FIRE SAFETY & DISASTER RECOVERY SPOTLIGHT ON EMERGENCY LIGHTING
Dave Henderson, Emergency Lighting Product Manager at Advanced, examines the latest developments in the sector, which is now embracing new technologies
to provide peace of mind for responsible people and building-users alike through more effective life safety solutions.
By definition, Emergency lighting (EL) provides illumination in the event of failure to supply normal lighting. While the basic purpose has not changed, however, the scope and complexity of the market has grown exponentially in recent years, thanks primarily to developments in control technology and the lights themselves.
Much like fire systems, EL is a vital tool that saves many lives. It is a legal requirement for public buildings in most countries and those responsible for it must guarantee its functionality and compliance to the relevant local standards.
EL systems have evolved rapidly over the past decade, resulting in reduced costs for testing and maintenance. In addition to the basic code of practice (BS 5266-1), rules and regulations have tightened significantly. For example, the UK's Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (2005) reinforces the requirement for an adequate EL installation.
Whereas EL systems were previously seen as unfriendly and relatively dumb, modern systems are becoming much smarter and user-friendly, giving EL systems and testing regimes a much more prominent role in building evacuation and emergency strategies.
Offices and public spaces tend to be more design-conscious, with polystyrene ceiling panels and glaring fluorescent fittings falling out of favour in some cases. Old-style standard emergency luminaires are no longer the automatic choice and modern EL systems can convert almost any commercial light for emergency use.
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Many companies still offer a standard range, including fire exit signage and bulkhead lights, but the options are now far wider, thanks to enhanced customisation and LED technology. In addition to linear LED lighting, recessed downlighters and LED panels, companies with ICEL 1004 approval can also re-engineer virtually any luminaire for EL usage.
“EL IS A VITAL
TOOL THAT SAVES MANY LIVES.”
LEDs offer huge design, power and environmental advantages over fluorescent lights. For example, LEDs will typically last 50,000 hours, compared to 7,000 Hours for fluorescent-based products. The light source should no longer be the primary reason for failure, which reduces the need for bulb replacement within a planned maintenance strategy. The lower power usage also means that LED luminaires can be installed with smaller battery packs, which has both aesthetic and logistical advantages.
The other area of rapid change is around testing and maintenance regimes. New procedures and standards require improved light testing, as well as better evidence. EL should be tested monthly and annually in accordance with EN 50172. This standard stipulates that testing should simulate the conditions when the EL may be called upon. Typically, a monthly 10-minute test will suffice,
whilst a full-rated duration test should be completed annually. Test results must be recorded and any remedial work performed.
The manual testing of systems is still common, but as maintenance timeframes grow the cost of manual testing is increasingly hard to justify. Similarly, sites will sometimes have a number of testing regimes in place, increasing complexity and costs. Fortunately, the era of one EL test system is also here.
Automatic testing systems (ATS) are becoming a vital tool and, like LEDs, they have developed to offer many innovations and efficiencies. ATS units are usually control panels, connected to addressable lights, or lights with addressable modules, much like addressable fire systems.
Some ATS systems are limited to fixed emergency luminaires, while other more flexible systems allow these addressable modules to be installed within bespoke units, such as high bay lighting. These systems also allow luminaires to be tailored for specific environments.
Every device on an ATS network, including the luminaires, can communicate with the control panel to facilitate seamless monitoring of the system. It’s possible to control new and old EL, or a mix of the two, via this method, removing at a stroke the need to test each light individually.
Typically, a small addressable device, such as Advanced’s own Pulse Light Unit (PLU), sits within the luminaire, controlling the light and monitoring its power supply, battery condition and lamp status. Any actual faults
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