The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Emergency Escape Lighting – Part 170

October 3, 2022 10:51 am

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 169, LWF looked at the modes of operation of luminaires and the duration of emergency escape lighting. In part 170, we discuss the siting of luminaires along an escape route, as well as other places where they are required.

A system of emergency escape lighting should encompass the following areas and fixtures:

• All escape routes and stairways
• Exits (potentially also outside unless there is sufficient lighting if the main lighting system of the premises has failed)
• At changes in level or direction and intersections of corridors
• At positions where firefighting equipment is provided, e.g. fire extinguishers, manual call points, hose reels etc. and first aid equipment.
• Fire safety signs should be illuminated, including fire exit signs which may be lit from within and form a part of the emergency escape lighting installation.
• Any large, or multi-cubicle toilet but not those intended for use by a single, able-bodied person or a bathroom which is en-suite. BS 5266-1 defines the size of toilets requiring emergency escape lighting as greater than 8 m².
• Plant rooms dealing with both normal and emergency escape lighting.

It should be noted that it is considered good practice to install emergency escape lighting in lift cars. The luminaires are normally self-contained in these instances. Provision of such lighting is essential when the lifts are to be used for the evacuation of people with disabilities and/or are designated firefighting lifts.

The placement of the luminaires of an emergency escape lighting system should be considered in terms of the height at which they are least likely to be obscured either by smoke or by people. A minimum height of 2 metres above floor level was previously recommended by BS 5266-7, which is now withdrawn, but equally, they should not be placed so high that a smoke layer from a fire could obscure the lighting.

It is also recommended that luminaires are sited to avoid excessive contrast and/or glare. These considerations are particularly important to persons who are partially-sighted.

In part 171 of this series, LWF will begin to look at the level of illumination provided by an emergency escape lighting system. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

 

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 25 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.