Federal Real Property
Lightning Protection Systems for Federal Buildings Gao ID: GAO-05-682R May 19, 2005A Congressional letter, dated June 30, 2004, to the Comptroller General expressed concern that the federal government may not have a uniform approach to protecting its facilities from lightning strikes. As a result, Congress requested a GAO study on issues related to whether the federal government should adopt a uniform standard for lightning protection systems. We selected four agencies for this study--the General Services Administration (GSA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and the Department of Defense (DOD). These agencies hold over 80 percent (in terms of square footage) of the government's owned and leased property. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) to what extent these selected federal agencies use applicable lightning protection standard(s) to help protect buildings they own from lightning strikes; (2) how these selected federal agencies assess the need for lightning protection systems on their buildings; (3) what practices and lightning protection standard(s) the General Services Administration uses when leasing privately owned buildings; and (4) what data exist related to the financial impact of lightning protection and damage to the federal government, such as the number of buildings with lightning protection systems, the costs associated with installing lightning protection systems, and the costs to repair buildings struck by lightning.
In summary, the four agencies in our review account for the vast majority of the government's owned and leased property and have adopted National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-780, the national standard for installing lightning protection systems. These agencies also follow or plan to follow NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology for determining when lightning protection systems should be installed. Although none of the agencies collect data on lightning-related damages, federal agency officials we interviewed from geographical areas where lightning incidents were relatively frequent did not consider lightning a significant concern, partly because they believed adequate measures had already been taken to protect their buildings.
GAO-05-682R, Federal Real Property: Lightning Protection Systems for Federal Buildings
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United States Government Accountability Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
May 19, 2005:
The Honorable Robert E. Andrews:
The Honorable Steven C. LaTourette:
House of Representatives:
Subject: Federal Real Property: Lightning Protection Systems for
Federal Buildings:
Your letter, dated June 30, 2004, to the Comptroller General expressed
concern that the federal government may not have a uniform approach to
protecting its facilities from lightning strikes. As a result, you
requested a GAO study on issues related to whether the federal
government should adopt a uniform standard for lightning protection
systems. We selected four agencies for this study--the General Services
Administration (GSA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the
U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and the Department of Defense
(DOD).[Footnote 1] These agencies hold over 80 percent (in terms of
square footage) of the government's owned and leased property. The
objectives of this study were to determine (1) to what extent these
selected federal agencies use applicable lightning protection
standard(s) to help protect buildings they own from lightning strikes;
(2) how these selected federal agencies assess the need for lightning
protection systems on their buildings; (3) what practices and lightning
protection standard(s) the General Services Administration uses when
leasing privately owned buildings; and (4) what data exist related to
the financial impact of lightning protection and damage to the federal
government, such as the number of buildings with lightning protection
systems, the costs associated with installing lightning protection
systems, and the costs to repair buildings struck by lightning. We
conducted our work from December 2004 through April 2005 in accordance
with generally accepted government auditing standards.
This report summarizes information we provided to your staff during our
April 29, 2005, briefing. The briefing slides are attached as enclosure
I.
Background:
According to the Lightning Protection Institute,[Footnote 2] lightning
kills nearly 100 people every year in the United States, injures
hundreds of others, and causes billions of dollars in property damage;
it often results in fire and total property loss. In the 1700s,
Benjamin Franklin proposed a method of protecting structures from the
effects of lightning. The method was based on his observations, which
suggested that (1) lightning preferentially strikes elevated objects
and (2) the energy from lightning can be transmitted to and dissipated
in the earth (thereby redirecting the energy away from a building's
structure) through a suitable network of conductors and grounding
electrodes--a lightning protection system. Various approaches to
lightning protection have been tried over the past 250 years, and many
have been described and published as lightning protection standards.
To help protect people and property, the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) first adopted specifications for installing
lightning protection systems on buildings in 1904. Those specifications
have evolved over time and are now referred to as NFPA-780, Standard
for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems. The most recent
version of the document was approved by the American National Standards
Institute in August 2004.[Footnote 3] To help architects, engineers,
and others decide whether their commercial, industrial, farm,
institutional, or residential buildings (ordinary buildings) need
protection from lightning, NFPA-780 also provides a methodology for
determining whether a building is at risk from lightning and for
deciding whether lightning protection should be installed. Other
standards related to the installation of lightning protection systems
augment NFPA-780, including standards developed by (1) the Underwriters
Laboratories Inc. (UL) and (2) agencies with special needs, such as
buildings that house munitions and explosives (nonordinary buildings).
