CLC Emergency & Exit Lighting Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which code sets the minimum requirements for exit sign letter height in the United States?
- NFPA 70 (NEC)
- NFPA 101 Life Safety Code (Correct answer)
- ASHRAE 90.1
- IBC Section 404
Correct answer: NFPA 101 Life Safety Code
NFPA 101 Life Safety Code specifies that exit sign letters must be at least 6 inches high with a stroke width of at least 3/4 inch.
Question 2: What is the maximum viewing distance at which a 6-inch letter exit sign must be legible per NFPA 101?
- 50 feet
- 75 feet
- 100 feet (Correct answer)
- 200 feet
Correct answer: 100 feet
NFPA 101 specifies that exit signs with 6-inch letters must be legible from a distance of 100 feet.
Question 3: Photoluminescent exit signs gain their visibility by:
- A dedicated low-voltage power supply
- Absorbing ambient light energy and re-emitting it in darkness (Correct answer)
- Connecting to the building emergency generator
- Using tritium gas that glows continuously
Correct answer: Absorbing ambient light energy and re-emitting it in darkness
Photoluminescent signs absorb visible light during normal conditions and re-emit stored energy as a glow when ambient light is lost.
Question 4: Under NEC Article 700, an automatically started generator used for emergency power must reach full voltage and frequency within how many seconds of loss of normal power?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds (Correct answer)
- 30 seconds
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 10 seconds
NEC Article 700 requires emergency generators to attain full voltage and frequency within 10 seconds of normal power failure.
Question 5: A 'Class M' emergency luminaire classification indicates what battery technology?
- Maintenance-free sealed lead-acid
- Nickel-metal hydride
- Lithium iron phosphate
- Nickel-cadmium (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Nickel-cadmium
UL 924 Class M designation refers to emergency luminaires using nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery technology.
Question 6: Which area classification typically exempts a space from requiring emergency lighting under NFPA 101?
- A storage room with an occupant load of one (Correct answer)
- An open office area with 25 occupants
- A corridor serving an occupant load greater than 30
- A stairway serving two or more floors
Correct answer: A storage room with an occupant load of one
NFPA 101 exempts spaces with very low occupant loads, such as single-occupant rooms, from mandatory emergency lighting.
Question 7: During a monthly functional test of battery-powered emergency lighting, what is the minimum duration for which the unit must operate?
- 15 seconds
- 30 seconds (Correct answer)
- 1 minute
- 5 minutes
Correct answer: 30 seconds
NFPA 101 requires monthly tests to verify emergency lighting operates for a minimum of 30 seconds.
CLC Emergency & Exit Lighting Standards 3
Which code sets the minimum requirements for exit sign letter height in the United States?