Power to an emergency escape lighting system should be supplied immediately, automatically and for enough time to ensure illumination of specific areas if the primary lighting fails.
An escape lighting system should fulfil the following functions:
- illuminate escape and exit route signs,
- provide adequate illuminance along escape routes to ensure safe movement towards the final exit,
- ensure easy location and use of fire alarm call devices and firefighting equipment distributed along escape routes,
- enable performing safety measures.
Emergency escape lighting should be activated not only in the event of a total blackout or failure of the primary lighting, but also if a local failure occurs, such as a damage to a branch circuit. All applicable scenarios should be considered at the emergency lighting system design phase, in order to make sure that the emergency lighting will operate correctly if the power supply of primary lighting should fail in a given zone.
An emergency lighting system is to comprise all equipment and components within a facility which are interconnected to fulfil the purposes of emergency lighting. This applies, in particular, to the duration and adequate illuminance of emergency lighting, the application of primary or nighttime lighting, reporting events and the safety of operation and activities of rescue teams, also in the event of fire.
The following equipment and components make up an emergency lighting system:
- emergency lighting systems with a central power supply or self-contained luminaires (with internal batteries),
- emergency luminaires designed for use with a CPS system or internal batteries, including their equipment (ballasts, switching and address modules in the case of CPS or inverters, address modules and batteries in the case of self-contained luminaires),
- cables and wires for the connection of emergency lighting system with luminaires,
- cable trays, cable glands, suspension brackets and mechanical fixing systems to make connections in emergency lighting systems,
- additionally designed emergency lighting system devices and equipment, such as remote controllers, computer connection modules, monitoring systems for luminaire supply circuits, systems used for operation with fire protection equipment and other components used in emergency lighting systems.