In Moments of Darkness, Seek the Emergency Light

You are walking in a hallway to your office. Like always, you are alone. You feel like someone is following you. You stop walking. You hear footsteps. He's getting closer. You don't feel scared. After all what can happen? The hallway is well-lit. Just when you start walking again, suddenly all the lights go out ---- blackout. The sound of the footsteps gets louder and louder. In pitch darkness, you face him and say “Boss, I think it's time to get an emergency light.”

Yes, if power failure always happens in your place, purchasing an emergency light is a wise move. Obviously, light is very important. Although there are things better done in the dark, most of our activities need a decent amount of light to be able to be done properly. Whether you're at home or in the office, light is needed. You need light to read the latest Harry Potter book. You need light to appreciate the beauty of your partner. You need light to have a feeling of security. Light gives us so much convenience and advantages. That's why we love Thomas Edison.

However, it is not every time that light is easily available. In desperate times of darkness like power failures and blackouts, we need an alternative source of light to continue living our lives. This is exactly what an emergency light offers.

An emergency light is a battery-backed device that automatically comes on when the power goes out. It also comes on in the event of fire. In new commercial and high occupancy buildings like college dormitories and condominiums, emergency lights are standard. They allow residents to wander through the halls and corridors even when the building suffers from a power outage.

Every emergency light model requires a sort of generator system or battery that can provide electricity to the lights when there is a blackout. Early models used incandescent light bulbs which could poorly light an area during a blackout. They only provided light sufficient to last over a period of time enough to solve the power problem or to evacuate the area. Realizing that this was not enough, floodlights were invented. Floodlights are brighter, more focused and longer-lasting. It can illuminate an area well.

Early battery backup systems for emergency lights were huge. They typically used lead acid batteries, storing a full 120-volt charge. Simple transistor were used to switch on the lights in case of a power failure. However the weight, size and cost of these batteries made emergency light unpopular. As technology developed, the required voltage for emergency lights dropped. Hence the battery size was reduced as well.

Today, an emergency light is a standard amenity in most buildings. If your building still doesn't have one yet, tell your building manager or caretaker about it. You don't have to worry about walking in the dark during a blackout.