A northwestern Iowa sports trainer is trying to make colleagues statewide more aware of the dangers of lightning. Jeff Sisson is head athletic trainer at Morningside College in Sioux City. He says referees often won’t call off games –when they should– because of the weather. Lightning kills about 100 people nationwide every year, while hundreds are injured — and about 52-percent of the incidents are sports-related. He says game officiators should be respectful of lightning.Sisson recommends using the “flash to bang” count. When lightning flashes, start counting until you hear thunder. If 30 or fewer seconds go by between the flash and bang, the game should be stopped. He says a 30-second count puts the potential danger about six miles away, which means it can be overhead rapidly with a fast-moving storm.
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