Emergency Lighting Systems

Q: Do Irish businesses need emergency lighting systems?

Yes. Irish businesses have a duty under the Fire Services Act to take “reasonable measures” to protect building occupants in the event of an emergency, and this includes the provision of safe and illuminated escape routes. Non-compliance can lead to fines or closure of the premises, so compliance is therefore necessary for legal, safety, and insurance reasons.

IS 3217–compliant emergency lighting, LED exit signage, and intelligent monitoring systems for safer, fully compliant workplaces.

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Modern Emergency Lighting Solutions for Irish Businesses

Stalwart Security & Fire has been providing professional emergency lighting solutions since 1984 that are cost-effective, reliable, and necessary for regulatory compliance. Our lighting solutions are installed and maintained with all due precision and care.

Emergency lighting systems are essential for the safe egress of any building occupants in the event of a fire, power outage, or other emergency. Our team will professionally install maintained and non-maintained lighting as well as exit signage, and provide ongoing support, maintenance, and testing for your business premises.

Stalwart Security & Fire are PSA-licensed, EQA-certified engineers and technicians who adhere to all relevant standards of compliance in Ireland for emergency lighting, such as IS 3217. Take advantage of our team’s expertise, over 40 years of industry experience, and our dedication to excellence by having your lighting systems installed, maintained, and/or tested by us for your business premises.

Book a compliance check today.

Why Emergency Lighting Matters

Emergency lighting in Ireland is essential for safe and orderly evacuations from buildings in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, emergency lighting systems are an important part of an overall fire safety plan, which every business owner must take “reasonable measures” to ensure that their premises and those within are kept safe. If lighting fails due to circumstances such as a power outage, fire, or other event, emergency route lighting and emergency exit signs become essential for illuminating the way out.

In addition to being important for safety, lighting and exit signage are essential parts of legal and regulatory compliance with Irish Standards such as IS 3217:2013 – Emergency lighting. This standard outlines the provision of emergency lighting, its level of illumination along escape routes, and its periods of operation in the event that normal lighting fails to operate properly.

Our team of engineers and technicians provide full IS 3217 compliance for your business premises, helping your business meet any legal obligations and demonstrate a duty of care to occupants. With lighting solutions such as emergency exit lights and power outage lights, installed professionally within your building, you can demonstrate due diligence and keep people safe while complying with your legal obligations.

Types of Emergency Lighting Systems

Maintained vs Non-Maintained Emergency Lighting

Maintained emergency lighting remains on at all times, drawing from mains power during normal operation and only switching to battery backup power in the event of a power outage. These systems are ideal for areas of a building that always benefit from illumination, such as corridors and access/egress points.

Non-maintained emergency lighting, conversely, remains off during normal operation, only switching on in the event of a power outage. These systems are a cost-effective way to save energy whilst producing necessary illumination in the event of an emergency.

LED Emergency Exit Signs

LED emergency exit lights and safety signs are a cost-effective way to provide vibrant and long-lasting illumination during power outages. Since LEDs use less energy than incandescent lights and can last for up to (or even beyond) 50,000 hours, they make for excellent power outage lights in terms of cost without sacrificing on their primary purpose.

Additionally, LED emergency exit signs provide bright illumination at a uniform output. This makes them clear and easy to see, even with smoke present.

Intelligent / Smart Emergency Lighting

Smart emergency lighting systems are highly efficient low-voltage, dynamic systems which use real-time static checks, perform automatic testing, and can issue alerts via app or building management software integration. This makes them a great choice for integrated emergency lighting and for integrating with other facility management systems within your premises.

On account of these benefits, smart emergency lights are a great modern choice for reducing maintenance (although it should never be neglected completely) and keeping costs reasonable.

Emergency Lighting Technology We Use

Stalwart Security & Fire has access to the most modern and advanced emergency light systems as well as traditional maintained and non-maintained lighting and emergency exit signage. Our engineers and technicians install and service all manner of emergency lighting technology commonly used in commercial businesses across Ireland.

Some of the technologies we install and service include certified, energy-efficient LED systems, intelligent low-voltage monitoring systems, smart lighting systems, and many others. We procure all products from reputable manufacturers and have always been quality-focused when it comes to selecting manufacturers. All products are certified for use in commercial business premises in Ireland and our installation methods and testing ensure that your business remains compliant with emergency and fire safety regulations.

