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Emergency Lighting
BAFE SP203-4 certified emergency lighting design, installation and BS 5266 testing for housing providers and commercial buildings across London and the South East.
From lux-calculated design to installation, testing and maintenance, Fire Systems Ltd looks after emergency lighting for its whole life, under BAFE SP203-4 and NICEIC certification.
Emergency lighting is the lighting that switches on automatically when the normal supply fails, so people can see escape routes, exits, stairs, changes of level and firefighting equipment. In blocks of flats it covers the communal escape routes, not the flats themselves.
Fire Systems Ltd is a BAFE SP203-4 certified emergency lighting contractor based in Kingston upon Thames. We design, install, test and maintain emergency lighting for housing associations, local authorities, managing agents and commercial buildings across London and the South East.
Most of our work is in occupied residential buildings: sheltered housing, general needs blocks, converted street properties and high-rise buildings. Our engineers are used to working around residents, keeping escape routes lit while they test, and leaving every block with an up-to-date logbook and certificate.
BAFE SP203-4 Certified Emergency Lighting
Fire Systems Ltd holds BAFE SP203-4 third-party certification for emergency lighting, covering design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. Our emergency lighting engineers hold FIA emergency lighting competency training alongside City & Guilds electrical qualifications.
We are also NICEIC registered and certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, with CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline Gold and Cyber Essentials. Engineer qualifications are held in our Mango QMS, which blocks anyone being allocated to work they are not certified for.
The Regulations and Standards Behind Emergency Lighting
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Article 14 requires escape routes that need illumination to be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity, and Article 17 requires it to be maintained in efficient working order. In blocks of flats this applies to the communal areas, and the duty sits with the responsible person, usually the landlord, freeholder or managing agent.
Building Safety Act 2022. In higher-risk buildings, emergency lighting records form part of the golden thread of building information.
Approved Document B. Sets out where emergency escape lighting is needed in new and altered buildings.
BS 5266-1:2025. The code of practice for emergency lighting. It came into effect on 31 October 2025, replacing the 2016 edition, and now covers local area and standby lighting as well as escape lighting.
BS EN 1838:2024. Sets the light levels emergency lighting must achieve: 1 lux along escape routes, 0.5 lux in open areas and 10% of normal lighting or 15 lux in high-risk task areas.
BS EN 50172:2024. Sets the minimum testing and record-keeping regime, including periodic verification that the system still delivers its designed light levels.
BS EN 50171. Covers central battery systems, where one battery bank powers many fittings.
Our emergency lighting services
Design & lux calculations. DIALux and Relux calculations that prove every escape route meets BS EN 1838
Installation & upgrades. New systems and upgrades in occupied buildings, commissioned and certified
Testing & maintenance. Monthly and annual tests, repairs and battery replacement to BS 5266
Why Some Buildings Need More From Their Emergency Lighting
Every building with an escape route needs emergency lighting, but how much, how long it lasts and how it is tested depends on who is inside.
Hotels and guest accommodation: Guests are asleep and do not know the building. BS 5266-1 recommends a three-hour duration where people sleep on the premises, and exit signs must be clear from every bedroom corridor so people can find the way out in smoke and darkness.
Sheltered and supported housing: Residents may move slowly or need staff to help them out, so escape routes have to stay lit for longer. Changes of level, ramps and stairs need careful lighting to prevent falls during an evacuation.
High-rise and higher-risk buildings: Stairs are the only way out, and firefighters need to see where they are going too. Emergency lighting records form part of the golden thread, and lighting must cover firefighting shafts, plant rooms and the fire service access point.
General needs blocks of flats: Communal corridors and stairs, including those in converted houses, need escape lighting that switches on if the power fails, even when residents are told to stay put.
Offices and commercial buildings: Open areas, toilets over a certain size, plant rooms and anywhere people might be trapped in darkness need coverage, alongside high-risk task areas.
Not sure whether your system or records meet BS 5266-1:2025? We survey the building, check coverage against your fire risk assessment, and give you a clear, costed list of anything that needs doing.
Emergency Lighting for the Whole Life of Your Building
Most clients come to us for one of three reasons. Each has its own page with the detail:
A new system or upgrade needs designing. Emergency lighting design and lux calculations
Fittings need installing or replacing. Emergency lighting installation and upgrades
An existing system needs testing and maintaining. Emergency lighting testing and maintenance
Because the same BAFE SP203-4 certified team handles all three, the design, the installation records and the maintenance logbook stay together for every building.
Experience across thousands of homes
Upgrades. A 186-property emergency lighting upgrade programme for a London housing association, covering sheltered housing, general needs blocks and converted street properties.
Engineer-reviewed design. DIALux designs for normal and emergency lighting reviewed and accepted by a housing association's chartered building services engineers.
Maintenance. Emergency lighting maintained across 1,500 dwellings since April 2022 at 96% compliance, and across 3,500 dwellings including higher-risk buildings for another major housing provider.
Our engineers carry contract-specific van stock, so most faults are fixed on the first visit: our first-time-fix rate across all contracts is 95%.
“One certified team for design, installation and maintenance, so every building's emergency lighting records stay together.”
Fire Systems Ltd is a BAFE SP203-4 certified emergency lighting contractor based in Kingston upon Thames.
Choosing an Emergency Lighting Contractor: What to Check
Emergency lighting is a life-safety system, and the contractor you choose will decide whether it works when it is needed. Before appointing anyone, check:
Third-party certification. BAFE SP203-4 shows the company's emergency lighting design, installation, commissioning and maintenance have been independently audited.
A calculated design. Ask to see the lux calculation, not just a layout drawing.
Electrical competence. Emergency lighting is electrical work, so look for NICEIC registration and qualified electricians.
Experience in occupied buildings. Working around residents, guests and staff while keeping escape routes lit takes planning.
Records you can rely on. Certificates, logbooks and defect reports issued promptly after every visit, ready for your fire risk assessor.
One contractor for the whole life of the system. When the same team designs, installs and maintains the lighting, the records stay together and nothing falls between contractors.
Emergency Lighting Questions We Are Often Asked
Which emergency lighting service do I need?
If you are planning a new system or an upgrade, start with design and lux calculations. If the design is agreed and fittings need replacing or adding, see installation and upgrades. If the system is in place and needs its monthly and annual tests, see testing and maintenance.
How long should emergency lighting stay on?
Most systems in the UK are three-hour systems. BS 5266-1 recommends three hours for premises where people sleep, such as hotels and blocks of flats, and wherever a building may be reoccupied soon after the power fails. One-hour systems are only acceptable in limited situations.
Do individual flats need emergency lighting?
No. In blocks of flats emergency lighting covers the communal escape routes: corridors, stairs, lobbies and the route to the final exit. Lighting inside flats is the resident's normal lighting.
What changed in BS 5266-1:2025?
The 2025 edition, in effect from 31 October 2025, replaced the 2016 version. It covers local area and standby lighting alongside escape lighting and works with the updated BS EN 1838:2024 and BS EN 50172:2024. Existing systems are not automatically non-compliant, but upgrades and new designs should follow the new edition.
Who is responsible for emergency lighting in a block of flats?
The responsible person under the Fire Safety Order, usually the landlord, freeholder or managing agent, is responsible for the emergency lighting in the communal areas and for keeping it tested and maintained.
