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accumack |
lightning storms on patrol. |
Lead | ||
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We had a lively lightning storm last night here in Texas and I got to thinking about what action to take if I were out on patrol. I was always told don't
go under trees or if in the open find the lowest point a ditch or depression. I haven't seen anything discussed here or else where about taking shelter
when on patrol and a lightning storm comes in. what do you do if 1. you are in a heavily wooded area. 2. wide open pasture type terrain.
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boyzndwoodz |
#1 | |||
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So far you have it right. 1. wooded areas: hunker down & perhaps find some insulating gear between you & the gound ( works for open terrain too.) 2.
open pastures: Don't raise your weapon and start doing your impression of "singing in the rain", seriously don't be the tallest thing either.
In your area you also might want to be aware of river beds, ditches & valley type areas. Even though they may be dry now with storms in the area they can
become a flowing torrent of water that can come up quick. Always keep an eye on the weather!! good post to get folks thinking!
When everyone is your enemy, you know who your friends are.- rlh. |
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Deflexor |
#2 | |||
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If you stop moving keep your feet as close together as possible. You can be electrocuted even without a direct hit, if your feet are apart there can be a
difference in elec. potential.
I remember a guy that was zapped by a fence that was hit over 100 yards away, it knocked him out but he survived. |
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fragraf |
#3 | |||
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stack arms and disperse is the best thing to do.....I agree with the pervious posts. We had several of them when I was in basic and AIT. we always stacked arms
with our M16 lightning rods, and grounded our steel pot helmets and sat in open fields at least 15 feet from the next guy till it was over.
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bull1861 |
#4 | |||
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Great Topic yall, this is really somthing I have honestly never lent any time or thought to, and it really is some pertinant and important information. +2
In peace, like a wise man, he appropriatly prepares for war.
Why is there Cosmoline in my Eggnog??? I dont haul logs, I haul 90 thousand pounds of GET THE FUK OUTA MY WAY! |
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Garand69 |
#5 | |||
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Excellent post Accumak. I hope you don't mind but I moved it out of General Distraction to a more suitable venue.
Suprise weather should always be addressed before it is a suprise
".........I find alot of the other boards are full of alot of guys that have alot of "anger issues" that I flat can do without. The "tin foil" subjects are distractions that diverts one's attention from subjects that actually matter - like training and preparing........" Tire Iron 2/08 |
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accumack |
#6 | |||
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I found this info from FEMA .
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/thunderstorms.shtm and this site that seems to have some bad info especially about why cars are safe. http://www.trails.com/how...ive-lightning-storm.html |
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Cascadia |
#7 | |||
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This is my first post. Sorry it's an old thread, but as I have an aquaintance who's been in ICU for three months after a lightning strike and so few
people take it seriously, this is a subject I think is important.
Above is some great advice. I think it is important to note that there is no "right way" to sit in the open, though. Some current training suggests lying flat! Every lightning strike is unique in its properties. The best "new" advice is based on the hypothetical average in an effort to increase survivability, and what is "current" seems to change rapidly. Here's my advice: 1) Recognize the threat of debris from a lightning strike. I have seen splinter debris measuring up to 12-inches long thrown 300-feet from a struck, mature ponderosa pine. There's more than one reason to avoid trees in an electrical storm. 2) If you can hear thunder, you could get struck by lightning. 3) If you seek shelter in a vehicle or structure, keep the windows closed no matter what. 4) If your AO is prone to lightning issues and you want to plan around them, consider investing in a lightning meter...then establish a threshold (distance) for lightning strikes where you will call lightning precautions. This is of course dictated by the nature of your mission. 5) Do not neglect solid rock shelters where they occur. Caves, overhangs near the base or midway up rock faces, etc. are about your best open shelter. 6) If you seek low ground, be aware of your environment. In the desert, for example, flash floods kill more people than lightning. But not every drainage is "flashy". 7) Spread out. Lightning strikes do not always kill, but they always hurt people within a certain radius of the strike. Medical aid might prevent death. |
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