RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — John Jensenius with the National Lightning Safety Council said bolts in the sky are nothing to mess around with.

 “I've documented lightning deaths since 2006 and there have been over 500 lightning deaths since then,” Jensenius said.

He added that detection is key — especially when kids are playing outdoors or a busy game steals the focus.

“For every lightning death, there are probably nine injuries. Some of those injuries result in lifelong neurological problems; they can be very sad,” Jensenius added. “And they could simply have just gotten to a safe place sooner and they would have been safe. 

As of publication, Rutherford County Schools relies on coaches and other staff members to look out for lightning threats. However, district leaders hope to take the guesswork out of the equation with a lightning detection towers at each school. 

“The service offers the towers at our schools, so it's very localized, and then also a team of meteorologists that work for the service that provide us with very specific data on the area that we are in and whether or not we should have outdoor actives or not based on the level of storms and lightning,” James Evans, RCS Chief Communications Officer, told News 2.

The district aims to purchase 34 towers, which can come with sirens, from Perry Weather. The system would also include real-time alerts to staff members delivered through a mobile app. It's the same system used by the City of Murfreesboro at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex.

"I'd say we probably have one of the largest soccer complexes — at least in the state of Tennessee, if not, really the southeast region," Sam Stolze, recreation facility coordinator at the complex, told News 2. "Being able to notify everyone in one swoop that there is lightning in the area buys them time to get to their vehicle or to get to a building to let them know, 'Hey, there's a storm coming through.'"

If approved, the district hopes to install the towers next school year.  

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/rcs-seeks-lightning-detection-system/