Lightning suppression devices prevent strikes on critical city buildings
Lightning strikes constitute a serious risk in Florida because of its unique geography. The state has even been named the lightning capital of the U.S., according to the National Weather Service. Specifically, the area between Titusville and Tampa Bay tends to record some of the highest number of lightning strikes each year, typically between May and October. A lightning strike contains approximately 300 million volts and 30,000 amps, which poses a dangerous threat to both a city’s residents and infrastructure.
This has been a particular problem for the city of Cape Canaveral, Fla., when the water reclamation facility was struck by lightning in 2021, resulting in a loss of pumps, monitoring devices, the supervisory control and data acquisition operating system and telecommunications. This resulted in city employees having to work around the clock for several days to ensure necessary facility processes and service were not interrupted. After the replacement of damaged equipment, the insurance claim was $76,316. A lightning strike in March 2022, which hit city hall, led to an insurance claim of over $7,000 while also damaging the personal vehicles of several staff members in the parking lot.
Such instances led the city to subsequent solutions, including a lightning suppression system. However, the city’s lightning suppression technology was not discovered on purpose.
“I actually stumbled across this technology by accident,” Zachary Eichholz, Cape Canaveral chief resilience manager, explained. “I was playing tennis at the United States Tennis Association’s National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., when I saw a device atop one of their buildings. This was shortly after the incident at our water reclamation facility. I soon realized that the campus had numerous such devices dotted around. I surmised that these devices, which looked like small metal spheres, had something to do with lightning protection. I called the facilities manager of the National Campus to inquire, and sure enough, he confirmed what they were and also confirmed they had seen tremendous success with them since installation. From here, I made contact with the installation company and also received several references, who also confirmed the success of the lightning suppression system.”
A lightning suppression system was implemented using newer CMCE devices. Two were installed in January 2022 on the water reclamation facility, one on the facility’s main radio tower above the public works administrative building and one on the carbon feed tank enclosure, to prevent another incident like the year before. This project was a total cost of $27,100.
In March 2023, two additional CMCE devices were placed on city hall and the north end of the Nancy Hanson Recreation Complex, offering protection to the municipal complex area, which also includes the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Cape Canaveral precinct building, the public library, the CAPE Center and other parks. This project cost the city $29,300. In November 2023, a CMCE device was placed atop the southeast corner of the Cape Canaveral Community Center. This project cost $12,500. A sixth device is proposed for the top of the Cape Canaveral Fire Rescue Station for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The project cost is $12,500. Once this fire rescue station project is complete, all critical city buildings will be protected by these lightning suppression systems.
These CMCE devices balance the ambient electrical field by draining current from the field in order to eliminate the risk of a direct lightning strike within the protected areas. Devices require annual checks to ensure its grounding wire is efficient and not corroded. These particular devices or similar are used throughout the U.S., including condominiums, water treatment plants, oil and gas platforms and even on cruise ships in Port Canaveral.
Even with the new system in place, there are no real operational changes in place. “If lightning is seen and/or thunder is heard within the area, it is official policy for city staff members to go indoors in a sturdy building and seek shelter until at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder is heard,” Eichholz stressed. “The public is also highly advised to seek shelter immediately if thunderstorm conditions are present. These devices are not intended to be a substitute or an end-all for safety. They serve as another layer of resilient redundancy alongside existing traditional grounding systems and community education about the dangers of lightning. Despite having these systems, the city will cancel outdoor events for safety reasons, even if the event is being held within the protective sphere of any given device.”
Eichholz added, “Since installation, we have seen great success with these devices, having recorded no direct lightning strikes or damage within their protective spheres of influence. It is reasonable to assume that these have prevented on-property damage or worse, given that lightning-related damages were nearly an annual occurrence while now, thankfully, they are not.”
With these new lightning suppression systems in place, operational procedures have not changed. City officials are to remain indoors in a sturdy building during a thunderstorm, and the public is advised to take cover as well. (Photo provided by the city of Cape Canaveral, Fla.) 
After a 2021 lightning strike hit the water reclamation facility leading to critical systems being offline, the city realized its need for extra protection. A lightning suppression system was discovered accidentally while the chief resilience manager was playing tennis and saw systems within another city. (Photo provided by the city of Cape Canaveral, Fla.) The city of Cape Canaveral, Fla., has installed five lightning suppression devices, with a sixth on the way, in order to protect all critical city buildings and areas. (Photo provided by the city of Cape Canaveral, Fla.)
