The system detects lightning conditions; a beacon and a siren are used to warn people to get off the beach to safety.
By Karen Wall, Patch Staff
BRICK, NJ — Thunderstorms have long posed a risk to those at the beach. Nearly every summer there is a report of a person being struck by lightning and dying because of a lightning strike from a storm that has moved in quickly.
Despite the dangers, getting people to leave the beach ahead of a storm has been a problem for beach staff, including lifeguards, who get accused of just wanting to go home early or otherwise insulted by beachgoers.
Brick Township officials are taking a new approach this summer, installing a lightning detection system at Brick Beach 1 and Brick Beach 2 to alert beachgoers when conditions that produce lightning exists, similar to the systems used at golf courses to warn golfers when thunderstorms move in.
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It was something that had been under consideration, but took on urgency after the death of lifeguard Keith Pinto in Berkeley Township last August when lightning struck on a clear, sunny day, Brick Councilwoman Andrea Zapcic said.
“In addition to the unspeakable tragedy of losing a young lifeguard, what made this incident such a wakeup call was that from all accounts, it happened on a cloudless day with no storm in sight,” she said.
Brick is purchasing, the Thor Guard lightning prediction and warning system that is able to predict an impending lightning strike based on atmospheric conditions and charged ions in the air.
“Clearing the public from the beach with a storm clearly moving in has always been a daunting task for the beach staff for as long as I can remember,” Zapcic said. “The unruly behavior, the insults, and disparaging remarks hurled at the lifeguards, and in some instances, the outright refusal to leave is just mind-boggling.”
With the Thor Guard system, there is a siren that sounds when conditions exist for potential lightning strikes.