Results of Our Study:
We found the following:
When decisions are made to install lightning protection systems, all of
the agencies in our review--GSA, VHA, USPS, and DOD--require the
systems to be installed in accordance with NFPA-780. This standard (1)
describes, among other things, the dimensions and the types of
materials to be used; (2) illustrates the correct placement of
lightning conductors on various types of roofs; and (3) contains
additional material such as information about lightning theory,
measurement techniques, and methods for protecting parked aircraft. The
policies of all of the agencies also explicitly require that the
materials and installation comply with standards in UL 96 and/or UL
96A, respectively.[Footnote 4] These standards contain requirements,
such as the use of certified installers, that help ensure that NFPA-780
is followed and that the lightning protection systems will operate as
intended.
When designing new buildings or renovating existing ones, USPS, VHA,
and DOD's Navy specifically require the use of NFPA-780's risk
assessment and decision-making methodology for deciding whether to
install a lightning protection system. To determine whether a lightning
protection system should be installed, the methodology assesses risk
using such variables as (1) the value of a building's contents, (2) the
type and size of the building, (3) the number of occupants in the
building, and (4) the frequency of lightning strikes in the building's
vicinity.[Footnote 5] If the estimated lightning risk exceeds an
accepted (tolerable) level of risk, NFPA-780 recommends the
installation of a lightning protection system. Another agency--GSA--did
not explicitly require the preparation of lightning risk assessments
until April 2005.[Footnote 6] However, GSA officials told us that in
practice, the agency routinely required architects and engineers to use
NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology when
designing or renovating buildings. Finally, although the Army and the
Air Force do not currently follow NFPA-780's risk assessment and
decision-making methodology, they have identified related variables for
assessing risk and making decisions to install lightning protection
systems when designing new buildings or renovating existing ones.
Specifically, their current guidance requires installing a lightning
protection system on a building if the frequency of lightning is more
than five thunderstorms per year and if the building (1) is 50 feet or
higher; (2) has four stories with elevators, stairwell penthouses, or
other similar projections above the roof; or (3) has five or more
floors with or without projections. Other factors, such as whether the
building is occupied or has valuable contents, may also be considered.
The three military services, as part of DOD's Unified Facilities
Criteria Development Program, are working to develop consistent
guidance across the services. A draft of that guidance mandates the use
of NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology and
allows each service to consider additional factors, such as whether the
building is mission critical and whether the value of the building's
contents is significant. According to DOD, a final draft of this new
guidance is expected late this fall.
GSA leases buildings for its use and for many executive branch
agencies.[Footnote 7] According to GSA officials, its lease agreements
with private building owners do not require buildings to have lightning
protection systems. However, its lease agreements do require building
owners to conform to all applicable state and local building codes,
including those concerning the installation of lightning protection
systems, where required. The officials also said that unlike federally
owned facilities, any costs to repair federally leased properties
struck by lightning are the responsibility of the building owner. In
some circumstances, GSA enters into a "design/build" arrangement with
private companies with the intent of leasing back a building. We were
told by agency officials that in such cases, GSA requires that building
design and construction be done in accordance with federal standards,
including those concerning the installation of lightning protection
systems, where required.
Various data exist, but they are outdated, unreliable, or incomplete.
For example, industry data on the financial impact of lightning are
outdated and not specific to the federal government. Likewise, although
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects
data on fatalities, injuries, casualties, and damages due to lightning
strikes, the data also are not specific to the federal government.
Moreover, NOAA acknowledged that the data are often unreliable and
incomplete because the agency's personnel are unaware of all of the
incidents of lightning. As a result, a number of incidents are never
documented. GSA compiles information on federal properties and annually
publishes a worldwide inventory of federal properties, which includes
information about the physical characteristics and value of each
property. However, GSA does not currently collect information about the
number of buildings with lightning protection systems. Finally, none of
the agencies we reviewed collect data on, among other things, (1) the
number of buildings with lightning protection systems, (2) the costs
associated with installing lightning protection systems, and (3) the
costs to repair buildings struck by lightning. Local agency officials
also do not collect this data; although they maintain information such
as building maintenance records, the information is incomplete and not
readily available. According to agency officials, agencies do not
specifically maintain or track data related to lightning strikes
because such strikes are rare and, consequently, not a problem.
