Emergency lighting located outdoors is an essential safety feature that provides illumination in outdoor egress areas in an emergency. Outdoor emergency lighting fixtures ensure that building occupants can safely evacuate the facility and identify outdoor footpaths, areas of refuge, and assembly points.
A sample of an outdoor emergency lighting system could include:
- Emergency Exit Signs: Illuminated signs that indicate the direction and location of exits.
- Floodlights: Typically used in open areas to light large outdoor spaces, such as parking lots or emergency assembly areas.
- Pathway Lights: Designed to illuminate walkways, stairways, and ramps leading to a safe zone away from the building.
- Wall Packs: Mounted on the exterior of buildings to light up exits and adjacent areas.
- Battery Backup: Most emergency lights are equipped with batteries that automatically provide power when the main electrical supply fails.
- Emergency Lighting Inverter: Provides the backup power for a lighting system by converting DC battery power into the standard AC voltages that lights need to operate during an emergency.
- Generators: Larger systems might be connected to backup generators to ensure extended operation during prolonged outages.
Outdoor Emergency Lighting Standards and Regulations:
- NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code): Provides guidelines on emergency lighting placement, duration, and performance.
- IBC Section 1008: Specifies requirements for emergency lighting, including the need for illumination along egress paths.
Emergency Lighting Illumination Requirements:
- Brightness: Must provide adequate illumination, typically measured in foot-candles or lux, to ensure visibility. The NFPA 101 requires at least one foot-candle (10.8 lux) at floor/ground level for exit routes.
- Coverage: Lighting should cover all egress paths, including stairs, ramps, doorways, and open areas leading to an egress area.
- Duration: Emergency lights must provide illumination for at least 90 minutes during a power outage, as specified by NFPA 101.
Installation and maintenance of outdoor emergency lighting fixtures:
- Placement: The fixtures should be strategically placed to cover all critical areas without causing glare or shadows.
- Weatherproofing: Outdoor lights must be weatherproof and durable to withstand harsh environmental conditions.
- Maintenance: Regular inspections are required to ensure the system’s reliability. Batteries and light fixtures should be tested periodically.
Understanding the exit definitions per NFPA
According to NFPA, the “exit” has three parts, all with lighting code applied. Check out this outdoor emergency lighting Chalk Talk to learn more.
- Exit access: The areas that occupants must travel to reach the exit. These may include hallways, stairwells, or other foot traffic patterns that lead to the exit.
- Exit: The point of egress from the building. Typically, a door of any type.
- Exit discharge: Outdoor areas where occupants travel during an emergency evacuation.
So where does the exit end, according to NFPA code?
The design of exit paths and collection areas is as variable as the buildings where they are found. This variability does not allow the code to specify where the exit ends and where the emergency lighting code no longer applies. According to the code, the exit area ends where occupants ultimately reach a point where they can move away from the building unimpeded.
This area where the occupants assemble is called the area of refuge. The NFPA code (3.3.23) specifies that the area of refuge is a space located along a path of travel to a public way that is protected from the effects of fire, either by separation from other spaces in the same building or by location.
Emergency lighting in areas of refuge
The area of refuge is intended to serve as a staging area where occupants can safely collect while the emergency is being assessed.
As mentioned, exit access, the exit, and exit discharge areas are subject to the code, but the area of refuge isn’t necessarily well specified in the code. Indoor areas of refuge are undoubtedly subject to code, but many factors must be considered when determining if outdoor areas are subject to NFPA code.
Types of lighting fixtures for outdoor emergency applications
The Isolite team of professionals considers outdoor emergency light fixtures to fit into one of three categories: purpose-built, purpose-rated, and fully integrated.
Purpose-built outdoor emergency lighting
Typically, these are traditional wall packs with native outdoor features like photocells and weatherproofing. Also known as an exterior building light, these are mounted on the outside walls of buildings. These lights often illuminate areas where pedestrians and vehicles are frequently present, such as walkways and parking lots. They can also provide an extra layer of security for property owners.
Purpose-rated outdoor emergency lighting
These fixtures are often associated with industrial outdoor areas and have weatherproofing characteristics. The various designs of these fixtures permit more flexibility in mounting and illumination patterns. Purpose-rated fixtures are frequently used in areas of refuge locations.
Fully integrated emergency lighting systems
These systems can utilize existing or newly installed outdoor light fixtures, even if the fixture is not designated as an emergency fixture. The system also allows existing controls to be applied to standard facilities and emergency lighting. Inverters are utilized in the integrated system to support the system and reduce maintenance.
Summary
Outdoor emergency lighting fixtures ensure that building occupants can safely exit a facility and quickly identify outdoor footpaths, area of refuge, and assembly points. The boundaries of these outdoor areas may be subject to jurisdiction or inspector interpretation.
Moving people away from the emergency is what matters and the reason for the code. Using an inverter and designing robust outdoor emergency lighting coverage are the best choices for every situation.
