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SEFFNER,
Fla.
(Feb. 16, 2004) – Year after year, Cookson Hills Family
Ministries of Florida Inc. has faced difficult times
throughout the summer storm season.
The home’s facilities in Seffner,
which provide housing to troubled children from across
Florida, have been repeatedly struck by lightning. As a
result, the communications, fire and safety systems at the
home have been damaged or destroyed.
After paying $5,000 annually for
technology repair or replacement in recent years, Bob
Sharp, executive director of Cookson Hills, was at his
wit’s end. “I consulted with the systems’ vendors, none
of whose recommendations improved the situation,” said
Sharp. Finally, he contacted the Space Alliance
Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) in hopes of finding a
solution. SATOP, a NASA funded outreach program, provides
free engineering assistance to small businesses with
technical challenges through the donations of time and
expertise from 40 Space Alliance Partners.
Dr. Carlos Mata, an ASRC Aerospace
Corporation engineer and lightning protection expert, was
quickly paired up with the children’s home. SATOP program
engineer Ryan Greenough also assisted in the inspection
and analysis of the systems.
“Even though the
Tampa
Bay area is particularly susceptible to electrical storms,
many buildings lack proper protection,” said Mata. He
found that at one of the home’s four houses, the
electrical panel wasn’t grounded and the system in another
house had too much wiring for the electrical panel.
Florida House of Representative Speaker
Johnnie Byrd, who was on hand during the inspections,
praised SATOP’s efforts. “It’s great to see the practical
application of the technology that we’ve developed for the
space program, and how it can help ordinary people in my
district, in my home town. I would recommend that any
small, medium or large business that has a technological
challenge get involved in this program because there is a
definite partnership between the technology we use in
space and making things work here on earth,” stated Byrd.
Mata recommended that Cookson
Hills install copper poles and wire cables on the rooftops
to prevent direct lightning strikes. He estimated that
the materials to fix the lightning problem would cost
roughly $900 and take 20 to 40 hours to install. Sharp
hopes to secure free labor from area contractors.
With the help of SATOP, Sharp says the children staying at
Cookson Hills Children’s Home will now enjoy a safer
living environment. He added, “The cost savings we will
realize as a result of Dr. Mata’s recommendations will
allow us to put more resources into the care of the
children in need of our support. He also indicated that
the assistance received went beyond a technical nature.
“When the kids in the ministry heard NASA, they thought
rockets or outer-space,” Sharp said. “Now the children
have the sense of being part of NASA or having NASA being
part of our program. It’s been a great relationship.” |
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