NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 10

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MARK CONROY, ENGINEER
Brooks Equipment Company,
Charlotte, NC
The author is a principal member
of two NFPA technical committees
and an alternate member on a
third technical committee.

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To the editor:
I read with interest your recent
"Perspectives" interview on dynamic
emergency exit signage ("Exiting
Smarter," November/December). It
is great to see that NFPA is thinking
outside the box and that there is likely
to be new annex material on dynamic
exit signage in the next edition of NFPA
101®, Life Safety Code®.
The article was thought provoking,
and it made me think about the problems in the field regarding exit lighting
and emergency lighting with battery
backup. This might be a good time
to remind building owners and fire
inspectors of the need to make sure the
annual 90-minute battery load test is
being conducted.
 Although there is a monthly
30-second test that is required, it is
not a substitute for the battery load
test. That test is designed to identify
the need for replacing burned out
lamps, dead batteries, and other deficiencies that leave the unit inoperable.
The 90-minute test checks long-term
functionality of the battery, based on
the need for required illumination for

an hour and a half. Any battery that
doesn't meet that criterion must be
replaced. Your local fire equipment distributor will likely have technicians who
are trained and qualified to conduct
these tests to the NFPA 101 criteria.
Power outages occur frequently due
to weather, natural and manmade
disasters, and as a result of our aging
infrastructure. And when a power
outage occurs, we expect the exit
signs to remain illuminated and the
emergency lighting to come on and
illuminate the egress path. I encourage building owners and managers to
schedule testing for 2020 now and for
authorities having jurisdiction to look
for documentation that the 90-minute
test was conducted during building
inspections. A cooperative effort will
help ensure that we are able find the
exits and see our way out of buildings
during a power outage.

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The importance of the 90-minute
battery load test for exit signs

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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2020

Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 1
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 2
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Contents
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 5
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 6
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 7
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 8
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 9
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 10
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 11
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 12
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 13
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 14
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 15
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 16
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 17
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 18
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 19
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 20
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 21
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 23
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 24
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 25
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 26
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 27
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 28
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 29
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 30
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 31
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 32
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 33
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 34
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 35
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 36
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 37
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 39
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 40
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 41
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 42
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 43
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 44
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 45
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 46
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 47
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 48
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 49
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 50
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 51
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 53
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 54
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 55
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 56
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 57
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 58
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 60
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 61
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 63
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NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 77
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 78
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 79
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - 80
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - January/February 2020 - Cover4
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