The Critical Role of Emergency Lighting in Fire Safety

Emergency lighting is a crucial part of fire systems that ensure the safe evacuation of employees during a fire emergency. Lighting and clear signage work together to guide personnel to the nearest evacuation route, enabling them to exit the building swiftly and safely.

Read on to learn more about the critical role of emergency lighting in the event of a fire.

Illumination

The lighting often goes out during a fire as a result of damage to electrical wiring or as a precautionary measure to prevent electrical hazards. This lack of power can leave an area in total darkness. Emergency lighting systems provide the necessary level of illumination to guide employees towards evacuation routes.

Guiding Evacuation

Emergency lighting can come in many forms, such as lit exit signs and green directional arrows, which point towards exits or evacuation routes and illuminate pathways. Emergency lighting systems improve visibility, which may be low if the fire is producing smoke. Well-lit and signposted evacuation routes are essential for safe and fast evacuation.

Reliability

Emergency lighting systems are operated with backup energy sources or batteries which aren’t affected during power failure when the main power supply isn’t functioning. This ensures a reliable light source to guide people to safety throughout the duration of the emergency.

Reducing Panic

When fire alarms sound, employees are alerted to an emergency situation and need to evacuate. Particularly if the building has lost power, this can be a stressful situation that causes people to panic. To reduce panic it’s important to have emergency lighting come into effect to point personnel in the direction of the closest exit. Having a clear and well-lit route helps to maintain order because everyone knows where they must go to evacuate the building safely.

Minimising Accidents

Darkness increases the likelihood of injuries and accidents happening during the evacuation process due to limited visibility. Emergency lighting helps to prevent any trips or falls from occurring by illuminating the path and making any obstacles or stairs visible.

Assisting Firefighters

In the event of a building fire, firefighters may need to enter the property. In this case, having a well-lit route can help firefighters navigate the building easily, enabling them to carry out any search and rescue services or identify and tackle the source of the blaze.

Snowdonia Fire Protection Ltd

At Snowdonia Fire & Security, we provide comprehensive fire systems that offer complete fire protection from fire alarms to sprinklers, our systems help to keep your business safe from fire.

We supply, install and maintain a range of internal and external emergency lighting to guide staff out of your building safely and effectively.

For more information about our emergency lighting options or advanced fire systems, get in touch with Snowdonia Fire Protection Ltd today!