Nevertheless, agency officials identified 20 possible lightning strikes
associated with their buildings over the last 10 or more years.
According to the officials, the total cost of repairs was about
$636,000 ranging from $300 to repair a roof at a GSA facility to
$207,000 to replace a fire alarm system at a postal facility. No deaths
or injuries were reported.
In summary, the four agencies in our review account for the vast
majority of the government's owned and leased property and have adopted
NFPA-780, the national standard for installing lightning protection
systems. These agencies also follow or plan to follow NFPA-780's risk
assessment and decision-making methodology for determining when
lightning protection systems should be installed. Although none of the
agencies collect data on lightning-related damages, federal agency
officials we interviewed from geographical areas where lightning
incidents were relatively frequent did not consider lightning a
significant concern, partly because they believed adequate measures had
already been taken to protect their buildings.
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation:
We provided a draft of our April 29, 2005, briefing to each of the four
agencies for their review and comment. We also provided NOAA with
applicable excerpts from the draft. All four agencies agreed with our
findings. GSA, DOD, and NOAA provided technical comments, which we
incorporated as appropriate.
Scope and Methodology:
To satisfy the objectives of our engagement, we interviewed
headquarters officials from GSA, VHA, USPS, and DOD. These agencies
hold over 80 percent (in terms of square footage) of the government's
owned and leased property. We obtained and reviewed the agencies'
standards and policies for assessing the need for and installing
lightning protection systems on their ordinary buildings, information
about requirements for leasing ordinary buildings, and available data
on the financial impact to the government. We also contacted officials
from NOAA and Vaisala Inc. to obtain data on the frequency and location
of lightning strikes. Vaisala Inc. is a private company that operates a
national lightning detection network and publishes flash density maps
showing the locations and frequency of lightning.[Footnote 8] We used
this data to select locations for 12 additional interviews with field
officials at GSA, VHA, and USPS, as well as officials from DOD's
military services--the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. We conducted
6 of the 12 interviews with officials in areas that have the highest
incidences of lightning strikes according to Vaisala Inc.'s
data.[Footnote 9] The other six interviews were conducted with field
officials in areas that experience fewer lightning strikes.[Footnote
10] Finally, we spoke with officials from NFPA, UL,[Footnote 11] the
Lightning Protection Institute, and various lightning protection system
manufacturers and installers to obtain, among other information, their
views on lightning protection standards.
Copies of this letter are being sent to interested congressional
members, the Secretaries of DOD and VHA, the Administrators of GSA and
NOAA, and the Postmaster General. We will also make copies available to
others upon request. In addition, the report will be available at no
charge on the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov. If you or your staff
members have any questions about this report, please contact me at
goldsteinm@gao.gov or at (202) 512-2834. Key contributors to this
assignment were Tamera L. Dorland, Steve Martinez, Kathleen J. Turner,
and Dale M. Yuge.
Signed by:
Mark L. Goldstein:
Director, Physical Infrastructure Team:
Enclosure:
Lightning Protection Systems for Federal Buildings:
Briefing for Representative Robert E. Andrews and Representative Steven
C. LaTourette:
April 29, 2005:
Background:
* According to the Lightning Protection Institute,[Note 1] lightning
kills nearly one hundred people every year in the United States,
injures hundreds of others, and causes billions of dollars in property
damage, often resulting in fire and total property loss.
* To help protect people and property, the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) first adopted specifications for installing
lightning protection systems on buildings in 1904. Those specifications
have evolved over time and are now referred to as NFPA-780, Standard
for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems. The most recent
version of the document was approved by the American National Standards
Institute in August 2004.[Note 2]
* To help architects, engineers, and others decide whether their
commercial, industrial, farm, institutional, or residential buildings
(ordinary buildings) need protection from lightning,[Note 3] NFPA-780
also provides a methodology for determining whether a building is at
risk from lightning and for deciding whether lightning protection
should be installed.
* Other standards related to the installation of lightning protection
systems augment NFPA-780, including standards developed by (1) the
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and (2) federal agencies with
special needs, such as buildings that house munitions and explosives
(non-ordinary buildings).
