Ecoglo: Better Visibility Blog
The Blueprint for Code Compliant Emergency Exit Stairways
We all know that when emergency strikes to head for the exit stairwells and get out of the building as quickly and safely as possible. Serving such a critical role in emergency egress safety, it is crucial emergency exit stairwells are equipped to handle such a situation.
Local and international building, fire and life safety codes require the installation of luminous egress path markings in exit stairwells in new and existing high-rise commercial buildings, in order to provide a safe egress passageway, and potentially saving lives in the process.
Building Requirement For Installing Luminous Egress Path Markings
As more and more states adopt the International Building and Fire Codes it is crucial for local building officials, architects and contractors to stay up to date on what is required both locally and according to these international code compliance guides.
This blog post will provide a brief breakdown of where luminous egress path markings are required in order to comply with IFC/IBC regulations and to provide a safe evacuation of residents and occupants in emergency conditions, potentially saving lives in the process.
FAQ: Photoluminescent Exit Signs
Have you thought about making the switch to photoluminescent exit signs? Here are the answers to our most frequently asked questions, to get you on the right track to creating a visibly better egress path in your building!
Ecoglo Luminous Egress Path Markings in Theatres
Crowds of patrons in a large, unfamiliar venue can make for a chaotic emergency egress, especially if the facility has lost power! The installation of luminous egress path markings in theatres can provide many benefits, from acting as a fail-safe emergency lighting system to helping patrons find their seats after the house lights have gone down.
How To Light up the Exit Stairwells in Your Facility
The exit stairwells in your facility are the primary egress path way once emergency strikes, can they rise to the occasion?
As an imperative aspect of egress safety, the exit stairwells in your building must be well equipped to provide an efficient egress, under stressful circumstances. In the case of an emergency, such as a fire, the building could lose power, leaving the exit stairwells in total darkness.
Creating a Safe Egress Pathway
Workplace fires can cause tragic loss, both in life and property, which often can be avoided! Some common examples of workplace fires could include damaged electrical outlets or cords or overloaded outlets and circuits, as well as faulty machinery or appliances. These issues can be avoided with regular inspections and maintenance as well as replacing any faulty equipment as needed.
As important as it is to provide your employees with a fire safe facility, accidents can still happen, so having a clear emergency exit strategy can help avoid tragic loss.
Ecoglo Vs. Glow in the Dark Tape
When it comes to the emergency exit lighting in your building make sure you pick the very best! What may seem like an ideal luminous egress path marking product could end up leaving your building in the dark, or causing additional safety concerns.
Although similar in some ways, glow in the dark tape is too often chosen over luminous egress path markings. The ease of installation and low cost of glow in the dark tape may be inticing, but when compared to ecoglo®’s expertly designed luminous egress path markings, does photoluminescent tape stand up to the test?
What to Consider When Creating the Luminous Egress Pathway in Your Building
Before any new high-rise building can be opened to the public the last few finishing touches must be put in place! Some of these final additions may be purely aesthetic, like adding in new light fixtures or finding just the right potted plant and armchairs for the lobby. For others, it is ensuring all of the safety features are present, working and ready to go.
Luminous Egress Path Markings in Stadiums
Large crowds of people inside an unfamiliar venue can create a chaotic egress situation, especially in emergency conditions. From being able to find your correct seat quickly and efficiently to evacuating the venue in an emergency, luminous egress path markings provide a vital role in stadium safety.
Step by Step: Choosing the Best Stair Nosing for Your Building
Walked over without much of a thought, stair nosings play an important role in egress safety, as well as in day-to-day safety. Step-edge markings, such as anti-slip stair nosings, not only protect the part of the step that wears down the quickest, but helps to prevent against slips and trips.
To ensure your building is prepared to support safe egress, the exit stairways should be fully equipped with all required safety measures, including stair nosings.
Photoluminescent Egress Path Markers Increase Egress Safety
When emergency strikes are you able to quickly, and safely, navigate to the exit discharge in your office? Would visitors or those who are unfamiliar with the building be able to easily find and follow the exit route?
