Lightning Safety Guidelines

Lightnings and thunderstorms has always been one of the worries or risk of camping and hiking outdoors. In order for us to ensure we have a save and memorable outing, here are some guidelines to follow when you encounter a thunderstorm or lightning during your activities. 

- Adapted from the NOLS Wilderness Educator Notebook

The best way to be safe in an electrical storm is to avoid being in the situation. Open high areas are the most vulnerable spots! But that doesn't mean you should never summit a peak or enjoy a game of football in an open field. It just means, you check the weather forecast before heading out. http://www.met.gov.my/ is a good source for weather forecasts in Malaysia. Also plan your trip as quite often, especially in the Klang Valley, its pours down after 4pm. If you know there's some weather coming in, the basic rule is, avoid open high areas!

An example of open high areas:

Bukit Tabur

Broga Hill

The Lightning Position

If you happen to be caught out in the open in an electrical storm, get into the Lightning Position. The Lightning Position is a squatting position. If you can, keep your feet together and wrap your arms around your legs, so you don't create potential for current flow from the ground in one foot and out the other. This also adds enough comfort that you will choose to hold the position longer. Close your eyes. The Lightning Position will reduce the chances of getting a direct strike as you have decreased your height.

Lightning Positions

What NOT to do:

• Don't sit on backpacks as items in packs might be a conductor or the pack itself comes with aluminium frames.
• Don't lie on the ground (in a prone position). While that position is lower, being spread out increases potential for ground current to flow through or across you.
• Don't be in contact with wet ropes.
• Don't be bare footed. Rubber soles on your shoes are additional insulators.
• Don't get into tents. Tents won't protect you. Make sure your tent is pitched on a safer terrain to avoid ground currents. If you are in the tent already, get into the Lightning Position.
• Don't stay at cave entrances – Small overhangs can allow current to cross bridging the gap between ceiling and floor. If you are stopped waiting for others near an entrance, assume the Lightning Position.
• Don't stay under a lone tree (there was a recent incident in the east coast where many cows died of a lightning strike because they were tied to a lone tree).

A dangerous close strike actually offers a moment of opportunity to move, while the electrical field rebuilds itself. Unless there is a safer terrain or structure several seconds away, wait in the Lightning Position. Many people have died while upright and walking to safer terrain, but no one has died while stopped in the lightning position.

If you are in a group in an open area, distance yourself at least 50 feet apart to reduce the chances of multiple injuries.

Distance yourself if you are in a group

Clues to Lightning occurring:

• If you hear thunder (which means lightning is 1-15km away). Use the 3 sec/km flash-bang rule to measure the distance of a lightning.
• If you feel hairs on your head, leg or arms tingling and standing on end, you are in an extremely high electric field. Instantly drop and move away from packs, spread out and assume the Lightning Position.
• Smelling ozone, one of the chemical products of point discharge in air. Ozone has an irritating , acrid “swimming pool” smell.

Summary:

• Check the weather forecast before heading to the outdoors.
• Plan your trip, so you do not get caught off guard from bad weather.
• If caught during an electrical storm, assume the Lightning Position.
• Unless there is a safer terrain or structure several seconds away, wait and maintain the Lightning Position.
• If in a group, distance yourselves at least 50ft apart.
• Once electrical storm passes, get to safer terrain.
• If you are in a group walking in high open terrain, do a drill with the group. Just like CPR, emergency actions are best learned in the kinesthetic mode.
• The Lightning Position will reduce the chances of getting a direct strike and it may reduce the other effects of lightning, but it offers no guarantees, but some argue that it is much more valuable because the data says that no one in this position has ever been hurt.
  
  
  Remember, check the weather forecast when planning your outing to avoid getting caught in a tight situation.
  For weather forecast in Malaysia, visit http://www.met.gov.my/
  
  
  * Credits to Learning Adventures (http://www.learning-adventures.net/) for this article.