Compliance & Testing (IS 3217)

Whereas fire detection and alarm systems in Ireland must be periodically tested and inspected in accordance with IS 3218, the compliance and testing for emergency lighting systems is different and falls under IS 3217. This standard requires a daily check, weekly inspection of no less than 25% of the lighting system (thus, 100% is checked every 4 weeks), additional monthly checks, a quarterly inspection and report, and a yearly inspection, every year, after the first three quarterly inspections have been completed successfully.

There are numerous obligations, and for good reason, so it’s important to remain compliant and to ensure that your emergency lights work properly if ever they are needed. Proper lighting can save lives, so testing and inspection should never be an afterthought. Make sure that your building management involves all routine spot checks and a competent person is retained to perform the quarterly/yearly inspections and testing. Moreover, ensure that third-party documentation is issued, including all relevant certificates, as these demonstrate compliance.

Schedule a compliance check today.

Monitoring & Maintenance

While the installation of a lighting system is important, it must also be maintained and can benefit greatly from ongoing monitoring. As with many facility management services, emergency lighting must also be maintained to ensure its functionality for when it’s needed most and to remain compliant with laws and regulations pertaining to fire and emergency safety.

Stalwart Security & Fire offers 24/7 emergency call-out service for any issues related to your lighting system, a lifetime support programme to test and inspect your system to its rated duration, scheduled servicing (e.g. for any non-illuminating lamps detected during spot checks or scheduled inspections), and component replacement. Make sure your business premises is prepared for an emergency and keep any occupants safe with our monitoring and maintenance services.

Book a maintenance service today.

emergency exit stairwell with proper emergency lighting for safe evacuation.

Client Success Story

We’re honoured to have worked with many clients in the past 40 years and have built several strong working relationships for clients in both the public and private sectors here in Ireland. Our dedication to excellence and our cost-effective solutions help businesses save precious money on facility management while simultaneously ensuring that they are remaining compliant and keeping building occupants safe.

Whether through emergency lighting, fire detection and suppression, building access control, CCTV, or several other key facilities management services, we’re confident that you’ll find great value and convenience with our services. Below are some testimonials from our valued clients.

Nighttime view of tall office buildings illuminated with emergency lighting

Why Choose Stalwart?

Since 1984, clients across Ireland have been partnering with Stalwart Security & Fire for comprehensive, reliable facility management services such as emergency light system installation, servicing, and monitoring. Led by Adrian Twohig, our company strives for excellence in all that we do. We’re a PSA-certified company with EQA certifications, decades of professional industry experience, and we’re blessed to have become a trusted name amongst Irish businesses.

We offer nationwide coverage for our many services, as well as flexible, tailored solutions for the specific needs of your business premises. No matter whether it’s for a retail shop, tenement block, shopping centre, warehouse, office building, university campus, data centre, or any other type of commercial or industrial building (or multiple), our team of engineers and technicians are available to assist you.

Book your compliance check today.

Emergency Lighting FAQs

Maintained emergency lighting is continuously in operation, drawing from mains power during normal operation and switching to battery backup if a power outage takes place. Conversely, non-maintained emergency lighting only operates on battery power in the event of a power outage and is not kept on during normal operation. Both must ensure safe evacuation in the event of an emergency.

Yes. Irish businesses have a duty under the Fire Services Act to take “reasonable measures” to protect building occupants in the event of an emergency, and this includes the provision of safe and illuminated escape routes. Non-compliance can lead to fines or closure of the premises, so compliance is therefore necessary for legal, safety, and insurance reasons.

Irish Standard IS 3217 specifies the design type of emergency lighting systems, their level of illumination, manner of installation, methods and frequency of testing and inspections, and the period of operation during a power outage. The placement of lights and emergency exit signs must be along escape routes, and the system must meet all relevant standards.

Emergency lighting should be spot checked daily, and weekly checks should consist of no less than 25% of the overall system (including checks for non-illuminating lamps). IS 3217 requires quarterly inspections in the first year of installation, followed by annual checks every year thereafter. These inspections should only be carried out by a competent person.

Yes. Emergency lighting can and often is integrated with fire detection systems, typically through integrated control panels and automatic activation in the event of a power outage or the detection of smoke, heat, or fire. Moreover, they can often be integrated with several other systems used within the facility, such as security and access control.