Dimming the fire escape

​Don’t worry it will be as bright as ever when you need to exit the building.

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Good news is that in 2014, Australian fire and safety regulations have now permitted fire escapes to be equipped with “motion-detected dimmable LED lighting.”

Where you used to burn fluorescent lights full pelt 24 x 7, 365 days a year you now have the option to upgrade the tube holders (battens) and install motion-detected dimmable LED lights.

When no-one is in the fire escape, all these LED tubes dim down to 1/4 power. As soon as someone opens a door into the fire escape they bloom into full glory.

Keep in mind that fire escapes are usually fitted with battery-backed up battens. This means you will be replacing your battens when you upgrade your fire escape to LED. Also, you will still probably do a lot of twin tubes in the fire escape to make sure it flares up to full light when the time comes.

At Freesia Gardens, the fire escape gave us another opportunity to dump 36 old fluorescents and upgrade them all with dimmable LED. The lighting plan and counting of the lights in the fire escape is also easier than doing the carpark.

Only tricky bit is getting a long ladder into the fire escape, definitely a two person job. Also, as you are replacing the battens you might as well take before and after photos of all those upgraded lights and light fittings.
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As long as you are installing government approved tubes, you should be able to get some energy saving certificates for your efforts.

Brent Clark,
​CEO, Wattblock