Objectives:
You asked us to determine:
* to what extent selected federal agencies use applicable lightning
protection standard(s) to help protect buildings they own from
lightning strikes;
* how selected federal agencies assess the need for lightning
protection systems on their buildings;
* what practices and lightning protection standard(s) the General
Services Administration uses when leasing privately owned buildings;
and:
* what data exists related to the financial impact of lightning
protection and damage to the federal government, such as the number of
buildings with lightning protection systems, the costs associated with
installing lightning protection systems, and the costs to repair
buildings struck by lightning.
Scope and Methodology:
* To satisfy the objectives of our engagement, we interviewed
headquarters officials from the General Services Administration (GSA),
the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the U.S. Postal Service
(USPS), and the Department of Defense (DOD). These four agencies hold
over 80 percent (square footage) of the government's owned and leased
property.[Note 4]
* We obtained and reviewed the agencies' standards and policies for
assessing the need for and installing lightning protection systems on
their ordinary buildings, information about requirements for leasing
ordinary buildings, and available data on the financial impact to the
government.
* We also contacted officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and Vaisala Inc. to obtain data on the frequency
and location of lightning strikes. Vaisala Inc. is a private company
that operates a national lightning detection network and publishes
flash density maps showing the locations and frequency of lightning.
[Note 5] We used this data to select locations for 12 additional
interviews with field officials at GSA, VHA, and USPS, as well as
officials from DOD's military services--the Army, the Navy, and the Air
Force.
* Six of the twelve interviews were conducted with officials in areas
that have the highest incidences of lightning strikes according to
Vaisala Inc.'s data.[Note 6] The other six interviews were conducted
with field officials in areas that experience fewer lightning
strikes.[Note 7]
* Finally, we spoke with officials from the NFPA, UL,[Note 8] the
Lightning Protection Institute, and various lightning protection system
manufacturers and installers to obtain, among other information, their
views on lightning protection standards. We conducted our work from
December 2004 through April 2005 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards.
Objective 1: All Four Agencies Require the Use of NFPA-780, at a
Minimum, to Help Protect Their Buildings from Lightning Strikes:
* When decisions are made to install lightning protection systems, all
of the selected agencies require the systems to be installed in
accordance with NFPA-780--the standard approved by the American
National Standards Institute.
* The policies of all of the agencies also explicitly require that the
materials and installation comply with standards in UL 96 and/or UL
96A, respectively.[Note 9] These standards contain requirements, such
as the use of certified installers, which help ensure that NFPA-780 is
followed and that the lightning protection systems will operate as
intended.
* In addition to NFPA-780 and UL standards, some organizations also
require adherence to more stringent standards, such as military
standards applicable to explosive manufacturing and storage facilities.
Objective 2: All Four Agencies Follow or Plan to Follow NFPA-780's Risk
Assessment and Decision-Making Methodology:
* When designing new buildings or renovating existing ones, three of
the six organizations--USPS, VHA, and DOD's Navy--specifically require
the use of NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology
for deciding whether to install a lightning protection system. To
calculate whether a lightning protection system should be installed,
the methodology assesses risk using several variables, such as (1) the
value of a building's contents, (2) the type and size of the building,
(3) the number of occupants in the building, and (4) the frequency of
lightning strikes in the building's area.[Note 10] If the estimated
lightning risk exceeds an accepted (tolerable) level of risk, NFPA-780
recommends the installation of a lightning protection system.
* Until recently, GSA did not explicitly require the preparation of
lightning risk assessments. However, GSA officials told us that, in
practice, the agency routinely required architects and engineers to use
NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology when
designing or renovating buildings. The agency's new policy, effective
April 1, 2005, states that "the decision to recommend a lightning
protection system shall be made at the earliest stages of design and
shall be supported by a study as prescribed by NFPA-780."
* While the Army and the Air Force do not currently follow NFPA-780's
risk assessment and decision-making methodology, they have identified
related variables for assessing risk and making decisions to install
lightning protection systems when designing new buildings or renovating
existing ones. Specifically, their current guidance requires installing
a lightning protection system on a building if the frequency of
lightning is more than five thunderstorms per year and if the building
(1) is 50 feet or higher; (2) has four stories with elevators,
stairwell penthouses, or other similar projections above the roof; or
(3) has five or more floors with or without projections. Other factors,
such as whether the building is occupied or has valuable contents, may
also be considered.
