What is the Difference Between Emergency and Fire Exit Lights?
Emergency and exit lights are a mandate in every building that has high occupancy, whether commercial or residential. However, not many understand the difference between emergency exit lights and fire exit lights. Both these exit lights are installed to direct occupants within a building to the quickest escape route possible. With both being used in tandem, it is easy to get confused between the two.
Here’s how you can distinguish between the two:
What are emergency lights?
There are instances where buildings experience power outages. In these situations, every commercial or residential building, hotel, apartment, or
dormitory, should have emergency lights installed, that switch on automatically.
These lights are battery-operated and follow certain compliance codes that are mandatory for all emergency lights. Every emergency light is required to have the right placement and be functioning at all times to ensure safe removal of people from the buildings during emergencies such as a fire.
What are fire exit lights?
Fire exit lights are lit-up exit signs for fire escapes or emergency exits that guide people towards the direction of the last escape route. While fire exits are usually referred to as emergency exits, they exist for the sole purpose of being the escape when usual exit routes are not possible. Unlike the usual exits that open somewhere within the buildings, fire exits open towards the outdoors at a point of safety for the occupants of the building.
These exits are required to be easily accessible and must be kept free of any possible blockages.
What is the difference between the two?
Both emergency exit lights and fire exits have the same purpose - getting people out to a safe place. However, both these lights function differently from each other.
Where fire exit lights indicate where all of the exits are located in case of emergencies, emergency exit lights light up the way towards these exits so people can navigate to the nearest exit with ease.
Further, both emergency and exit lights are required to be routinely checked to ensure that they function accurately. These routine tests help to point out many glaring problems that technicians may miss. Routine checks can also help to avoid serious injuries, loss of life and property.
Every building or developer needs to have an emergency light and fire exits planned before taking any building project underway.
With these being mandatory, emergency lightings and fire exit symbols and equipment can easily be found with companies manufacturing building supplies and more.