What should a lightning safety plan for a large outdoor event include?

Environment and Climate Change Canada's guidance for large outdoor venues includes:

• Emergency alerting: use several methods to reach organizers and attendees quickly. Key personnel should know which weather conditions trigger an evacuation before or during the event.
• Scheduling: find out when thunderstorms are most likely locally (often mid-afternoon to early evening) and schedule activities outside those hours where possible.
• Safe locations: advertise the plan and allow enough time to move people, because evacuation can take minutes to hours depending on the venue. Staff and volunteers should know the procedures in advance. Safe locations are enclosed buildings with plumbing and wiring, or hard-topped vehicles such as cars or buses.
• Monitoring: assign a knowledgeable person to track forecasts, weather warnings and Environment Canada's Lightning Maps before and throughout the event. That person, or those they advise, should have authority to evacuate, delay or cancel at any time.
• Return: do not resume until at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard.