Emergency Lighting: A Comprehensive Guide
Emergency Lighting: General Information
Is a lighting system intended to operate when the normal lighting fails. It ensures illuminated escape routes and other areas for evacuating the public, as well as highlighting points of interest for personal safety. Emergency lighting must automatically activate (within 0.5 seconds) when the normal lighting fails.
According to the Technical Building Code, emergency lighting pathways for evacuation must provide at least 50% of the required light level after 5 seconds and 100% at 60 seconds. The facility must comply with these service conditions for at least one hour from the moment the fault occurs.
Emergency lighting is categorized into two types:
+ **Security Lighting**
+ **Replacement Lighting**
Security Lighting
Ensures the safe evacuation of an area with security or interruption of hazardous work. Security lighting also automatically activates (which may depend on an operator’s intervention) when the normal lighting fails (V = 0) or when the supply voltage falls below 70% of its nominal value, allowing for easy and safe evacuation of the public to the outside. Security lighting is further divided into three types:
+ **Evacuation Lighting**
+ **Ambient or Antipanic Lighting**
+ **High-Risk Area Lighting**
Security lighting should be fixed.
Evacuation Lighting
Enables the recognition and use of evacuation routes and means. It must not only signal the evacuation route but also provide a minimum illumination of 1 lux at ground level on evacuation routes up to 2 meters in width, 0.5 lux in the core comprising at least half the width of the track (CTE), and 5 lux at points where manual fire protection equipment and main lighting distribution boxes are located.
If the evacuation route is wider than 2 meters, it should be treated as several aisles of that width, or panic lighting should be provided. The relationship between the maximum and minimum illuminance on the axis of the main steps of the evacuation route must be under 40.
Evacuation lighting must operate for at least one hour, providing the illumination levels indicated above. It must ensure that escape routes from the premises are always illuminated when the premises are or may be occupied, either with normal lighting or evacuation lighting.
In areas where normal lighting is not always on (for example, commercial premises during non-peak hours), evacuation lighting can function as normal lighting. However, it’s important to note that this may not be accessible to the public and should only be operated by authorized personnel. Always install non-permanent emergency lighting fixtures in case of normal power failure.
In areas where the public can turn off the normal lighting (garages, walkways, etc.) or where the intensity decreases at certain times of day (hotels, hospitals, etc.), or in areas with low routine use (excluding evacuation zones, fire escapes, etc.), normal lighting does not guarantee the illumination and identification of evacuation routes at all times. Therefore, it must be supplemented with emergency lighting.
Evacuation Routes
Evacuation routes extend from any point source of evacuation to the exits of the local or building: corridors, stairwells, ramps, etc., as defined in the fixed project.
When several compounds that are not high density are communicated with each other and the sum of their surfaces is less than 50 m2 (e.g., hotel rooms with a hall and bedroom separated by a door), the origin of evacuation may be considered the door to the general evacuation area.
The Technical Building Code (CTE) specifies that all occupiable points are considered evacuation travel home, with the following exceptions:
The interior of houses, and all rooms or more communicated between them, in which the density of occupation is more than 1 person per 10 m2 and whose surface is less than 50 m2 (e.g., rooms in hotels, residences, hospitals, shops, etc.). In these cases, the evacuation origin can be considered located at the door of the house or premises concerned.
The length of these routes will be measured on the same axis. Routes with elements that hinder passage cannot be considered evacuation routes.
Ambient or Antipanic Lighting
This type of lighting mitigates panic risks by providing sufficient visibility throughout the premises to locate and access evacuation routes from any source, identifying obstacles. Antipanic lighting must operate for at least one hour, providing a minimum illumination of 0.5 horizontal lux from the floor to a height of 1 meter. The relationship between the maximum and minimum illuminance in all areas that are not escape routes must be under 40.
Evacuation lighting and ambient or antipanic lighting can be combined using only emergency lighting equipment at each point. It is advisable to install lighting devices at least 2 meters above the ground, except in special cases like cinemas, theaters, etc.
High-Risk Area Lighting
Ensures that individuals engaged in potentially hazardous work or working in a hazardous environment can safely discontinue work for the operator and other occupants of the room. The illumination of high-risk areas must operate for at least long enough to stop the activity and leave the high-risk area safely, providing a minimum illumination of 15 lux or 10% of normal lighting, whichever is greater.
The relationship between the maximum and minimum illuminance throughout the high-risk area should be less than 10. Examples of high-risk area lighting include situations where a machine needs to be placed in a safe idle position.
Replacement Lighting
Allows for the safe continuation of work until the end when the illumination is lower than normal. It is required to be installed in areas where the hospital needs to provide a minimum illumination of not less than 5 lux, understood at ground level and at the center of the main steps. In intervention wards, intensive care units, treatment rooms, delivery rooms, and emergency rooms, replacement lighting should provide a level of illumination equal to normal lighting.
It must run from the moment of loss of light or normal time when the normal supply voltage falls below 70% of its nominal value. It should operate for at least two hours. When replacement lamps provide an illumination below normal lighting, they should only be used to complete the job safely.
Installation Requirements of Emergency Lighting
Power Supply: Security lighting must be automatically fed from its own energy sources (supply security) to ensure adequate power for a prescribed time for each type of lighting, whether they are autonomous (each light has its own internal source) or centralized (a single source feeds several lights). When the battery is affected by a cumulative load, an external supply can be used to carry the burden.
Types of Lamps: By Type of Feed: Emergency luminaires can be of two kinds:
+ **Regional:** The energy source is unique for each luminaire, being located inside the luminaire or a maximum of 1 meter away, commonly used for lighting.
+ **Centralized:** The power supply feeds multiple fixtures at a time, commonly used in replacement lighting.
According to Feed: These emergency lights can be of three types:
+ **Non-Permanent:** This is an emergency light in which all lights are in operation only when the normal power fails. It has only one set of lamps that works with a power supply from the security system. It functions solely as emergency lighting and is adequate for providing antipanic lighting.
+ **Combined:** The emergency light contains two or more sets of lights, with at least one powered with backup power (for lighting signs) and the other fed by normal power (emergency lighting). The set of lamps lit with normal lighting can have an ignition switch for on and off. The depletion of the bulbs going on with normal lighting is not a danger of lack of emergency lighting. In turn, the fixture can be combined or non-permanent or not combined, depending on the role of the lamp(s) involved in emergency lighting. They are best suited for installation in places where they need to illuminate the evacuation route and mode of signaling in a permanent state of the elements (doors, hallways, stairways, exits, fire extinguishing media, lighting panels, etc.).
+ **Standing:** This is an emergency light where the lamps are powered at all times, both when normal supply voltage is present and when it is not (power security). They function as both normal and emergency lighting. Because the light is continuously on, the depletion of the bulbs is faster than other types of luminaires. Since the lamp is exhausted, it will need to be replaced, which produces a period of time in which there is no emergency lighting. They are adequate for providing evacuation lighting.
Autonomous Emergency Lighting:
A stand-alone emergency fixture has the following parts inside the same or within less than 1 meter from it:
+ Set of incandescent lamps (at least two) or fluorescent lamps.
+ A storage battery for backup power. The battery must be charged for at least 24 hours to provide the autonomy described by the manufacturer.
+ A battery charger circuit.
+ A device to download it off the unit after the period of autonomy.
+ A circuit that automatically switches the fixture to the emergency operating position when the supply voltage falls below 70%.
+ A circuit for switching the light from the rest position (normal power operation) to the emergency operating position for simulating a power failure.
+ A start-rest-example switch. On holiday, if available (the rest position is to be disabled automatically when power resumes normal supply). The switch can be local (on the device) or located at a distance – remote.
+ Drivers Status Indicators
+ An envelope normally consists of housing, reflector, and diffuser.
A self-contained emergency lighting system consists of several luminaires connected to an independent power source and a central control computer.
Beacon Pilot:
In entertainment venues and recreational activities, beacon lighting will be installed at each of the steps of stairs and ramps steeper than 8% in the premises considered, with sufficient intensity to illuminate the footprint. Beacon pilots will be installed for every meter of the width or fraction. Installation of a power line for beacon pilots is signposted from the tableside.
They are installed in hotels, schools, shops, offices, etc. The installation of beacon pilots should transition from alertness (normal power) to emergency operation when the supply voltage drops below 70% of its nominal value. Beacon pilots can be centralized or autonomous. Autonomous beacon pilots behave like an autonomous emergency light.
mous emergency light.