Having a clear exit route, a continuous and unobstructed path from any point within the building to safety, is not only mandatory by fire and building codes, but plays a major role in safety.
Floor Identification Signs: What are they and how they improve egress safety
Whether you are trying to make it back to the parking lot after a day of shopping or needing to get out of your apartment building in an emergency, exit signs play a vital role! These carefully placed and easy to understand signs guide us to the nearest exit, no matter the circumstance.
Exit signs, however, lack additional egress information which is critical for a safe and timely egress in emergency situations. There are several luminous egress path markings that work in unison in exit stairwells to provide a safe passage to the exit discharge.
Ecoglo Manufacturing Process Outshines The Rest
Quickly becoming main stream stair safety products, luminous egress path markings may all look the same on the surface, but what puts ecoglo® photoluminescent signage and egress markings above the rest?
Most photoluminescent egress path marking manufactures use a liquid polymer formulation to achieve photoluminescence. Ecoglo® products however, are manufactured using a dry powder formulation and thermosetting at high temperatures.
Luminous Egress Path Markings: Most Frequently Asked Questions
Before starting any project, it is imperative to ask the right questions and get all the information needed. Creating a code compliant luminous egress path way in your facility is no different!
Still considered a new technology, we get many questions about photoluminescent egress lighting and ecoglo®’s range of products. Outlined below are all the answers that will help you start off your new project on the right foot.
A Visibly Better Solution For Your Building
As a critical part of every building, emergency exit signs play an important role in keeping patrons, occupants and visitors alike, safe from harm. Whether simply trying to find the way out to the parking lot or navigating towards the exit discharge in an emergency, when used correctly, exit signs can be a big help to all.
For exit signs to successfully fulfill their role in human safety, they must always remain visible, in all lighting conditions and in all scenarios. Unfortunately, however, this is where many emergency exit lights may fail.
Why do I Need to Install Luminous Egress Path Markings in my Building?
Ranging from glow in the dark exit signs to photoluminescent step-edge markings, luminous egress path markings are now considered a mainstream safety feature of high-rise commercial buildings, not only across the United States but around the world.
Most architectural specifiers, builders, and facility managers are up to date on code compliance guidelines and building code regulations, and know where luminous egress path markings are required, but why do you need them in your building?
5 Things You Didn’t Know about Luminous Egress Path Markings
Luminous egress path marking isn’t a term you hear every day, and maybe something you haven’t even considered for your own facility! Now required by international fire, building and life safety codes, here are 5 things you may not have known about luminous egress path markings. Luminous egress path markings are a fail-safe option for emergency back up lighting.
Ecoglo vs Photoluminescent Paint
The requirement of luminous egress path markings by the International Building Code [see IFC 1104.25, 1025] has recently been adopted by many local building codes. The somewhat recent change of requirements may leave you feeling uncertain about which photoluminescent egress system to use, and feeling the pressure of bringing your building up to code quickly.
Luminous egress path markings are used to delineate the exit path, and must operate independently of the building’s electrical circuits. Luminous, or photoluminescent egress systems, absorb light from a natural or artificial light source so when the power fails, the exit path remains lit and easily visible.
Ecoglo vs Photoluminescent Tape
Ecoglo® is an industry leader for our luminous egress products and we guarantee high-performance and durability with each and every product we offer. We understand that each project is unique in a variety of ways such as location, amount of usage, etc., and our customers purchase based on these factors. Let’s be honest – cost is and always will be the main factor when determining the products purchased for a project. Ideally, everyone would be satisfied with paying the lowest cost for the highest quality product, but this is not realistic. Thankfully, Ecoglo® offers a range of high-quality and extremely durable luminous egress products for every price range.
What is Required for Luminous Egress Path Marking Code Compliance?
The requirement for luminous egress path markings are quickly being adopted around the nation, but what does it take for a photoluminescent product to be considered code compliant?
Photoluminescence is defined as a glow in the dark light, that is emitted only after having been exposed to either a natural or artificial light source. Relying on this explanation it’s easy to assume any glow in the dark sign or glow in the dark tape can be used as a luminous egress path marker. Before you settle on an egress product for your building however, ensure it is code compliant!
