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Johnsonite leads the industry in creating innovative vinyl and rubber specialty flooring solutions for interior environments. We believer that all the elements of design contribute to the synergy of space. That's why we integrate design, style, function, comfort and life-safety into our entire family of solutions. And now, Johnsonite continues to lead the industry with our latest breakthrough - Safe-T-First, featuring PermaLight® technology. Johnsonite, in collaboration with PermaLight A.G. of Germany, developed Safe-T-First in 1994 as a result of increasing demand by building owners who require enhanced life-safety provisions, particularly during crisis situations where loss of power resulted in blackout. They demanded a smarter solution, and Johnsonite responded to the challenge with Safe-T-First - a life-safey solution that also integrates beauty and function into a building environment's interior design. Industry Awards 1997 Buildings Top 100 Product Pick Award 1997 Design Journal ADEX Award 1996 Design Journal ADEX Award 1996 Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture Good Design Award 1996 IIDA Contract Design APEX Product Design Award 1996 Building Show Innovations Award 1996 I.D. International Design Distinction Award 1995 EDI Innovations Award 1995 IIDA Acclaim Award 1995 Nightingale Product Design Award 1994 ASID Interior Design Product Award 1994 Canadian Facility Newsmaker Award 1994 IIDA Contract Design APEX Product Design Award 1994 Roscoe Design Award (Interior Design) Member,
National Safety Council Higher Expections for Life-Safety Many companies realize that decisions they make regarding safety and health are vital to the long-term welfare of the company. There is an effort at all levels of organizations to address these decisions initially instead of after an accident or mishap. Still, too often, it takes a tragic incident to place the importance of safety over doing only the minimum required by law. Existing laws established minimum standards, yet our society expects higher demands for safety. For those who have the authority to determine the safety of a building's occupants and its assets, it is not merely an issue of simple compliance with rules and regulations, but rather an issue of doing the right thing even when the law allows us to do less. This is the ultimate challenge confronting building owners, executive management and those responsible for providing a safe environment, while also respecting the requirements of interior design. Existing building code's minimum standards may not address, or only address in a limited way, egress and guidance pathways. Traditional emergency lighting systems require electrical or battery power. These systems require regular maintenance and are subject to human error. They are not fail-safe. Therefore, these code-required emergency systems may not perform in an emergency situation, nor are they easily integrated into the landscape of the interior design. A Simpler Way to Keep People Safe During Emergencies Evacuating a building in daylight is rarely a problem, but evacuating a building in dark or smoke-filled conditions can be chaotic. When emergency egress routes are no longer visible, people become disoriented and panic. In these situations, the potential for injury - and even death - is significantly increased. Johnsonite's Safe-T-First System helps provide an advanced measure of safety to assist building occupants evacuate a building during periods of sudden darkness. Complies with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations. Meets building code standards from American National Standard Insitute Meets flamability requirements of the National Fire Protection Association Life-Safety Code 101. Meets photoluminescent escape routing standards in D.I.N. 67510. Member, National Safety Council
The Johnsonite PermaLight Safe-T-First system creates low-location, bright, luminous pathways on floors, along the wall base and in stairwells. Safe-T-First provides a non-electrical egress system that works down low where smoke is less likely to obscure visibility. Not designed to replace code-required backup lighting systems, Safe-T-First is a supplement to these systems. Because Safe-T-First does not rely on electricity, it is a solution that will work when even backup lighting systems fail. The system's photoluminescence is the result of patented PermaLight technology that incorporates bright, long-lasting pigments into Johnsonite's stair treads, cove base, floor tiles, signage, paint and marking indicators. This unique technology utilizes high-performance, photoluminescent crystals that are inert, non-toxic and free of radioactivity. These crystals absorb light energy, then release this stored energy in darkness up to a 10-hour period (will vary based on product). A
Cost-Effective Alternative Safe-T-First offers:
Why Safe-T-First? Safe-T-First, featuring PermaLigh photoluminescent technology, provides improved building safety while balancing design and cost requirements. Imagine yourself:
What will you do when:
Increasing Life-Safety Challenges Building owners, specifiers and managers of interior environments are under continuous pressure to build life-safety measures into their interior design objectives. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires building managers and specifiers to think differently about managing the accessibility of space. As technology improves and the social climate changes, a greater level of building safety will be expected. As we plan for the future, these trends must be monitores to ensure not only compliance to law, but more importantly that we're doing the right thing for the people we're serving. Future implications:
Safe-T-First improves building safety while balancing design and cost requirements. Johnsonite Prima Rubber floor tile complements Safe-T-First photoluminescent tile and wall base. Walking 30 to 40 yards in a straight line in familiar surroundings can take five times as long in darkness and ten or more times longer if there are any impediments or corners to negotiate. Reduced
Liablity and Litigation In an increasingly litigious society, neglience is inexcusable. You must prepare for the unexpected in order to protect your company's human and capital assets. Shareholders and stakeholders expect every precaution to be taken to avoid costly litigation and to limit liability. Issues that Impact Your Liability If emergency lighting equipment is inoperable during an emergency, what are some of the considerations that are involved?
