Emergency lighting is crucial in fire scenarios, protecting occupants and public safety during an evacuation. In the result of a fire, in most settings, property types and environments, power outages are common, which can often plunge a building into total darkness.
Helping to guide occupants and illuminate escape routes, emergency lighting are sophisticated systems of battery-powered lights which are automatically triggered when the main power source falls.
Emergency lighting systems can be downlights, signs or spotlights, but the most important aspect is for occupants and the general public to have the visibility required to locate crucial escape routes such as corridors, stairwells, and fire exit doors.
Understandably, fire and sudden loss of illumination causes panic and confusion, which can in-turn hinder movement and increase the risk of accidents, which is a nightmare scenario in a fire situation. Emergency lighting allows fire safety personnel and the general public to act calmly and logically, allowing for orderly and efficient fire evacuations.
Moreover, emergency lighting plays a crucial role in assisting firefights to locate occupants and navigate a building effective in a fire scenario. Emergency lighting can be intrinsic to firefighters extinguishing the flames, and saving vulnerable lives.
Types of Emergency Lighting Systems
There are numerous types of emergency lighting systems, which each have their own advantages and applications, and are useful for particular properties and topologies.
Escape Route Lighting
Escape route lighting systems illuminate designated exit paths and exit doors, ensuring occupants are able to locate the correct route, as determined by the created fire evacuation plan. Time is never on your side in a fire scenario, and one of the key functions of escape route lighting is to guide occupants to the closest and safest exits.
Escape route lighting systems include exit signs, ceiling-mounted lights to illuminate pathways and corridors, wall-mounted lights for corridors and stairwells, and flood-mounted lights, which are effective for stairwells or uneven surfaces.
Anti-Panic Lighting
The primary role of anti-panic lighting systems is to provide general illumination in large, open spaces to prevent disorientation and panic. Often referred to as open area lighting, anti-panic lighting systems is often the only way to prevent complete darkness if the main power goes out.
For those with limited mobility or unfamiliar with building layouts, anti-panic lighting helps to ensure easier movement, prevention of injury, leads to a calm, controlled evacuation.
Anti-panic lighting systems are essential in large spaces such as shopping centres, atriums, auditoriums, conference and exhibition centres, large office buildings and industrial facilities.
High Risk Task Lighting
High risk task lighting systems provide the essential illumination for specific tasks during emergencies, such as operational machinery or essential medical equipment.
For high-risk areas, such as industrial facilities with potentially hazardous or flammable materials, medical facilities, laboratories and data centres, immediate action can be required to shut down essential machinery or processes.
This can be essential to stop further hazards, protect valuable equipment and assist with a smoother, safety evacuation process.
UK Regulations for Emergency Lighting
As per the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order 2005), the responsible person must ensure adequate emergency lighting is available on the premises, in addition to conducting regular fire risk assessments and providing the appropriate fire safety measures. Under Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, to protect healthy and safety of employees, a building or property requires sufficient illumination of escape routes and exits.
