Emergency Lighting - in Essex and the South East

From our HQ in Southend-on-Sea, Blake Fire & Security Systems have a long and distinguished track record designing, installing, commissioning and maintaining Emergency Lighting systems for businesses throughout Essex, London and the South East.

We are one of only a handful of Essex-based BAFE SP203-4 and NSI Gold approved Fire and Security Companies who ensure you fulfil your duty of care to the latest standards of BS5266-1:2016.

What is Emergency Lighting?

Emergency Lighting saves lives.

It is a critical life safety system that will help anyone to evacuate a building to a place of safety in an emergency. The system provides lighting for when the regular power supply is cut and normal illumination fails during a fire or power cut. This may lead to sudden darkness and a potential risk to occupants, either through physical danger or panic.

What is the purpose of Emergency Lighting?

Emergency escape lighting systems are designed to illuminate both escape routes and safety equipment. Being able to see the way out is the key to safe evacuation especially if mains power fails.

Emergency lights and signs must be sited so as to:

clearly show the exit routes to the final exits from the premises,
illuminate hazards such as stairways, changes in floor level, corridors, changes in direction,
highlight the outside of each final exit, plus plant rooms, lifts, toilets.

It is also essential for being able to find and use fire alarm call points and fire fighting equipment and to avoid panic in large areas with a high volume of people.

What must I do to comply with regulations?

From 1st October 2006 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person (RP) of any non-domestic premises to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment, including measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of fire and identify persons at risk.

These measures include the need for fire safety systems, such as Emergency Lighting, that are fully functional and provide sufficient coverage. The latest measures are covered by BS5266-1:2016.

Do you need Emergency Lighting?

Most probably the answer will be a resounding YES!

Clause 4.7 of the Workplace Directive (89/654/EEC) requires that:

Emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in case the lighting fails. In the UK this is covered by our fire safety legislation.

The guides for compliance recommend that people in premises must be able to find their way to a place of total safety if there is a fire by using escape routes that have enough lighting.

Where any escape routes are internal and without windows, or premises are used during periods of darkness, including early darkness on winter days, then some form of backup to the normal escape route lighting (emergency escape lighting) is likely to be required to ensure safety.

Questions to be considered:

Are your premises used during periods of darkness?
Will there always be sufficient lighting to safely use escape routes?
Do you have back-up power supplies for your emergency lighting?

How do you know if the Emergency Lights you have are sufficient?

Ask yourself, how easy would it be for someone - either familiar or unfamiliar with the building - to find their way out?

The size and type of your premises and the risk to the occupants will determine the complexity of emergency escape lighting required.

Further guidance: refer to BS 5266-1:2016, seek advice from professionals or read our blog post for a quick rule of thumb test that anyone can use.

Where are Emergency Lights supposed to be located?

The purpose of Emergency Lighting is to illuminate escape routes and safety equipment. Generally emergency lighting should be provided at the following positions:

Each exit door;
Escape routes;
Intersections of corridors;
Outside final exits and external escape routes;
Emergency escape signs;
Stairways so that each flight receives adequate light,
Changes in level or direction;
Windowless rooms and toilet accommodation exceeding 8m²;
Fire-fighting equipment, fire alarm call points;
Equipment that would need to be shut down in an emergency;
Lifts;
Areas in premises greater than 60m².

Fire Extinguishers and Emergency Signage 2.jpg

What about testing, servicing and maintenance?

Testing and servicing are part and parcel of the maintenance required to keep your emergency lighting in good working order. Government guidelines on Fire Risk Assessments require testing and maintenance to BS 5266 code of practice. You, as owner/occupier, must appoint a competent person to maintain the system.

Delegating maintenance to experienced, qualified professionals such as Blake Fire & Security Systems ensures your duty of care provision is fulfilled. This way, should the worst happen, you know your staff and other occupants can escape safely.

Emergency Lighting Maintenance requirements:

Monthly - Check all systems and units for state of repair and apparent working order
Annually - Full check and test of systems and units by a competent service engineer.

What services can Blake Fire & Security offer me?

If you need to install emergency escape lighting, modify your existing system, arrange maintenance or just want some friendly professional advice, call us on 01702 447800 or click the green button below to find out more.

It is recommended that any work should be carried out by a competent person in accordance with the appropriate standards.

We can offer the following advice and assistance on:

New system designs
Evaluation of the existing system
Upgrades
Installation
Commissioning/Handover
On-going Maintenance/records
Advice from a fully trained engineer

Blake's say...

The design and installation of emergency lighting should not be an afterthought but an integral part of the design and installation process of your overall electrical & fire safety systems. Regardless of the nature of your building or office ensuring that stair-ways, fire exits and fire escapes are adequately lit in the event of an emergency is a legal necessity!

Simon Blake - Emergency Lighting Manager

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Dedication to Accreditation

Why choose Blake Fire & Security Systems to design and install your system.

Qualified - Blake Fire & Security Systems are fully qualified to plan, design, install, commission and maintain Emergency Lighting for the non-domestic building you are sat in right now.

One of the best in Essex - Blake have NSI Fire Gold Scheme approval covering BAFE scheme SP203-4, one of only a handful of approved Emergency Lighting contractors in Essex.

Track record - it speaks for itself; we have a host of happy commercial clients, across many industries and buildings.

Professional - Blake will provide your business, school or charity with a professional service to ensure you are not caught out by FSO regulations.

Quality Work - Our success is built on the quality work we do and always being available. You won’t experience call centre woes with Blake's!

Quality Products - We are BAFE and NSI Gold approved and only use quality, ICEL approved products that won’t fail in a fire.

Family Business - We are big enough to do the job properly yet small enough to provide a personal touch. Our polite engineers and surveyors are supported by knowledgeable experts back at HQ in Southend.

Helping hand - Blake Fire & Security Systems will be delighted to walk you through the whole process, one step at a time.

Emergency Lighting Department

Design Team

Blake's provide a comprehensive range of emergency lighting solutions so every need is met and keep every person in your premises is safe

We're qualified to offer a full service from design to commissioning, your emergency lighting system design is checked by sophisticated software that ensures your escape routes are safe, fit for purpose and compliant with legal obligations!

Service and Repairs Team

Your emergency lighting system has to be in good working order at all times. This requires regular testing and servicing by competent, qualified technicians to British Standards. The Blake team are a great choice!

You'll receive a comprehensive audit trail and history of maintenance, recorded in a suitable log book. This will satisfy your fire risk assessment and visiting fire officers and Fire Safety Inspectors.