Bradenton Christian School installs $10,000 lightning detection system

Bradenton Christian School installs lightning detection system

BRADENTON -- Florida is the lightning capital of the country so Bradenton Christian School has installed a WeatherBug lightning detection system on its campus to keep students, staff and fans safe.

Each systems costs $10,000 and is used by every NFL and MLB stadium in the country.

Representatives from the Jesse Watlington Foundation donated and installed the lightning detection system for free. The foundation has donated to more than 50 schools in the state of Florida.

This system is installed on the back outdoor wall of the athletic complex next to the baseball and football fields, according to a BCS press release.

The system's alarm can be heard 500 yards in any direction when lightning is in the area and an e-mail is sent to administrators. An all-clear horn sounds 30 minutes after the last recorded lightning strike in the area. The alarm gives athletes and fans time to take shelter.

WeatherBug uses the most advanced cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning detection and alerting solutions available and is proven to be much more effective in predicting lightning in the area than handheld lightning detection systems.

"We take the safety of our students, fans, and staff very seriously and are so grateful for the generosity of the Jesse Watlington Foundation for providing this state-of-the-art system for us," said BCS Superintendent Dan Vande Pol in the release.

Allan Gerber, BCS athletic director, said weather can be an unknown and dangerous component of outdoor sports.

"We are confident we can provide the utmost safety to our players and fans with this WeatherBug System," Gerber said.

After their sixth-grade son was tragically killed in a lightning strike at football practice, the Watlingtons started a foundation in his name to prevent deaths. The Jesse Watlington Foundation was started in 2001.

Chuck Watlington, the organization's president and father of Jesse, will be at Bradenton Christian School at 9 a.m. Monday to be thanked in person by the school's administration.

Founded in 1960, Bradenton Christian School is Manatee County's oldest and largest Christian school. Its college preparatory curriculum serves more than 700 students in preschool-12th grade.

Information: lightningfoundation.org/jesses-story/.

This story was originally published May 7, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton Christian School installs $10,000 lightning detection system ."