After a lightning strike, communication becomes critical for law enforcement, 911, and emergency medical services, among others. At the heart of those communications are local communication towers. However, what if the communication tower itself has been hit?
What makes communications towers so susceptible to power outages?
The nature of communications towers puts them at high risk for contact with lightning. To remain functional during outages, these towers rely on back up generators. What many are not aware of is that the electronics within the transfer switch responsible for transferring the load from utility power to backup generator power are vulnerable to transients and can prevent the generator from firing at the very moment when it is needed most. Communication towers require additional protection to avoid this issue.
“Today’s modern electronic equipment is much smaller, much faster, and much more susceptible to transient related problems than was the last generation of equipment,” says surge manufacturer, MTL. “The sheer number of control and communication devices interlinked together in today’s networks make their susceptibility many times greater. These are new problems that were not nearly as frequent with previous generations of control equipment.”
Surge protection is a proven technology.
Surge protection has been used successfully for decades to protect critical equipment in hazardous areas. One may not traditionally consider cell towers prime targets for this extra level of protection. However, as cell towers rapidly spread across our landscape and as more agencies and individuals rely on their services, it becomes increasingly apparent that we need to protect them from damage, both as commercial investments and as critical elements in the emergency communications network.
Find out if and where your system is vulnerable by contacting Chirico Scientific. We’re experts in surge protection and can advise you on the right steps to take to keep your communication lines open.
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