Emergency lighting is a prime factor for fire safety as it enables individuals to locate both fire exits and fire equipment. Emergency lighting can be broken down into two parts ‘emergency escape lighting and ‘standby lighting’. Standby lighting is self-explanatory as it comes into action if there is a power failure in a building.

Positioning of emergency lighting

·         Emergency escape lighting should highlight the following:

·         All escape routes

·         Outside exits

·         Stairways along with adequate lighting

·         Corridor intersections

·         Areas greater than 60m²

·         Firefighting equipment

·         Lifts

·         Changes of floor level

Maintained or non-maintained?

Emergency lighting is often referred to as ‘maintained’ whereby it is kept on at all times even during a power failure or as ‘non-maintained’ whereby the lighting only operates when normal lighting fails.

Non-maintained lighting is usually the most popular choice as they are much cheaper to run as they are only active when the power fails therefore the life span is generally much longer. However in some cases there is no option for the choice such as dark buildings like cinemas. A problem with non-maintained lighting is that the condition of the bulb can only be determined through regular testing rather than waiting for the power to cut which can prove to be a hindrance for some people.

Emergency lighting is most commonly recognised as signs with a pictogram or with large text often saying ‘exit’. These signs are available in both maintained and non-maintained with a range of styles and sizes to accommodate all types of buildings.

Testing of emergency lights

·         Regular testing should be carried out to ensure that all emergency lighting is adequate for its surroundings.

·         A daily check of any central controls

·         A monthly test to check that each light illuminates correctly

·         An annual test to ensure lamps are lit for a full discharge period

LED Emergency lighting

As there is an increased focus on energy saving LED lights are becoming more and more popular for emergency lighting. New LED emergency lighting comes complete with a built in auto tester which means you won’t have to carry out manual tests each week or month.