Want to hear something spooky? Lightning strikes Earth 100 times a second or 8 million times a day. Each of those lightning strikes can heat the air around it to five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Here are more scary lightning facts:

•  Lightning strikes the ground somewhere in the U.S. nearly every day of the year.
• Over the continental U.S., an average of 20,000,000 cloud-to-ground flashes occur every year. (National Lightning Detection Network)
• During 2004 to 2008, U.S. local fire departments responded to an average of 24,600 fires a year that were started by lighting. (National Fire Protection Association (NFPA))
• More lightning casualties occur at home. (Lightning Protection Institute (LPI))
•  The average flash could light a 100-watt light bulb for more than 3 months.
•  Out of 1,000 lightning strike incidents, most occurred in descending order of frequency (Lightning Protection Institute (LPI)):

                               1. On the telephone

                               2. In the kitchen
                               3. Doing laundry
                               4. Watching television
                               5. At a door or open window

• Strike points to unprotected houses were examined in descending order of frequency (Lightning Protection Institute (LPI)):

                               1. Roof and projections

                               2. Television antenna
                               3. Overhead power line
                               4. Adjacent tree

You cannot prevent lightning from striking, but you can take measures to protect yourself and your sensitive electronics when it does. By using lightning protection systems for your home, office building, machinery and other electronics you can mitigate damage from lightning by giving it an alternate pathway, sending it to the ground.

Clearwater, Florida October 29, 2012 – Advanced Protection Technologies, Inc. (APT), a global leader in the development and the manufacturing of Surge Protective Devices (SPDs), announces the S-Kit Series, an accessory for the SPDee series surge protector. It is a Surge Protective Device (SPD) for in-line, series connected DIN rail applications.

The S-Kit is a Type 1, 50kA service entrance rated surge protector, suitable for UL 96A Lightning Protection Systems. This accessory is ordered separately from the SPDee. The S-Kit works in high surge environments, including outdoor, pole-mount, traffic and ITS. Its applications include: switchgear, transportation cabinets, CNC machines, pumps, motors, control panels, LED signs, HVAC (chillers) equipment, data centers, audio/video equipment, lighting poles, fire alarm control panels, motor control centers, automatic transfer switches, generators and medical equipment/facilities.

APT is committed to developing industry leading AC and DC Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) that meet the latest industry standards and solve customer needs. The S-Kit accessory is made in the USA, which is a continuation of APT's commitment to reviving our nation's economy by manufacturing American Made products.

About Advanced Protection Technologies, Inc.

APT’s world headquarters has been located in Clearwater, Florida, USA since 1985. Our customer service and support have earned the respect of their clients and partners, and accolades from leading industry market research companies. APT is the largest private label manufacturer of SPDs in North America. Past and present OEM partners include Siemens, Square D/Schneider Electric and APC in addition to branded product sales to major distribution equipment manufacturers such as ABB, Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, GE and Eaton Corp. APT’s manufacturing processes are ISO 9001:2008 certified and they participate in UL’s Client Test Data Program. APT’s participation in industry standards organizations keeps us at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry.

Complete product specifications are available at www.aptsurge.com in Products.

For more information about Advanced Protection Technologies, visit www.aptsurge.com or call 800.237.4567 in the US and Canada or +1 727.535.6339 International.

Media Contact:

Julie Brookins

Marketing & Communications Manager

Advanced Protection Technologies, Inc.

Tel: 800.237.4567 (US & Canada)     +1 727.535.6339 x243

email: jbrookins@apttvss.com

UL96A Lightning Protection Master Label

Underwriters Laboratory (UL) is a global independent safety science company and has developed more than 1,000 Standards for Safety. The lightning protection certification, UL96A, is the standard for installation requirements for lightning protection systems. The 12th Edition of UL96A is the current version, it was released on May 23, 2007.

Previously, UL96A required surge protectors evaluated as secondary arrestors for lightning protection systems. But there were issues associated with different regulation and administration. With the recent industry changes secondary surge arrestors (i.e. lightning arrestors) have evolved into Type 1 SPDs. In order to be compliant with the surge protection requirements for UL96A, lightning protection installers must utilize a surge protector that is a Type 1 or Type 2 listed SPD having 20kA In ratings.

Below is a list of APT’s surge protector products that meet the requirements for UL96A Lightning Protection Master Label*

• SPDee
• SPDee DC
• XCS
• XDS
• XAS
• XBL
• XBS
• XAL
• XWL
• XWS
• XRL
• XRS

(*Note that some rare voltages ratings on the above list of products do not meet the 20kA In requirements. Reference the spec sheets for applicable voltages.)