Life safety and equipment protection are always of importance and airport facilities, equipment, lighting and signage are no exception. The topic of grounding and lightning protection for airfield lighting and signage has been debated for decades. Different methods and systems have been used around the world and several different practices are in use within the USA.

Where budget permits, we recommend providing an equipment ground separate from the lightning protection system. For equipment grounding, an internal green insulated conductor bonded to all metallic equipment and exothermically bonded to ground rods at pull boxes and manholes is our recommendation. For lightning protection, a bare soft drawn copper wire placed to protect the circuit conductors and isolated from the equipment is exothermically bonded to ground rods at intervals normally not exceeding 500 feet. Ground rod testing using the fall of potential test method is essential for any grounding or lightning protection.