Active Fire Precautions (ii)

• Emergency Lighting
• Illuminated Exit Signs

Emergency lighting allows people to escape from the premises in the event of a fire or other emergency, even if this coincides with a failure of the normal lighting system (this is not uncommon, as a large percentage of fires are caused by electrical faults).

The lighting units are designed to come on when the power fails, and to stay on for a period of between one and three hours using an internal battery or other secondary electrical supply. They often take the form of illuminated Fire Exits signs, but can also be seen as additional lighting units on the walls or ceiling of an escape route, or even fully integrated into the normal room or other lighting of a building - a certain percentage of bulbs or fluorescent tubes being provided with this backup. The red glow of a small LED light is often, though not always, an indication of emergency lighting.