American PERMALIGHT® General Manager, Marina Batzke wrote a featured article for Construction Today magazine about photoluminescent exit path markings. The article focuses on the history of photoluminescent exit path markings and how they became a modern building code requirement.
Did you know?
• Photoluminescent Exit Path Markings
• Photoluminescent Egress Path Markings
• Low Location Lighting
all refer to the same thing.
In 1993, the World Trader Center experienced its first major terrorist attack. During the attack, building occupants took hours to evacuate through the smoke-filled emergency exit stairwells. To improve emergency evacuation time (where minutes and even seconds are crucial to saving lives), the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey pre-emptively installed PERMALIGHT® photoluminescent markings in the World Trade Center emergency exit stairwells in 1994.
PERMALIGHT® photoluminescent exit path markings were installed in the original World Trade Centers after the first terrorist attacks in 1993
As we know from history, another emergency that required massive evacuation occurred years later on September 11, 2001. During a study by the NIST, PERMALIGHT® photoluminescent exit path markings were credited by a significant amount of survivors of the 9/11 attack who recalled being able to use the glow-in-the-dark markings as a guide to exit safely when the stairwells were once again filled with smoke with limited/no electrical lighting.
From these tragedies were born Local Law 26 and Reference Standard RS6.1 for New York City high-rise office buildings back in 2004. Nationwide ICC-International Code Council improved its model codes and since 2009 has been requiring Luminous Egress Path Markings with even brighter glowing Luminance in the International Building Code (IBC) and International Fire Code (IFC). NFPA 101-Life Safety Code cites Photoluminescent Exit Stair Path Markings as well.
The article further goes into detail about the photoluminescent egress path markings, as well as the stair ID signs and obstacle markers which have strict requirements under the building code compliances. PERMALIGHT® Photoluminescent Egress Path Marking products adhere to all of these compliances and are trusted by professionals who have installed our products in high-rise buildings across the country for decades.
Read the full article by viewing the magazine scans below.
American PERMALIGHT® is committed to life safety – that’s why our motto is Guide & Protect. We strive to guide building occupants to safety, while also protecting lives. Count on American PERMALIGHT® for our renowned and trusted PERMALIGHT® Photoluminescent Egress Path Marking System, as well as our mission to Educate and Inspire with our Professional Offerings & Services where you can learn how to properly install our life-saving egress path markers and become a PERMALIGHT® Certified Installer Partner.
Shop American PERMALIGHT® IBC/IFC Products Here
Shop American PERMALIGHT New York Local Law 26 / New York Local Law 141 Products Here
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Thank you to Construction Today magazine for featuring this in-depth article from American PERMALIGHT® General Manager, Marina Batzke.
About Construction Today Magazine
North America has one of the largest construction markets worldwide, and in each of the multitude of subsectors working in this exciting space, there are opportunities for growth and development. Construction Today is a vital resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date on the issues facing companies involved in the built environment. Whether they are in residential, commercial, heavy civil, industrial or environmental construction, Construction Today is a source of quality editorial that shares insights from business leaders and promotes the activities of some of the world’s leading firms and specialists.
Visit Construction Today’s website here: Construction Today
