What is NFPA 101?
NFPA 101, the Life Safety Code, is published by the National Fire Protection Association. It sets minimum requirements to protect people in buildings from fire and similar emergencies.
Emergency lighting is a critical part of your building's life safety system. NFPA 101 covers it in Section 7.9.
Which edition applies in Texas?
The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office inspects to the 2021 edition. CMS holds hospitals and certain other health care facilities to the 2012 edition. Cities such as Austin and San Antonio also enforce their own fire codes. Ask your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) which code applies.
Key Requirements
- Initial illumination of at least 1 foot-candle average along the egress path, and at least 0.1 foot-candle at any point
- At least 90 minutes of emergency illumination when normal power fails
- A functional test every month for at least 30 seconds
- A functional test every year for at least 90 minutes on battery-powered systems
- Written records of inspections and tests, kept by the owner for the AHJ
OSHA also requires each exit route to be lit well enough for a person with normal vision to see along it.
Common Compliance Challenges
Manual testing means walking every fixture, every month. A missed fixture or lost log becomes a documentation gap.
How Automated Testing Helps
NFPA 101 permits computer-based self-testing emergency lighting. These systems run the monthly and annual tests on their own and keep a history of tests and failures.
The ABB Emergi-Lite Nexus Pro system works this way:
- Monthly and annual tests run on a schedule or on demand
- Defective units trigger push notifications
- Failure reports show the exact issue and the part number needed
Getting Started
LivSafe Solutions is an authorized ABB Emergi-Lite distributor and commissioning provider in Austin and San Antonio.