Lumenite Light Sleeve
Power System in Johannesburg

Photoluminescent Visual Guidance, fire signs and Disaster Recovery Systems using light tubes or sleeves for fluorescent lamps, Exit Signs, Emergency Evacuation, led lights and light fittings.

This therefore allows for serious applications, in our case for providing visual guidance systems for evacuating buildings, subways, mines, tunnels etc in emergency situations or during power outages. Back in 1993 when the World Trade Centre in New York was bombed the first time (bomb in the basement car park), it was mentally and emotionally difficult for many people to return to the building because of the inadequate systems in place to evacuate people safely. A task force of safety experts was called in to evaluate the situation and make their recommendations and one of these experts was Mr Jim Smith of California. Jim's background as a lighting engineer combined with his pioneering work in photoluminescence qualified him to advise on the situation, and amongst his recommendations was the introduction of photoluminescent systems in stairwells. They also added photoluminescent floor level numbers for reference points throughout the evacuation process, thereby avoiding the panic caused by disorientation. Three-dimensional perception is lost in total darkness, and the resultant panic, stumbling and tripping is a real concern in this situation. This, coupled with the advent of strontium alluminate being so much more powerful, has resulted in legislation being introduced, initially in New York, that says every buildings above 75 feet must be fitted out with photoluminescent safety systems. With the idea of getting people into stairwells and safely negotiating their way down and out of the building, Jim realized that conventional emergency lighting systems were prone to failure, and that a failsafe method of navigating the floor-space to get to the stairwells was needed. The Lumenite Light Sleeve was created for this purpose. Photoluminescence signage, arrows, markers etc provide reference points and directional guidance but are designed only for the ability to be seen. This is the only known viable product to provide free, reliable, environmentally friendly usable light without the need for wiring, electricity, batteries etc. We do not claim to provide a bright light and do not expect anyone to continue reading or working, it is designed specifically to provide enough light in the initial critical stages of evacuation for safe and expedient egress. This chart shows the light decay parameters as formally measured in the laboratory. Most standards around the world require sufficient lighting for evacuation for 90 minutes, which the light sleeve achieves. It cannot fail provided it is properly charged, as opposed to electrical and battery backed systems which all rely on lamps, batteries, inverters, etc and must be maintained regularly for them to work when called upon in an emergency situation. As the light emitted decays over time, the human eye compensates by adjusting to the lower levels of light. The Lumenite light sleeve is our own unique patented product. As you can imagine, if you are on the higher levels of a building and a fireball goes through the stairwell below, you do not want toxic fumes in the stairwell as you come down. Legislation has been introduced in Europe, Australia and other countries making it mandatory for step edges to have colour differential to distinguish them because in low lighting levels they can appear to blend in with each other, and many accidents have occurred as a result of people missing a step and then stumbling and falling. Also, in some parts of Europe and other parts of the world, it is now a requirement that step edges have a non-slip rating. Our design provides the best of these requirements, ie a non-slip surface, visual colour delineation, and a failsafe visual guidance system in the event of loss of normal lighting. It is also extremely easy to install, we produce it in rolls so that the installer can simply roll it out, cut it with normal household scissors, peel away the backing and apply it. There is virtually no material wastage and installation is very quick and easy. Whilst the stair strip is not designed to emit light in the way the Lumenite Light Sleeve does due to the proximity and intensity of the light force charging it, it still achieves its desired result of providing a clear visual guidance system.