* The three military services, as part of DOD's Unified Facilities
Criteria Development Program, are working on developing consistent
guidance across the services. A draft of that guidance mandates the use
of NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology and
allows each service to consider additional factors, such as whether the
building is mission critical and whether the value of the building's
contents is significant. According to DOD, a final draft of this new
guidance is expected late this fall.
* Because NFPA-780 and its risk assessment methodology continue to
evolve, agency officials told us that existing buildings, especially
older ones, may not have current lightning protection systems. As a
result, they said their agencies routinely upgrade buildings in
accordance with all current codes and standards when they renovate
them. Even when they are not renovating, agency officials told us that
they often add lightning protection systems to older buildings that
contain mission critical equipment.
Objective 3: GSA Typically Follows Local Building Codes When Leasing
Privately Owned Buildings:
* GSA leases buildings for its use and for most federal agencies.
According to GSA officials, its lease agreements with private building
owners do not require buildings to have lightning protection systems.
However, its lease agreements do require building owners to conform to
all applicable state and local building codes, including those
concerning the installation of lightning protection systems, where
required. Unlike federally owned facilities, any costs to repair
federally leased properties struck by lightning are the responsibility
of the building owner.
* In some circumstances, GSA enters into a "design/build" arrangement
with private companies with the intent of leasing back a building. We
were told by agency officials that, in such cases, GSA requires the
buildings to be designed and constructed in accordance with federal
standards, including those concerning the installation of lightning
protection systems, where required.
Objective 4: Limited Data Exist on the Financial Impact of Lightning
Strikes to Federal Buildings:
* Data exist, but they are outdated, unreliable, or incomplete.
* Industry data exist on the financial impact of lightning, but they
are outdated and not specific to the federal government.
* NOAA collects data on fatalities, injuries, casualties, and damages
due to lightning strikes; however, the data are not specific to the
federal government. Moreover, NOAA acknowledged that the data are often
unreliable and incomplete because the agency's personnel are unaware of
all the incidences of lightning. As a result, a number of incidences
are never documented.
* GSA compiles information on federal properties and publishes a
worldwide inventory of federal properties, which includes information
about the physical characteristics and value of each property. However,
GSA does not currently collect information about the number of
buildings with lightning protection systems.
* All four agencies we reviewed do not collect data on, among other
things, (1) the number of buildings with lightning protection systems,
(2) the costs associated with installing lightning protection systems,
and (3) the costs to repair buildings struck by lightning.
* Local agency officials also do not collect this data and, although
they maintain information such as building maintenance records, the
information is incomplete and not readily available.
* According to agency officials, agencies do not specifically maintain
or track data related to lightning strikes because such strikes are
rare and, consequently, not a problem.
* We spoke to over 50 agency officials, at headquarters and field
locations, who are responsible for thousands of federal buildings, and
determined that none of them views lightning as a significant concern
at their facilities. In fact, none of these officials could recall any
major consequences associated with lightning strikes to their
buildings. They said that, where lightning struck, the majority of the
damage occurred to the buildings' electrical systems--not the
buildings' structures.[Note 11] According to the officials, natural
disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes cause far greater damage and
are of much more concern than lightning.
Objective 4: Limited Data Exist on the Financial Impact of Lightning
Strikes to Federal Buildings:
* While all of the agencies reported that lightning strikes to their
buildings were rare or nonexistent, officials in 6 of the 12 field
locations we contacted provided anecdotal information about lightning
incidents. The officials identified 20 possible lightning strikes
associated with their buildings over the last 10 or more years.[Note
12] According to the officials, the total cost of repairs was about
$636,000, and ranged from $300 to repair a roof at a GSA facility to
$207,000 to replace a fire alarm system at a postal facility. No deaths
or injuries were reported.
Agency Comments:
* We provided a draft of this presentation to each of the four agencies
for their review and comment. We also provided NOAA with applicable
excerpts from the draft. All four agencies agreed with our findings.
GSA, DOD, and NOAA provided minor technical comments, which we
incorporated as appropriate.
