Comments on: Means of Egress Part II (Illumination)

By: don adams

don adams — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:37:28 +0000

Do electrical panel room need to have emergency lighting and exit lights went under 1200 amps

By: Ira Horden

Ira Horden — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:01:20 +0000

I am looking at using occupancy sensors to turn off emergency lighiting. The phrase “Fail-Safe” in NFPA 101 – Section 7.8.1.2.2 is bothering me. All of the sensors I can find drive a control line high to turn the lights on. For a true Fail-Safe system the control line should be passively pulled to the “on” condition by the relay/power pack and actively pulled to the “off” condition by the sensor. This way if the sensor or wiring gets disconnected or fails, the lights would go on. Are the exisiting power packs and sensors considered Fail-Safe if they just turn the lights on when they power up?

By: DFD-OHFire Inspector

DFD-OHFire Inspector — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:12:53 +0000

In addition OFC 1006.3 and 1011.5.3 that says 90 min. for new and OFC 1027.5 says 60 min. for existing.

By: Art Shaw

Art Shaw — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:37:04 +0000

The IBC only rerquires illumination when the building is occupied. I would not question this where a room that is required to have more than one exit is concerned because people already turn off the lights when the room is not in use.

Are these occupancy sensors located in exit hallways? I would then raise the question concerning proper illumination of the exit hallway so that there is proper illumination when the building is occupied. I have observed some buildings where periodically the lack of foot traffic could allow the occupancy sensor to shut off the lights.

Because of your question and the attempts to save energy I would like to see some code commentary about this matter and some scientific bases behind the commentary.

By: Tim Simpson

Tim Simpson — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:05:15 +0000

I recently ran into an issue with occupancy sensors on florescent high bays. We designed the lighting so 100% of the building was on a legally required generator. Since the generator was large enough, we put all of the lighting on the emergency system. The lights were controlled from occupancy sensors. We had the building official and the electrical official arguing whether the occupancy sensors met the code requiring the egress “shall be illuminated at all times” we argued it is when occupied. Has anyone else run into this?

By: Lt. Sally McCann-Mirise

Lt. Sally McCann-Mirise — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:29:54 +0000

OFC section 604
604.3 and 604.3.2 page71

By: Tom Jacobs

Tom Jacobs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:59:21 +0000

Item #3 in 2006 IBC 1006.3 reads:
“Exterior egress components at other than the level of exit discharge until exit discharge is accomplished for buildings required to have two or more exits.”

Make sure to look up the definition of “exit discharge”, which is:
“That portion of a means of egress system between the termination of an exit and a public way.”

Things like exterior egress balconies, exterior stairways, exterior ramps and egress courts (see IBC 1024) serving exits will need emergency lighting also.

So if you discharge at any level other than “grade level” or “level of public way”, the portion of exterior exit access and discharge above grade needs emergency lighting, at least until grade level. That is the way I read it.

By: Dennis Glenn

Dennis Glenn — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:27:56 +0000

I would like to know where in the Ohio Fire Code it states about the owener/occupant test and record the test on the emergency lighting . The 90 min test is a acceptance test, followed anually by a 60 min test.

By: Doug Lane

Doug Lane — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:47:55 +0000

Here at the Ohio Fire Academy, in are Certified Fire Safety Inspectors Class, that process, of having the owener/occupant test and record the test on the emergency lighting is taught in our class. The 90 min test is a acceptance test, followed anually by a 60 min test.

By: Art Shaw

Art Shaw — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:32:07 +0000

While the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes has indicated in the past that exit discharge lighting is only needed at the exit discharge. They feel that there is enough illumination from street lighting and other sources that further emergency lighting to reach the public way is not needed.

Looking at the 2006 Edition of NFPA 101, Section 7.9 (Emergency Lighting) and specifically section 7.9.1.2 indicates that the exit discharge includes “only designated stairas, ramps, aisles, walkways, and escalators leading to a public way”. There appears to be no exclusion for street, parking lot lighting, or other light sources. Health care facilities across the county can bare this out as this is an item that has been cited during federal and state inspections. There must be enough emergency illlumination along what ever path is taken to reach the public way and the loss of one bulb or fixture can not leave that area below the 1 ft. candle power requirement. The same requirement was found in the 2000 Edition of the LSC and probably in earlier editions as well.