Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 2, 2013 Upper Saddle River Lightning detection system now ‘live’ in borough The Borough of Upper Saddle River and the USR Board of Education have installed a new lightning detec- tion system. Warning sirens, strobes, and signs are now located at Bogert School, Reynolds School, Cavallini School, Hess Park and Lions Park. Sirens will be active from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the strobe lights will be active 24 hours a day. The Strike Guard Early Warning System detects and tracks lightning strikes and provides warning when strikes are within a five-mile radius. The system “went live” last week, according to Rec- reation Commissioner Ed Gartner. Signs have been installed at all school and borough fields. When lightning strikes are detected within the five- mile warning area, the system will provide a warning, one long (15-second) siren will sound, and a strobe will flash on the unit. After the Strike Guard System deter- mines conditions are safe (30 minutes of no lightning), the siren will sound a 15-second blast and the strobe will turn off, providing notice that it is safe to resume activity in the area. Borough officials urge members of the community to be vigilant in monitoring threatening weather and always err on the side of caution. Individuals should seek shelter immediately if they hear one long siren blast or if they see the strobe light on when arriving at the park. Strike Guard claims its product employs state-of-the- art technology to address even the most demanding light- ning safety and equipment protection applications. The company says its lightning warning system is designed for critical applications and it monitors cloud and cloud- to-ground lightning, and provides signaling at user-set lightning activity thresholds. The company also claims that its patented optical signal processing and proprietary optical-coincidence technology prevent false alarms. The lightning warning is communicated via light- ning-proof fiber-optic cable to an independent lightning data receiver and it delivers fully automatic alarm trig- gering with user-set range categories, no-false-alarm patented technology, and a sensor and communication self-test. Upper Saddle River area residents are invited to the fourth annual all-women’s race to be held Sunday, Oct. 20. Previously known as the Upper Saddle River Wom- en’s Biathlon, the race is now a 5K Walk/Run designed to attract more participants. Females of all ages -- from those in strollers to the senior set – may now participate. The Upper Saddle River Pink Passion 5K was also sched- uled to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. “We had a lot of success over the last three years with the women’s biathlon raising over $100,000 for the Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Fiona Miesner, who founded the event with community volunteer and borough resi- dent Carol Mateo. “This year, we changed the format to a straight 5K Run/Walk to attract even more athletes and continue to raise money for breast cancer. We are already seeing an uptick in registrants.” The Upper Saddle River Pink Passion 5K, which is sponsored by the Upper Saddle River Recreation Com- mission, will start at 8 a.m. at Lions Memorial Park in Upper Saddle River. The run/walk course is USATF cer- tified. At last year’s event, Bergen County resident Robyn Ransom took the winning spot, Taylor Quilty took second place, and Upper Saddle River’s Marcy Squadron placed third. The race entry fee is $30. Each athlete is also encour- aged to raise $100 in tax deductible donations, 100 percent of which will be donated directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. To register, visit www.usrpinkpassion.com. Sponsor- ship opportunities are available. Revamped race now more inclusive