High-tech system creates calm from chaos.

Evacuating a building in daylight is rarely a problem, but evacuating a building in darkness or smoke-flied conditions can be chaotic.

When emergency egress routes are no longer visible, people become disoriented and panic. In these situations, the potential for injury, and even death, is substantially increased.

In order to provide a greater level of safety to occupants of tall buildings (75 ft. or more) in NYC, the New York City Council voted into law in June 2004, various recommendations aimed at improving the occupant safety of new and existing class E commercial buildings. This law, titled NYC Local Law 26, employs recommendations that are taken directly from the Department of Buildings 911 taskforce document.

By July 1, 2006, the first recommendation of the taskforce to be implemented is the mandatory installation of photoluminescent directional egress markings in the stairwells of class E commercial buildings.

The specifications set forth in this recommendation center on the principle that the uniform application of photoluminescent safety egress wayfinding elements will allow building occupants to more easily recognize and follow the guidance and directional information offered by such systems.

By doing so, these systems provide occupants with improved safety during those periods of emergency evacuation.

The scope of this specification is limited to the photoluminescent markings that appear immediately outside the entry door to the stairwell, and to the entire length of the egress path inside a stairwell including the horizontal transfer areas (landings) and the final discharge (exit door) to the outside.

With the advent of the NYC Local Law 26, building owners, specifiers and facility managers will be under more pressure than ever before to build life-safety measures into their interior design objectives. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires building owners, specifiers and facility managers to think differently about managing the accessibility of space and to provide workable solutions to these problems.

As technology improves and the social climate changes, a greater level of building safety will be expected. As we plan for the future, these trends must be monitored to ensure not only compliance to law, but more importantly that we are doing the right thing for the people we are serving. Johnsonite's Safe-T-First low location egress routing system helps provide an advanced measure of safety to assist building occupants to evacuate a building during periods of sudden darkness.

The Johnsonite Safe-T-First system creates low location bright luminous pathways on floors, along the wall base and in stairwells. Safe-T-First provides a non-electrical egress system that works low where smoke is less likely to obscure visibility. Not designed to replace code required backup lighting systems, it functions as a supplement to these systems. Because Safe-T-First does not rely on electricity, it is a solution that will work even when backup lighting systems fail.

The system's photoluminescence is the result of a patented technology that incorporates bright, long lasting pigments into Johnsonite's stair marking strips, handrail covers, signage, and marking indicator tapes. This unique technology utilizes high performance, photoluminescent crystals that are inert, non-toxic and free of radioactivity. These crystals absorb energy from light, then release this stored energy in darkness anywhere from 10 hours to 22 hours (varies depending on individual product).

The Safe-T-First system minimizes these concerns by providing continuous visible direction at ground level, ensuring an orderly, expeditious, safe evacuation of occupants in the event of power failure, smoke obscuring the exits and other natural or man-made disasters. In addition, the system may assist first responders and emergency services personnel by providing a low location guidance pathway in darkness. The system can also be used to highlight access to critical equipment and control panels to protect valuable assets during periods of sudden darkness.

Therefore, by clearly marking stairwells, landings and various other egress routes and important fire protection equipment, human and capital resources can be protected, while still addressing the critical requirements of interior design, style and safety.

CARL SEXTON, BUSINESS MANAGER, SAFE-T-FIRST PRODUCTS, JOHNSONITE