Date: June 22, 2020

To: Mike Causey, State Fire Marshal

From: Abel Pinales, engineer

Subject: Building safety and lighting

Action Required: Review before the end of the year to update to building codes

Distribution List: Engineers and Building code Council

As a members of the Building code council, we must review ideas on building safety every year to ensure
that buildings are safe from preventable situations. If the rules are not kept up to date many people
could suffer or even die from these small oversights.

Summary
Within this memo, I will go over the changes that should be taken to protect buildings. One of the main
changes is there are no major way to dissipate the energy from a lightning strike on smaller buildings.
AlsoAlso, because NC does not have as massive a buildings that are commonly seen in states like New
York, many mid sizemid-size buildings also do not have proper way to dissipate the charges. Because
these are hazardous to not only personal property, and the buildings themselves, but it is also possible
to lose human lives. By not having buildings properly built and upt to standard, a lightning bolt can
destroy a house. If someone is in the home at the moment of the strike, the building could collapse on
them or the building may be set on fire which can also kill inhabitants.

Outlet protection
Living in a world dominated by electronics, having outlets with built in surge protectors are a must have
in the home to insure that the property stays as fireproof and be capable of withstanding a lightning
bolt. Aaccording to the NFPA 13 % of home structure fires were started by electrical failures 18 % of
civilian deaths. Outlets damaged by lightning often become faulty and have a hard time holding charge
(Robinson, 2020). This faulty outlet poses a danger to people. On top of the danger posed to people,
outlets damaged by lightning are also a danger to houses and personal property (Hoffman, 2014).
Electrical outlet fires account for over 20% of property damage ("Knowing Fact from Fiction can Save
Lives and Prevent Lightning Injuries. - Lightning Protection Institute", 2012) (Robinson, 2020) .
Absorbability on average homes
When a lightning strikes a home three things can damage it. Fire, anyOne of these damages is fire; when
there is flammable material near the home or covering, the home can be easily lit on fire. As mentioned
before the electrical surge can destroy many objects within the home. Finally sShock wave damage from
the initial hit on the home. Of course these problems have better fixes compared to 5 years ago. For the
fires, using denser woods can help avoid fire from starting. Special coating like flame guard can help
reduce the chancese of a fire starting, special coating can also help with this. Outlets as mentioned
before can replaced with newer models that also serve as surge protectors. FinallyFinally, for the shock
wave experts recommend using absorbent softer materials, but that technology is not perfect just yet.
Finally most homes should have lighting protection systems. This is a metal pole that starts at the top of
the house to attract the lighting bolt to that area and when it is struck it dissipates the energy deep into
the ground so the damage is mitigated (Robinson, 2020).

Safety in mid to large size buildings

For larger buildings, I would recommend the same upgrades as mentioned before. Updating the building
with the lighting system. This lighting system is slightly altered according to the lighting protection
institute. They recommend that , emergency centers, 911 facilities, sporting complexes, and other
buildings be protected with this system. The core concept is the same as before, the major difference is
the gage of the wire as the electricity has to travel a farther distance (2020). I would also suggest that
lightning rods be placed at the top of these buildings as lighting looks for the path of least resistance. By
placing

Conclusion
Homes are not currently well equipped for a natural disaster we have been facing for thousands of
years, as more technology becomes available, we have a duty to keep buildings up to standard to keep
the population safe. With minor upgrades, and cost effective upgrades this is possible.

Recommendations
I would recommend that we update the building guide lines for the city sometime before the end of this
year. This would ensure that all the new buildings that will be built downtown and the new homes being
built as people continue to move into our growing town. I would recommend that homes have built in
surge protectors and that the material being used be changed to be denser and more absorbent to
avoid lighting strikes. The same goes for commercial buildings as there isn’t much difference from how
the buildings should be protected.
To: Mike Causey

From: Abel Pinales

Subject: Updating the Triangle County building codes

Dear Mike Causey,

As an civil engineer working for Building council , I believe that a revision is due on the building
guidelines for the triangle, This includes buildings in the Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh area. Many of
the buildings in downtown are not protected from lighting strikes and could cause major damages to
businesses. If we are to continue to expand the triangle as new businesses move into the area. This also
goes for residential homes. As more people move in we should set the example of being one the fastest
growing tech states and also upgrade the technology we find within the home. This will insure that
people feel as though they have made a good choice by moving into the triangle.

One of the first suggested changes I would advise is updating the outlets in each building to include
surge protectors. This is to avoid fires and destroying property. I would then suggest adding lighting
protection systems on most buildings. This is a very cheap but very effective system that most buildings
do not have at this moment. The Lighting protection system is also very cheap to install on older
buildings. Lastly for residential homes I would suggest more research be one on what wood would
protect best from lighting strikes.

Kind regards,

Jose Abel Pinales,

Senior Civil Engineer | Fire and building safety

Email: japinales@uncc.edu

Phone: 555-555-5555

This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended soley for the use of the individual or entity to whom
they are adresssed

Jose Abel Pinales

Senior Civil engineer

References

Campbell, R. (2019). Nfpa.org. Retrieved 25 July 2020, from https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-

and-Research/Fire-statistics-and-reports/US-Fire-Problem/Fire-causes/osHomeElectricalFires.pdf.

Colestin Rural Fire District - Lightning and Fires. Crfd.org. (2020). Retrieved 25 July 2020, from
https://www.crfd.org/lightningfires.htm.

Hoffman, C. (2014). Protect Your Gadgets: Why You Need a Surge Protector. How-To Geek. Retrieved 25
July 2020, from https://www.howtogeek.com/166938/protect-your-gadgets-why-you-need-a-surge-
protector/#:~:text=Standard%20electrical%20outlets%20don't,provide%20a%20single%2C
%20protected%20outlet.

Knowing Fact from Fiction can Save Lives and Prevent Lightning Injuries. - Lightning Protection Institute.
Lightning Protection Institute. (2012). Retrieved 25 July 2020, from https://lightning.org/knowing-fact-
from-fiction-can-save-lives-and-prevent-lightning-injuries/.

Lightning.org. (2020). Retrieved 25 July 2020, from https://lightning.org/wp-

content/uploads/2014/11/lpi-brochure-commercial.pdf.

Robinson, D. (2020). How lightning protection systems work. Stormhighway.com. Retrieved 25 July 2020,
from https://stormhighway.com/protection.php.

Robinson, D. (2020). Lightning FAQ - What happens when lightning strikes a house?. Stormhighway.com.
Retrieved 25 July 2020, from
https://stormhighway.com/what_happens_when_lightning_strikes_a_house.php.