bunch of those ryobi lights, cheap, bright af, batteries are easy af to use and maintain and charge
bunch of those ryobi lights, cheap, bright af, batteries are easy af to use and maintain and charge
I've had great luck with the Lavolta brand sold through Parts Express, but I just did a search on their site, and I see they apparently (inexplicably) no longer carry the product. There must be others, small, nicely constructed, aluminum, adjustable beam, super bright, option of rechargeable 16650? battery or 3xAA. Suitable lanterns will be more difficult. Best solution may be commercial emergency lighting. Undoubtedly made in China, but hey, what can you do? Cheap enough.
Also might be good to check what is required by code for your particular situation. I believe emergency lighting along paths of egress must be actuated automatically in the event of power outage.
Rather than a bunch of flashlights, look into wall mount emergency lights (a church is going to probably require them by code anyway, along with lights at exit doors.) They are available from any number of companies, here's one from Lithonia which is a very reputable brand. They're fairly inexpensive, too - this one is $21.26. https://www.amazon.com/Lithonia-Lighting-EU2C-M6-Generation/dp/B07KJDBVC6?th=1
I used bulbs similar to these in regular fixtures in my apartment building. They may or not satisfy emergency lighting regulations in your area. They do in mine. Some of them will detect a power outage and come on with the flip of the lightswitch and run off battery. others need to have a physical switch on the bulb switched to work
Tuna,
I'm not sure what "we're not in a place to..." means. If the physical building can't be modified up to code, then should your faith community be meeting there? Are you grandfathered?
If the issue is funds, maybe a local electrician/hardware store owner/whatever would like to make a donation of parts and labour.
I was in the security business for 20 years, so this stuff gets me going. I respect that you're trying to be prepared. I just would hate to think of some sleazy lawyer going after you (and the church) if Something Happened and he could make a jury think you weren't prepared enough.
Why do you need lights? It's been taken care of.
BA DUM! I'll be here all week.......
John 8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Stealthtercel said:I was in the security business for 20 years, so this stuff gets me going. I respect that you're trying to be prepared. I just would hate to think of some sleazy lawyer going after you (and the church) if Something Happened and he could make a jury think you weren't prepared enough.
I'm a retired electrical engineer and I had the same thoughts. A building used for public gatherings needs to meet various safety codes.
OK, well, nevermind, I'll just use Amazon and ChatGPT and guess.
I really dislike the flashlight idea. In the event of an emergency, I'd give the odds about 20% that they would work, and their existence is proof that the church knew there was a problem- that's a big liability.
Alternate suggestion...
How about buying actual emergency Bugeye exit lights and wiring them with pigtails that can plug into existing outlets? They would function exactly like they should, recharge their backup batteries properly, and come on automatically when the power cuts off. When your new building is complete, unplug them and install them permanently in the new building.
Zero electrical labor cost to install at all now, and the fixtures can all be re-used later. (Plus no cost of flashlights now)
It wouldn't technically meet code, but it would be a far superior system, and would clearly make a solid effort.
EDIT: While these would not meet code, they also wouldn't violate it. They aren't permanently installed, so no alteration has been made to the building that is not code compliant (and no permit is required). The building is grandfathered, the congregants have decided to have an additional aid device. Code wise it's the equivalent of setting a lamp on a table (but better)
There's another problem with your flashlight idea...
In the event of a fire, somebody is gonna be headed toward a cabinet to get them, then trying to distribute and set them up.
They should be headed for the nearest exit.
This isn't a great idea.
Don't underestimate the confusion that happens in a fire.
I had a friend die in a fire in her own house- she couldn't remember where the key was to unlock the door- it was still hanging on the nail next to the door when they found her body on the floor next to it.
The legal liability is a non-issue compared to the potential loss of life while people try to coordinate their "flashlight brigade" in the confusion of a building burning down.
I'll point out, somewhat bitterly, that it would indeed have really been nice to have a box full of flashlights when the power was out for a week.
tuna55 said:I'll point out, somewhat bitterly, that it would indeed have really been nice to have a box full of flashlights when the power was out for a week.
Why bitter?
No one stopped you from buying flashlights. Several of us just asked that you not rely on them as a primary source of emergency lighting in a public assembly space.
This post has received too many downvotes to be displayed.
Because zero people provided any useful information.
In reply to tuna55 :
On that we disagree.
You'll need to log in to post.
