AFTER THE CATASTROPHES OF 9-11-01 IN NEW YORK CITY
AND WASHINGTON DC, THE MAGNITUDE OF THE SAFETY PHENOMENA THAT THIS PRODUCT IS AND OFFERS, LITERALLY "CAME TO LIGHT."
There are now US Government reports* that document survivors
of the WTC disaster, as well as the Pentagon disaster, heralding photoluminescent safety signage with saving their lives!
Many people all throughout the Continental United States have
never heard of this product. So, what is "photoluminescent safety signage" and low location lighting anyway?
Photoluminescent safety signage is made specifically to provide
emergency evacuation egress systems, either in of themselves or to enhance traditional egress systems already installed. In
the event of fire or power failure these signs can literally become a "Guiding Light" out of darkness.
They accomplish this by using Photoluminescent Crystals which
are a special kind of material which absorbs and stores light energy when excited by natural or artificial light sources such
as fluorescent light, U.V. light, sunlight, etc. Once excited, it will gradually and continuously release absorbed energy
in the form of visible light for a certain period of time even after the excitation materials are removed. That time varies
in different applications, but is usually 15 hours or more.
This material IS NOT
the "glow in the dark" novelties of the '70's that many a baby boomer remembers. In fact, it is far from it!
*WORLD TRADE CENTER (State of the Art Emergency System: renovation
after the 1993 bombing.)
The WTC stairwells (4ea.) were located in the center of the
buildings with stairwell route changes every ten floors. Electricity was out on connecting floors, evacuees reported that
Photoluminescent guidance markers were the ONLY visual help. Back in the stairwells an emergency generator
supplied electricity to power lights. Survivors from the higher floors arrived at the final tenth floor stairwell in time
for the emergency lights to go out also. Failure was due to sprinkler water cascading down from the floors above and accumulating
in the basement. (This explanation appeared in a later report) Remaining evacuees and incoming firefighters were now guided
ONLY by Photoluminescent materials on the stairs and handrails, the back-up to the failed back-up system.
WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDING PERFORMANCE STUDY: 2.2.1.3 Evacuation
(Page 2/24)
"Some occupants of WTC1 and WTC2 began to voluntarily evacuate
the buildings soon after the first aircraft struck WTC1. Full evacuation of all occupants below the impact floors in WTC1
was ordered soon after the second plane hit the south tower (Smith 2002). As indicated by Cuachon (2001a), the overall evacuation
of the towers was as much of a success as thought possible, given the overall incident. Cuachon indicates that between both
towers 99% of the people below the floors of impact survived (2001a) and by the time WTC2 collapsed, the stairways in WTC1
were observed to be virtually cleared of building occupants (Smith 2002). In part this was possible because conditions in
the stairwells below the impact levels largely remained tenable. However this may also be a result of physical changes and
training programs made following the 1993 WTC bombing. Important modifications to building egress made following the 1993
WTC bombing included THE PLACEMENT OF PHOTOLUMINESCENT PAINT ON THE EGRESS PATHS TO ASSIST IN WAYFINDING (PARTICULARLY
AT THE STAIR TRANSFER CORRIDORS), and provisions of emergency lighting for the stairways. In addition, an evacuation training
program was instituted (Masetti 2002).
SOME SURVIVORS REPORTED THAT, AT ABOUT THE SAME
TIME WTC2 COLLAPSED, LIGHTING IN THE STAIRWELLS OF WTC1 WAS LOST (Mayblum 2001). ALSO THERE WERE SEVERAL ACCOUNTS
OF WATER FLOWING DOWN THE STAIRWELLS BEGINNING AT THE TENTH FLOOR AND BECOMING SLIPPERY (Labriola 2001).
PENTAGON (renovation was in progress to fortify after the
Oklahoma City bombing)
The Pentagon disaster offered a completely different set of
parameters for analysis. Although far less devastating in terms of physical damage and loss of life, it is equally important
in comparison. The WTC left fewer clues as to physical characteristics and potential design flaws and represents a study in
vertical dynamics with structural integrity that was derived from a steel infrastructure. In almost total opposition the Pentagon
represents a study in horizontal dynamics with concrete as the primary construction material. Additionally the building was
struck at the exact corner that connected the recently fortified Wedge 1 to the older Wedge 2 and the opportunity to analyze
the effectiveness of the renovations made before September 11 could now be studied. (Pentagon Rebuild Retrofit Study)
