Township officials are pleased to announce that thanks to a grant from Sustainable Jersey & Atlantic City Electric, and in collaboration with the Township’s Office of Emergency Management and Environmental Affairs Advisory Committee, a lightning detection system has been installed in Freedom Park.
A siren and strobe light will be utilized to warn individuals on impending storms and the need to seek safe shelter. The project was funded through a $10,000 grant issued by Sustainable Jersey and Atlantic City Electric. The remaining amount was funded out of the Medford Township operating and capital budget. Included in the project is a five-year maintenance plan for the system. It is our goal to provide lightning detection in all our parks and recreation areas as we move forward in ensuring Medford Township’s resiliency and preparedness.
There are two main facets to the new system:
Weather Station
The weather station is available as a webpage to anyone who would like to access the link below. This site will provide real time weather data from Freedom Park. Below is a sample of the webpage. It is suggested that you save this link as a favorite on your mobile device. The link to access the weather station is:
https://owc.enterprise.earthnetworks.com/OnlineWeatherCenter.aspx?aid=8125
Lightning System
The lightning system will alert when it detects lightning in the area. The system will then sound an sound a siren and activate a strobe light based on the proximity of the lightning to the park. There will be signs in the park in both English and Spanish that provide instructions on the system and scannable bar codes that will take you to the countdown timer. You can access the countdown timer from the link below. This timer will provide guidance as to when it is safe to re occupy the park. It is suggested that you save this link as a favorite on your mobile device.
https://oas.earthnetworks.com/widget/ResOASWidget.html?widgetId=070e2db6-5e6d-4b4f-9dc3-696e9414be1c
While under alert, you can track how much longer until outdoor activities can resume on your desktop or mobile device. You can see the time of the last lightning strike within your protection area. This will act as a tool to back your decision to delay or resume activities. As with any device, common sense should prevail; if the sky still looks threatening continue to shelter.
The map graphic below shows the distance that the sound of the horn will travel.
