July 7, 2016
You build it. We help PROTECT it!
Recognizing the importance of disaster mitigation for the architect and engineering communities, the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) is introducing a new tool for A&E toolkits. Welcome to the inaugural issue of Build & Protect, a newsletter written specifically for A&E’s to provide unique content related to lightning protection system design, specification, inspection, quality assurance and maintenance.
LPI looks forward to sharing up-to-date news about the science of lightning protection, industry trends and technical information regarding how Safety Standard-compliant systems can benefit the building environment!
Featured in this issue:
- Lightning Protection in Spotlight during Safety Awareness Week
- LPI Joins “World of Innovation” at AIA Expo in Philadelphia
- A Special Invitation to Health Care Engineers
- NFPA 780 Lightning Protection Safety Standard Update
- LPI-IP Inspection Program News
- Subscribe to Build & Protect!
Lightning Protection in Spotlight during Safety Awareness Week
The need for Safety Standard-compliant lightning protection was recently promoted during national Lightning Safety Awareness Week, June 19-25, as consumer advocates and nonprofit organizations shared news and notices regarding the important role these systems play in preventing structural property loss in the U.S.
The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), a non-profit communications and research organization supported by the property/casualty insurance industry promoted the benefits of lightning protection systems in several news releases and website posts, including:
“Are You Ready to Be #LightningSafe?”
“Number, Cost of Homeowners Insurance Claims From Lightning Fell in 2013”
“Lightning Myths, Tips to Stay Safe” podcast
Lightning Safety Awareness Week saw additional messages about lightning protection shared by consumer advocate groups including:
The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH): Facebook and YouTube.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
Additional support of lightning protection during Lightning Safety Awareness Week was shared by NOAA/NWS and the National Lightning Safety Council. LPI also issued a press release to support the safety campaign.
The National Weather Service began the annual campaign in 2001 to help increase awareness about the dangers of lightning and provide the public with safety information to help protect families from lightning’s underrated dangers.
LPI Joins “World of Innovation” at AIA Expo in Philadelphia
Architects around the world converged in Philadelphia last month to discover everything that’s new, next and cutting-edge in the world of building products, materials and technology. Naturally, LPI and lightning protection were included among the plethora of expert vendors who were on-hand at the 2016 AIA Expo and Conference to showcase everything from software to building systems.
It’s also highly fitting for the world of lightning protection that AIACon16 fell during Building Safety Month as the campaign theme, “Learn from the Past, Build for Tomorrow,” echoed the resiliency benefits that lightning protection systems provide. Although an underrated and misunderstood threat, lightning hits the earth over 100 times a second which explains why the insurance industry cites this destructive weather peril as responsible for more than a billion dollars annually in damage to buildings, here in the U.S.
In the spirit of learning from the past, and building for the future, today’s designers are readily including upgrades to increase building resiliency from weather disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and most recently, lightning. Recognizing lightning’s potential risk, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) has included lightning protection in its “Resilient Smart Home” model, depicted in a recent paper “Understanding the Intersection of Resilience, Big Data, and the Internet of Things in the Changing Insurance Marketplace.”
With the growth in automated technology, lightning protection is expected to become increasingly more important for inclusion in green building, LEED and the smart structure design-build process!
Special Invitation to Healthcare Engineers
The American Society for Healthcare Engineering proudly hosts the ASHE Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition; an event long considered the essential national conference and trade show for Engineering Professionals and Healthcare Facility Management. Next week, more than 3,200 professionals will gather at the ASHE Conference for important information regarding healthcare industry management and emerging trends. Recognizing the special needs of the healthcare industry, the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI) will be on-hand at the ASHE Conference in Denver to share lightning protection resources and system recommendations for conference attendees.
Join LPI at booth #1038 in Denver, CO on July 11-13 to discover how lightning protection systems play a critical role in protecting health care facilities. The 53rd ASHE Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition will be held at:
Colorado Convention Center
700 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202
On-site check-in and all sessions will take place at the Colorado Convention Center Lobby.
Conference and Exhibition Registration & Check-in Hours:
Sunday, July 10 | 6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday, July 11 | 6:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, July 12 | 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13 | 7 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
For more information about ASHE events and programs see:
http://www.ashe.org/annual/about.shtml#.V3xZbbgrKhc
NFPA 780 Lightning Protection Safety Standard Update
Keeping pace with sustainable energy technology and building trends, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has added new technical provisions to the upcoming 2017 edition of the NFPA 780 Safety Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems. Included among the NFPA updates are provisions to address applications for smart structures and their interconnected systems, which can be especially vulnerable to power surge failures sparked by lightning. The new provisions will also emphasize the importance of coordinating efforts of the various building trades to ensure a comprehensive lightning protection approach. The intent is to help eliminate what the NFPA 780 Technical Committee cites as a “lack of potential equalization (isolated grounding and lack of bonding) stemming from uncoordinated or piecemeal installations of the electric service, antennas, telecommunications and other electronics” often seen in smart structure building applications.
It’s imperative that A&E’s specify lightning protection systems that comply with nationally recognized Safety Standards to provide the best possible quality in materials and installation practices to ensure maximum resiliency against a serious weather threat.
LPI-IP Inspection Program News
The Lightning Protection Institute Inspection Program (LPI-IP) provides a lightning protection inspection and certification service more thorough and more complete than any previous inspection program from the LPI or any other currently on the market. Through the use of checkpoints, reviews, and inspections, the LPI-IP certification program ensures safety and peace of mind to building owners across the United States.
For A&E’s unfamiliar with LPI-IP, here are a few notables about the program:
- LPI-IP is approaching its five-year anniversary with a successful track record.
- LPI-IP is the industry’s quality leader for independent, third-party inspection services and is recognized by MasterSpec.
- The LPI-IP has expressed a mission to encourage a “100% inspection rate” for lightning protection system installation, nationwide.
- LPI-IP enjoys recognition by the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), as reported in press releases and industry communications.
- The program has seen a 300% growth over its 5-year period!
For more information about the LPI-IP Inspection Program visit www.lpi-ip.com or contact:
Tim Harger
– Program Manager
14048 Petronella Drive, Suite 104 | Libertyville, IL 60048
Phone: (224) 433-6680 | Fax: (847) 996-0401 | Email Address: info@lpi-ip.com
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There’s a saying that goes, “An architect’s dream is an engineer’s nightmare.” A&E’s seeking to keep pace with lightning protection trends to help fortify their building dreams and nightmares, won’t want to miss an issue of Build & Protect!
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Lightning Protection Institute | Toll Free 800-488-6864 | Fax 660-582-0430 | kiml@lightning.org | Website
