Exit lighting, Exit Signs and Emergency Lighting are imperative for timely evacuation of occupants. Adequate ambient lighting is required so that occupants can navigate the egress route so that they don’t trip or fall. Exit signs are required to identify the exit routes and exit doors. Emergency lighting is required to illuminate the path of travel and identify exits in the event of a power failure.

The requirements for the maintenance of these three crucial items has continued to evolve over the years. The 1990 Edition of the National Fire Code of Canada (NFC) included several new additions: including the requirement to install exit lighting and exit signs per the National Building Code of Canada (NBC); the inclusion of exit lighting illumination while the building is occupied; and the requirement to maintain emergency lighting. The requirements remained unchanged until the 2015 Edition of the NFC. The latest revisions included provisions for the inspection, testing and maintenance of exit signs, which was not explicitly stated in previous editions. This blog post will review the requirements related to exit signs and exit lighting as well as to explore some of the challenges with the changes in exit signage and where new requirements may go.

Exit Lighting?

The term exit lighting has been used several times in this post, however you may have never heard this term before. It doesn’t appear in the NBC and only appears in Subsection 2.7.3. of the NFC.

So, what is exit lighting?

A search result for “exit lighting” returns websites for exit signs, emergency lighting and “exit lights”. The term “exit light” seems to be synonymous with exit sign. I often see the term exit light referencing an exit sign when reviewing building plans. But an exit sign/exit light are not the same as “exit lighting”. Exit lighting refers to the ambient lighting within a means of egress under normal power conditions.

Note A-2.7.3.1.(1) of the NFC states, “Subsections 3.2.7. and 3.4.5. of Division B of the NBC describe the requirements for the placement of exit signs and for emergency and non-emergency lighting.” The requirements in Article 3.2.7.1. of the NBC, provide the minimum lighting requirements. Specifically, that “an exit, a public corridor, or a corridor providing access to exit for the public or serving patients’ sleeping rooms or classrooms shall be equipped to provide illumination to an average level not less than 50 lx at floor or tread level and at angles and intersections at changes of level where there are stairs or ramps.” In addition, the minimum value of the illumination required shall be not less than 10 lx. This is “exit lighting”. These values are the minimum lux required to provide illumination along the path of egress travel under normal power conditions, ie. not on emergency power. The intent statements for these two sentences confirm that the intent is to limit the probability that egress routes and exits will have inadequate illumination which could lead to safety hazards.

Exit Signs

Exit signs help occupants identify the means of egress to find their way out of a building. The NFC requires exit signs to be:

• installed in buildings in conformance with the NBC,
• illuminated when the building is occupied, and
• maintained in operating condition in conformance with Section 6.5.

The 2015 Edition of the NFC included a new article, Article 6.5.1.8. Inspection of Exit Signs. The new requirements for exit signs included monthly inspections to ensure that the signs are visible, identifiable and are not obstructed. In addition, there is now an annual testing requirement. Exit signs must be tested annually to ensure that they remain illuminated for the same duration as the emergency power supply requirement, ie. 30 min, 1 hour or 2 hours.

Green Pictogram Signs

The 2010 Edition of the NBC introduced the requirements for the internationally recognized green pictogram sign. While the requirements were straight forward for the installation of exit signs in new buildings, it was not so for existing buildings.

Questions came from industry asking about individual exit sign replacements, multiple exit sign replacement in a single floor area and replacement of signs in multiple floor areas. At the same time others were not asking questions and installing signs. We observed every possible scenario, including the replacement of multiple signs within a single floor area. This led to red EXIT signs being installed within the same area as the new green pictogram signs. There seemed to be a lot of confusion from both industry and AHJ’s.

Various jurisdictions provided interpretations on the how these new requirements were to be applied to existing facilities. The interpretations were released based on when the new code provisions were adopted. Interpretations were issued by several AHJ’s including the City of Winnipeg, Calgary, and the Province of Saskatchewan.

The consensus was that, as stated in the Winnipeg Policy on Exit Signs Installations in Existing Buildings, “generally speaking, mixing and matching of red EXIT signs and green pictogram signs in the same floor area will not be permitted.” The requirements were similar throughout each document with the exception that Winnipeg and Saskatchewan include a retroactive requirement to replace the red EXIT signs. In buildings where the addition is 15% or greater of the existing building area, the red EXIT signs are required to be replaced. If a building addition is less than 15% of the existing building area, the red EXIT signs can remain if new red EXIT signs are installed, otherwise green pictogram signs are required throughout. The Bulletin from Calgary did not specify a specific size addition that requires the retroactive upgrading of the exit signs.

The moral of the story, check the local jurisdiction for specific requirements to avoid costly changes.  

What About Accessible Exit Signage?

In the opening paragraph I stated that exit signs are meant to identify egress routes and exit doors. Currently exit signs are designed and installed with little regard for accessible design. I’m not going to dive into this topic, I just want to identify that there are potential future changes for more inclusive designs. For more information check out the following link, https://accessibleexitsigns.com/.

Dynamic Exit Signage

Dynamic exit signage has been discussed and studied for several years. Dynamic exit signs receive signals from the building fire alarm system, or potentially other systems, and flash a green arrow or red “X” on the exit sign to direct occupants to a safe exit. There are pros and cons of this system. If you want to dive deeper, check out the Fire Safety Engineering Group out of the University of Greenwich, https://fseg.gre.ac.uk/fire/GETAWAY.html.

Fire Science Show

It’s also worth mentioning episode 16 of the Fire Science Show titled, “The future of evacuation modelling with Enrico Ronchi and Ruggiero Lovreglio”. While the episode deals with evacuation modeling, they also discuss some ideas about the future including dynamic exit signage, augmented reality, virtual reality, and smart buildings.

Exit Here Podcast

Back in August I put out a blog post titled, Podcasts for Fire Protection and Life Safety Enthusiasts – 2021 Update. After the blog was released, I discovered another podcast the “Exit Here” podcast. “The world of Exit and Emergency Lighting can be quite complex and the Exit Here podcast aims to provide some insight and answer some of these questions.”

Episode topics: Introducing the Emergency Lighting Podcast, Emergency Lighting Battery Technology, Converting General Luminaires and Designing Bespoke Emergency Luminaires

Number of episodes: 3

Time commitment: 30 mins – 1 hour

Final thoughts

The Exit Here podcast nailed it in their description where it stated that exit and emergency lighting can be complex. My hope is that a designer can provide a detailed breakdown of potential issues that they encounter regarding compliance with the codes and standards. Reach out to Kelsey or Brenda if you would like to provide your perspective.

There is no doubt that exit signs, exit lighting and emergency lighting will continue to evolve and change in the coming years. This may include more inclusive signage & designs, or maybe dynamic signage providing up-to-date building information to occupants during evacuation. Or it may include smart sensors and devices to provide updates to occupants during evacuation. These new designs will require a more detailed and thorough design approach. The anticipation is that exit signage will play a larger and a more integral role in the egress & exiting strategy. The design objectives and intent will need to be documented to ensure that the not only the specific devices are maintained but also that the egress and exiting strategy is maintained. As with all new technologies and change there will be challenges and opportunities. I think this is one of the interesting aspects of our various professions in fire protection and life safety, constant change.