Routine Maintenance Can Make the Difference Between System Success and Failure
NORTH BILLERICA, MA – Interstate Electrical Services recommended that commercial building owners and tenants verify their building’s emergency hallway lights and other life-safety systems are fully operational and have been routinely maintained.
In the event of a power outage, emergency lighting for exit paths needs to be at “full brilliancy” for at least ninety minutes, exit signs have to stay on, and the fire alarm has to remain operational, according to federal and state regulations. Many office buildings have windowless areas that are difficult or impossible to traverse without an artificial light source. Emergency lighting enables occupants to see their way safely out of the building.
Owners, tenants and occupants should all know how well-equipped their building is to withstand a power outage.
Key life-safety questions to consider: Do all hallways have emergency lights that illuminate an egress path out of the building to safety? Is the fire alarm audible in all parts of the building? Is someone checking your life-safety systems, at a minimum, two times a year? Do you know what your city or town’s regulations are?
Key business considerations to consider: What do you need to keep functioning and stay in business? Do you need a UPS (uninterruptable power source)? Do you need a generator? If you have a generator, do you have a maintenance schedule for it? Do you need heat or cooling in any or all parts of the business?
“It is not uncommon for commercial buildings to fail to meet today’s fire-safety standards,” says John Sloane, Vice President, Central and Southern New England Service Divisions, Interstate Electrical Services. “Many people seeking commercial space are unaware of this and will take it as is, when in fact the emergency lighting, exit signs and other life-safety equipment hasn’t changed since 1980.”
To read an extended interview with John Sloan about key life-safety questions for businesses, visit http://iesc1.com/life-safety-interview.
To learn more about Interstate Electrical Services, visit: www.iesc1.com.
