Emergency Lighting Solutions for Fire Safety

This test is the full 90 minute test. Our crews operate the emergency light to test the battery and unit. Depending on the result of the test our technician will diagnose if there is an issue and inform the customer what the next steps are. Upon successful completion our Technicians will tag the lights with Month/Year/Service completed. 

This test is a 30 second functional test of the unit. This test is required to be completed monthly. 

Emergency lighting provides two safeguards for a building in the event of a power failure:

First, safe and prompt access to emergency exits (egress), and second, to provide lighting of

sufficient levels, and for a sufficiently long duration, to permit safe and orderly shutdown of

processes that might become hazardous if simple abandoned.

Frequently, inspectors find that emergency lighting units have been installed and subsequently

forgotten. Most emergency lighting units use batteries, which have a limited life span, and are

subject to failure without warning. The “charging” light may be lit on the units, but this does not

guarantee the lights will come on when the power fails.

The International Fire Code requires that emergency lighting units be able to provide

illumination for 1½ hours after a power failure, and at a level sufficiently bright enough to allow

people to see their way to exits, or to safely shut down processes and machinery, etc.

Testing of required emergency lighting systems shall be conducted as follows:

1. Functional testing shall be conducted monthly with a minimum of 3 weeks and a

maximum of 5 weeks between tests, for not less than 30 seconds

a. This means that approximately monthly, the “push-button” test should be

conducted, typically by pressing the “test” button on the unit, and holding it for

30 seconds. If the device does not light, or the lamps are dim, or if it fails to light

at full brilliance for 30 seconds, the unit should be serviced, repaired, or replaced.

2. Functional testing shall be conducted annually for a minimum of 1½ hours if the

emergency lighting system is battery powered.

a. The annual test requires that the power actually be interrupted to the emergency

lighting unit, by unplugging it, throwing a circuit breaker, or other safe means, so

no line power reaches it. The unit must provide light of normal brilliance for 1½

hours, or it should be serviced or replaced.