We’re all familiar with the standard emergency light fixture (often call the “bug-eyes” light kit) that many organizations use. Mounted on the wall, it is basically just a battery unit wired into the building that provides 90 minutes of light when the power goes out. It doesn’t throw a lot of light because it doesn’t have to; the minimum one-foot candle is enough. One typical use for such a fixture is a hallway that leads to an emergency exit light over a door.
But hallways aren’t the only space you’ll find in most commercial facilities, so why should that be the only emergency lighting? For example:
In an open-plan office, the beam from a wall-mounted light can be obstructed by cubicle walls, filing cabinets, columns or equipment, making navigating to the exit more hazardous.
Hospital corridors can be filled with equipment carts or IV stands and need to be navigated by people in wheelchairs or on gurneys. Add the panic effect when alarms are sounding, and safe egress gets even trickier.
When power fails in a large space, like a warehouse, it can be hard to navigate long, tall aisles to find the closest exit.
Why Overhead Emergency Lights Are Needed
Your goal is to make a safe environment for people in the event of an emergency and to make it as easy as possible for them to navigate their way out – in any space.
Oftentimes, the best way to accomplish that is with ceiling mounted emergency lights or by equipping overhead lights with emergency batteries. As a result, the client gets emergency lighting that most closely resembles normal lighting conditions.
Why is this so important? It’s because not all building occupants will be familiar with the emergency egress pathways.
Think about it: In spaces like hospitals, hotels, recreational facilities or stores, visitors come and go all day long – and they don’t know the precise floorplan of the building. Odds are, they don’t even know where the floorplan maps are located.
How will they safely navigate to the emergency exits if the facility is bathed in shadows?
That’s why it’s so important to understand how the facility is used, and by whom, before planning out which emergency lighting solutions to recommend to your customers.
