Emergency Light Outside a FIRE EXIT

[Yanni]

I am trying to avoid attraction by thieves to our commercial building during the night by illuminated permanently the outside of fire exits that is generally quite dark.

Am I allowed to use a combination of PIR Flood Lights and a non maintained light to cover myself with all possibilities.

So when the electrics work in case of a fire, the PIR detects movement and turns on the floodlight. When the electrics do not work the non-maintained emergency light illuminates.

Again, this is for the outside of the building not the inside!

 

[Taylortwocities]

Am I allowed to use a combination of PIR Flood Lights and a non maintained light to cover myself with all possibilities.

sure! In fact, if your emergency outside exit doors are poorly illuminated from (for instance) street lighting then the BSI requirement is that you should have an outside emergency light. It says :

BS 5266 - 1:2016
You need to light a path to a place of safety

 

[ericmark]

I found that mistakes were made, including being told by police to move light as it was distracting for motorists, so I took the attitude I was not trained for fire protection, so we would get some one who was trained to advise, it the firm were willing to train me OK, and I was trained how to use the smoke generator to test the smoke alarms, but one has to be careful to keep within your skill set, and to inform management when you feel you lack the training.

It was lucky I did, as after my accident the first question was why were you doing it, and did you do a risk assessment, and then did you tell the foreman you did not have access to the method statement. And safety officers comment was oh dear we are screwed, and foreman was asked to resign as a result. Oddly the guy who had removed my safety lock was not sacked.

But how ever petty it may seem, you do need to watch your back.

 

[opps]

I am trying to avoid attraction by thieves to our commercial building during the night by illuminated permanently the outside of fire exits that is generally quite dark.

Am I allowed to use a combination of PIR Flood Lights and a non maintained light to cover myself with all possibilities.

So when the electrics work in case of a fire, the PIR detects movement and turns on the floodlight. When the electrics do not work the non-maintained emergency light illuminates.

Again, this is for the outside of the building not the inside!

Are you saying that your fire exit is currently illuminated outdoors and that you do not want it to be visible to would-be burglars? Surely the door is outward opening? If yes, it's not like they can kick it in. Sorry, I appreciate that I am not answering your question but I would have thought that securing the door is more important than trying to make it less visible.

 

[Taylortwocities]

He wants to light it up permanently. It is the first line of his post # 1

 

[opps]

He wants to light it up permanently. It is the first line of his post # 1

The way I read it was that he doesn't want permanent (ie always on) lighting.

That is to say, he doesn't want scapegraces to see that, from a distance, there is a door.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Maybe I am being confused by the meaning of

illuminated permanently

 

[opps]

Maybe I am being confused by the meaning of

He said

"I am trying to avoid attraction by thieves to our commercial building during the night by illuminated..."

I read that as him not wanting to have a light on all night. I do not understand how you read it differently. TBH, the OP, in my limited experience does seem to lack clarity when posting.

 

[333rocky333]

Maybe I am being confused by the meaning of

Seems to me that is NOT what he wants, but the area to only be lit in the event of a fire and activated by a PIR by people exiting the fire door.

i think the answer would be a light interfaced to the fire alarm sounders or on a Doorswitch.
A Non maintained light outside as he suggests will only work on power loss

 

[Taylortwocities]

OK, perhaps what he needs is
1. An emergency light connected to the rest of the emergency lights. There should be one inside each door in any case! This light comes on aith the rest of the EM lights.
2. A PIR light for so the staff smokers, etc can see what they are doing out there at night, and to provide enough light for burglars to select the correct jemmy/skeleton key and for drug dealers to do their business.

 

[opps]

Why can't it be a light that has a remote PIR inside the building. Point it at the inner face of the door, if someone opens the door the external light will turn on.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Why can't it be a light that has a remote PIR inside the building. Point it at the inner face of the door, if someone opens the door the external light will turn on.

You really haven’t thought about that, have you?
I think we need clarification from @Yanni as to what he really wants. Maybe some of the above is a part of the solution.

 

[mattylad]

ISTR that the idea of a fire "exit" is that it's for people exiting the building.
So when they try to exit and internal detector would identify people exiting and turn on the light.
Lighting outside when there is not a fire condition is not what is wanted by the OP.

So IMO the best option would be an interface (usually a relay board) fed by the fire alarm panel that turns on the exit lights.
This is a modification that I did many times when building fire alarm panels, although it was usually for exhaust dampers I think.
Whether the regs allow this I don't know, perhaps someone more informed about the appropriate fire regs (above BS7671) would be able to answer this.

 

[Adam_151]

@mattylad, I see no reason you shouldn't use 24v switched by the relay contacts on the fire panel to operate a relay that powers the switch line of a switched maintained bulkhead. Just don't put the 240v through the fire panel relay itself!

 

[mattylad]

That's how it's normally done - switching 24v.
It just requires extra wiring, like when door magnets are retro fitted.

However, if the regs allow an emergency light to be switched by the panel is another issue.
As long as the internal light is always illuminated.
This need a risk assessment and more information about what's outside by someone that knows the relevant standards.