Safe-T-First helps companies manage these issues:
These issues concern:
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Safe-T-First helps minimize these issues by providing continuous visible direction at ground level, ensuring an orderly, expeditious, safe evacuation of employees in the event of power failure, smoke obscuring the exits and other natural or man-made disasters. In addition, the system may assist emergency services personnel by providing a low-location guidance pathway in darkness. They can enter a facility more quickly to extinguish a fire and/or assist in evacuation. This system can also be used to highlight access to critical equipment and control panels to protect valuable assets during periods of sudden darkness caused by power failure or other emergency situations. Therefore, by clearly marking stairwells, hallways and other egress routes and important fire protection equipment - especially fire protection systems - human and capital resources can be protected, while still addressing the critical requirements of interior design, style and comfort. "The major problem we faced as a consequent of ... our systems ... being out was that we could not communicate with the people who were stranded on the floors and in the stairwells, and there was no light, particularly in the stairwells." Stanley Brezenoff, executive director of the New York Port Authority, after the World Trade Center bombing A Cost-Effective Way to Protect Your Assets According to a study in the 1997 International Facility Managers Association (IFMA) Research Report #18, the average annual facility cost is just over $20 per rentable square foot. Life-safety costs represent only $0.25 or one percent of a net annual cost of just over $20. The study defined life-safety costs as those costs associated with complieance to building regulations, such as fire and egress requirements, signage, exit doors, building doors, sprinkler systems and staff. When examined as part of the life-safety costs of a facility. Safe-T-First is just pennies per rentable square foot, which makes it an ideal solution for new construction and renonvation projects. Less Maintenance, Lower Life-Cycle Costs Having reliable emergency lighting systems is imperative when the unexpected happens. When there is a general power failure and the emergency lighting system fails to work, instant blackout occurs. Facility managers and building owners are responsible for preventing panic and providing safe egress. Yet, emergency backup systems are often not properly maintained. Unfortunately, this lack of attention is overlooked until a blackout situation occurs. Safe-T-First helps supplement emergency systems and provides an additional measure of safety. It's a non-electrical system and requires little maintenance outside of normal floor cleaning. To charge the photoluminescent materials, Safe-T-First needs only the appropriate daylight, incandescent or fluorescent lighting. Safe-T-First recharges itself in 20 minutes (depending on the activating light source), never overcharges, and lasts as long as the floorcovering material itself. Once installed, the system works silently and is always there when you need it, with virtually no maintenance expenses. Marrying Design and Safety We recognize the complex requirements building owners, facility managers and specifiers have in achieving a well-designed space that reflects the desired aesthetics, form and function, while addressing safety issues. Johnsonite's extensive color palette allows Safe-T-First to easily complement the design of a space. Generally, Safe-T-First products will be only a small portion of the building's main flooring products. We've carefully styled Safe-T-First products so they may be easily integrated into the interior design, with a wide variety of design options. Consider these possiblities with products that integrate Safe-T-First special photoluminescent materials: More than:
Safe-T-First can be used as an entire system or as individual product solutions. Safe-T-First follows Johnsonite's overall commitment to providing you the details that integrate with your design solutions. Clearly, no other egress routing system integrates safety, aesthetics and function like Safe-T-First. Safe-T-First photoluminescent feature strips define a doorway with lights off. We've carefully styled Safe-T-First producs so they may be easily integrated into the interior design, with a wide variety of design options. The problem with exit signs - Emergency exit signs are typically suspended from the ceiling or mounted over doorways. In cases of fire, smoke accumulates quickly and tends to rise. Building occupants are advised to get down on their hands and knees and crawl beneath smoke toward exits. High-location signage becomes virtually impossible to see in these situations. Safe-T-First's revolutionary low-location exit path markers offer a continuous low-location path along the entire escape route. A
Safe-T-First Overview
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