When we think about lighting we might remember its importance for lighting our homes, for adding atmosphere to our rooms and gardens, or even the lights which guide our way on the roads at night. But lighting has other important roles as well. Consider the emergency lights which sit atop ambulances and signify their arrival, the emergency search lights which guide rescue helicopters to people stranded out at sea, and even the emergency exit lights which guide our way to the bathroom in those long films at the cinema. Emergency lighting of this sort is vital and can save lives.
Emergency lighting does not need to be nice to look at - it just needs to be in full working order and bright enough to let everyone know it is there. Emergency vehicle lighting is used on police cars and vans, fire engines, ambulances and wreckers, and on utility, construction and snow removal vehicles. The purpose of emergency vehicle lighting is usually to let everybody else know that a particularly fast moving or heavy vehicle is in town - so get out of the way! Ambulances shouldn't have to stop for anyone - and construction vehicles probably won't - so you are helping yourself and every body else if you obey emergency vehicle lighting.
As emergency lighting is so important, and the emergency lighting products are often on vehicles and disconnected from the mains, most emergency lighting products run on batteries. Emergency lighting batteries should have a long life expectancy, because the lights are very important and it could be disastrous for them to run out. If you are replacing the emergency lighting batteries for your emergency light make sure that the voltage, dimensions (size), and location of contacts all fit the original emergency lighting battery.
Other types of emergency lighting equipment include strobe tubes and cables, which control flashing emergency lighting and switch boxes that give you control over your emergency lighting equipment. Emergency lighting equipment also includes beacons and mini-bars for the top of vehicles, and interior and exterior emergency lighting products.
While I joked about the emergency exit sign showing you the way to the loo in the cinema earlier, emergency exit lights serve a very serious purpose. In the case of an emergency - a fire or flood, people need to be able to find their way to the exit of any building, Emergency exit signs highlight the nearest exit and so may save lives. Emergency exit signs can be incandescent or fluorescent. Incandescent lights contain a filament, which is heated until it glows, lighting the emergency exit sign. Fluorescent lamps contain materials such as phosphorus, which emit light energy. Both are equally valid for lighting an emergency exit light, as there is no need for the emergency exit light to look nice, it just needs to be conspicuous in case of an emergency.
Because emergency lighting is a matter of public concern, there has been a lot of research on emergency lighting, and various standards and regulations have consequently come into place. If you think you should have emergency lighting it is vital that you find out more about these, because emergency lighting is such an important matter. The British Standard 5266 - Emergency Lighting is one such legal requirement concerned with the provision of emergency lighting products. Emergency lighting should be regularly tested. Make sure your emergency lights are fully operational every day, and test the function of your lights in greater depth each month. Carry out a full operational test of all of your emergency lighting products on at least a yearly basis.
If you wish to purchase emergency lighting, Exide Emergency Lighting is an example of a company that manufactures such lights.
Most emergency lighting products run on batteries