How to Choose the best stair Nosing for your Application
When it comes to enhancing the stairway safety in your facility, there are so many stair nosings options to choose from, that you may not even know where to begin! There are simple options available to provide a non-slip grip and enhance step-edge visibility, and more advanced options to renovate and upgrade the look and feel of your facility.
Aside from providing anti-slip protection, aluminum stair nosings protect the step-edge from damage caused by wear and tear, further adding to their importance in stairway safety….
Section 1025: Luminous Egress Path Markings
This document provides a detailed overview and guidance as to the requirements for luinous egress path markings in new and existing high-rise commercial buildings in accordance with the 2018 International Building and Fire Codes. Compliance with these code sections will ensure a safe evacuation of residents during emergency conditions-potentially saving lives in the process……
The Dos and Don't of Installing Egress Path Markings
When you first begin to educate yourself on emergency exit stairwells and building compliance, it may seem like having to learn an entire new language. Egress signage, luminous egress path markings, and photoluminescent strips could all be new terms to you, and can feel overwhelming. Providing a safe mean of egress in your facility is essential, and luminous egress path markings play an important role in doing do! Read on below to learn the do’s and don’ts of installing luminous egress path markings in your facility……
What is a Luminous Egress Path Marking?
You may have noticed in the latest editions of your local or state building codes the requirement for luminous egress path markings in new and existing high-rise commercial buildings. The requirement comes from the adoption of the International Building Code [see IFC 1104.25, 1025]. The term luminous egress path marking may seem unfamiliar, but it is likely you have seen them installed in a number of facilities or even already know them by a different name!
Simply put, a luminous egress path marking product, such as directional signage, step-edge markings or perimeter markings clearly mark the path of egress within any facility. What sets luminous egress path markings apart from traditional exit signage is the fact that they do not require any electricity, wiring, circuits or batteries to shine the way in the dark….
Are Stair Nosing Really Necessary?
Seemingly simple, or maybe even an afterthought, is the installation of stair nosings in your facility really a necessity?
Within high-rise buildings, stairways act as one of the facility’s biggest safety features, allowing occupants to exit safely in any condition. Stairway safety is key in emergency egress and there are several ways stair nosings work to increase safety in all stairways…..
How to Create a Code Compliant Luminous Egress Pathway in Your Facility
After the 2001 World Trade Center Tower attacks, survivors noted the luminous egress path marking systems installed in the building were one of the keys to exiting in the building and getting to safety.
A few years later the use of luminous egress signage and path marking products become required by the International Building Code, as well as the International Fire Code. The National Fire Protection Association also adopted the use of photo luminescent guidance and pathway marking products. Consequently, many states and local building codes have adopted this measures to require the use of luminous egress path markings.
The use of photoluminescent egress signage and path marking products has proven to be a safer choice for a variety of reasons. These path marking products operate completely independently from a building’s electrical system, providing a bright, easy to follow path long after the building has lost power. Photoluminescent light takes the guess work out of egress in all conditions, as it does not cast shadows and can easily cut through smoke. Lastly, these products require very little to no maintenance to perform their best…..
Why should I install Non Slip Stair Nosing?
The level of safety added to your building because of anti-slip stair nosing is two-fold. Firstly they improve step edge visibility. The color of the anti-slip grip contrasts the substrate of the stair tread which clearly defines the step-edge. Many anti-slip stair nosing come with a photoluminescent strip, which further aids in step-edge visibility, especially in low light conditions…..
Best Practices for Luminous Egress Path Markings
You may have heard the term before, but what exactly are luminous egress path markings?
In the event the electricity goes out during an emergency, luminous egress path markings act as the only source of light within a building’s emergency exit pathway…..
Ecoglo Makes your Facilities Safer
Imagine the power in your office building goes out and you hear a fire alarm. All you know is that you must leave the building as soon as possible. Luckily your office space is located next to a window, so you can easily find your way to the elevator. You see your colleagues frantically pressing the down button to no avail before deciding to head to the emergency staircase…..