RICHMOND, Va. — Two champions of fire prevention and safety are celebrating anniversary milestones this October. Loehr Lightning Protection Co., Virginia’s leader in lightning protection system (LPS) services since 1947, is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA) to support the 100th anniversary of Fire Prevention Week™ (FPW) and celebrate its own 75th company anniversary with a community event at the Hazen Memorial Library, in historic Bon Air, Va., on Thursday, October 6, from 3 to 7 p.m.
“Lightning is the weather threat that affects most people in most parts of our state and country, and it’s also a leading fire threat,” said Kimberly Loehr, president at Loehr Lightning Protection Co. and member of the National Lightning Safety Council. “A lightning strike can pack over 300 million volts of power-mega electricity that can ignite a devastating home or structural fire in seconds.”
While safety standard-compliant lightning protection systems (LPS) can provide a safe and effective grounding network to protect structures from the lightning threat, most property owners aren’t aware of their availability.
According to experts at the Lightning Protection Institute, the NFPA 780 Standard for the Installation of Lightning Protection Systems is recognized as the most comprehensive resource for reducing lightning risks at U.S. properties. The NFPA regularly reviews LPS methods and materials through its code process to make sure that lightning protection methods and materials keep pace with our ever-changing building technology.
This year’s FPW campaign, “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape™” seeks to educate the public about simple, but important actions for staying safe in the event of a home fire.
“Today’s homes burn faster than ever. You may have as little as two minutes (or even less time) to safely escape a home fire from the time the smoke alarm sounds,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA.
“Lightning strikes that occur in the darkness of night can be especially difficult to recognize and detect,” said Loehr. “Even in the light of day, lightning fires aren’t always visible in their initial stages and it’s not unusual for these blazes to originate in enclosed spaces like the attic, basement or electrical panels.”
NFPA’s Fire Prevention campaign is believed to be the longest running public health and safety observance on record. Since 1922, the country has seen huge progress in the fire safety movement with the construction of fire-resistant buildings and improvements in fire suppression techniques.
“Fire Prevention Month is a good time to remind property owners about a very common, very destructive, yet little understood fire risk,” added Loehr, who is a NFPA Building Fire Safety Systems section member and longtime supporter of the organization’s October campaign. “Partnering with fire safety officials is just one of the ways we’ve helped build lightning safe communities throughout the years.”
To find out more about Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15) programs and activities in Bon Air, Va. please contact Chesterfield Fire and EMS. For more information about Fire Prevention Week and fire prevention in general, visit https://www.nfpa.org/fpw and sparky.org.
ABOUT LOEHR LIGHTNING PROTECTION CO.:
Since 1947, Loehr Lightning Protection Co. has served as Virginia’s leader in lightning protection system design, installation and consultation to protect lives, property and assets from lightning’s deadly and destructive force. A family-owned women-owned and operated SWaM business, it is LLP’s priority to continue its reputation as “A Striking Difference” in the lightning protection industry for many years to come.
Learn more: https://loehrlightning.com/
Related link: https://loehrlightning.com/
This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network – all rights reserved. ID:NEO2022