, generally are made of conductive material (metal), and provide the most likely point for the beginning of the return stroke part of a lightning strike. The safest place on the AT during a lightening storm is off the ridgeline, in one of the shelters some people complain about. The next would be a wooded area - and not a single prominent tree, again well below the ridgeline, free from dead trees and limbs that could fall. More at http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/ploutdoor.htm
johnnybgood
08-21-2011, 10:38
I was really concerned about the lightning. It was all around the tower for a while though it did seem far away for the most part.
How safe are these towers in case of a lightning strike? I would think there's probably no safer place to to be actually during a lightning storm than inside a fire tower. I'm sure that lightning seems amplified during thunderstorms but if Forestry Service Rangers have to live in them during peak fire season then they must be safe.
Take it from an old fire tower operator, a fire tower is no place to be in a lightening storm ! Regardless of the lightening arrest system, the rule was to unplug all radios/ electrical equipment and vacate the tower until the storm passed. Most of us had to learn the hard way But only Once ...
A fire tower is much more likely to get hit by lightning, but you're also pretty safe in one if it does get hit. It'll be very loud and very scary, and any electronics you have may get fried if they're in use during the storm, but you'll likely be safe.
Take it from an old fire tower operator, a fire tower is no place to be in a lightening storm ! Regardless of the lightening arrest system, the rule was to unplug all radios/ electrical equipment and vacate the tower until the storm passed. Most of us had to learn the hard way But only Once ...
There is a hair raising story in there...