(543116)
NOTES:
[1] The Lightning Protection Institute is a nationwide not-for-profit
organization. According to the Institute, it seeks to promote and
enforce quality and safety in the design and installation of lightning
protection systems.
[2] The American National Standards Institute is a private, nonprofit
organization that accredits the procedures of organizations that
develop standards.
[3] A lightning protection system helps protect a building from
lightning by redirecting the energy through the system and away from a
building's structure.
[4] For purposes of this presentation, we use the term "agency" to
include all four federal entities.
[5] Vaisala Inc. operates a system of approximately 100 sensors
throughout the United States to detect and track lightning strikes. Its
parent company is headquartered in Finland.
[6] We identified locations with the highest incidences of lightning
(nine or more lightning strikes per square kilometer per year) using
Vaisala Inc.'s 1996-2000 flash density map, as of December 31, 2000.
These areas generally include states in the Southeast region of the
country, such as Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana.
[7] According to Vaisala Inc.'s 1996-2000 flash density map, these
areas, which include the states of Texas, Arkansas, and West Virginia,
had fewer than nine strikes per square kilometer per year.
[8] According to UL, it has been testing and certifying lightning
protection equipment since 1908. For a fee, UL issues certificates of
conformance for systems, inspects system components, and checks
completed installations. Installations are required to comply with UL's
standards for lightning protection systems.
[9] GSA recently revised its policy to require the use of UL 96. Its
prior policy was not explicit on this point; however, GSA officials
told us that the agency followed UL 96 and UL 96A, as appropriate.
[10] NFPA-780's risk assessment and decision-making methodology does
not explicitly include cost as suggested by guidance from the Office of
Management and Budget. However, our analysis indicates that cost may be
implicitly considered, since the installation of lightning protection
systems is not recommended at all locations where lightning risk exists.
[11] Lightning protection systems help protect a building's structure.
Such systems, however, are not intended to protect a building's
electrical systems when lightning strikes in the building's vicinity.
Additional measures are needed to protect electrical systems from power
surges associated with these strikes.
[12] Based on available information, some of the 20 incidents appear to
have been caused by electricity spikes to electrical systems rather
than by direct lightning strikes to buildings.
[End of slide presentation]
(543131):
FOOTNOTES
[1] For purposes of this report, we use the term "agency" to include
all four federal entities.
[2] The Lightning Protection Institute is a nationwide not-for-profit
organization. According to the Institute, it seeks to promote and
enforce quality and safety in the design and installation of lightning
protection systems.
[3] The American National Standards Institute is a private, nonprofit
organization that accredits the procedures of organizations that
develop standards.
[4] GSA recently revised its policy on April 1, 2005, to require the
use of UL 96. Its prior policy was not explicit on this point; however,
GSA officials told us that the agency followed UL 96 and UL 96A as
appropriate.
[5] NFPA-780 risk assessment and decision-making methodology does not
explicitly include cost as suggested by guidance from the Office of
Management and Budget. However, our analysis indicates that cost may be
implicitly considered, because installation of lightning protection
systems is not recommended at all locations where lightning risk exists.
[6] The agency's new policy states that "[t]he decision to recommend a
lightning protection system shall be made at the earliest stages of
design and shall be supported by a study as prescribed by NFPA-780."
[7] Other agencies have special requirements and have authority to
lease their own buildings. One such agency is VHA. VHA officials told
us that because their buildings house patients in critical care and
support patients on life-sustaining medical systems, their agency
requires more stringent standards than those provided by GSA.
[8] Vaisala Inc. operates a system of approximately 100 sensors
throughout the United States to detect and track lightning strikes. Its
parent company is headquartered in Finland.
[9] We identified locations with the highest incidences of lightning
(nine or more lightning strikes per square kilometer per year) using
Vaisala Inc.'s 1996-2000 flash density map, as of December 31, 2000.
These areas generally include states in the Southeast region of the
country, such as Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana.
[10] According to Vaisala Inc.'s 1996-2000 flash density map, these
areas, which include the states of Texas, Arkansas, and West Virginia,
had fewer than nine strikes per square kilometer per year.
[11] According to UL, it has been testing and certifying lightning
protection equipment since 1908. For a fee, UL issues certificates of
conformance for systems, inspects system components, and checks
completed installations. Installations are required to comply with UL's
standards for lightning protection systems.
