I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of going to places that are unfamiliar. I’m not saying that I don’t like new experiences, but I am a bit of a wuss. Okay, actually, I am a big wuss. I don’t like going to unfamiliar buildings and then not being able to find the way to where I want to go.

I think the worst offenders are hospitals. You are supposed to go to a certain ward or department, and you find yourself confronted with a million signs and incomprehensible maps. Some hospitals direct you to a certain colour zone, some to a building, some have it marked out in areas, all in an attempt to make it easier, but in reality it is just completely bamboozling.

So, the point I am (slowly!) trying to get at, is that signage is really important. And never more so than in the case of a fire. Fire exit signs are vital.

Office buildings can be a rabbit warren of corridors, and in the end, all the walkways begin to look the same. Factor in some smoke, the lights going out, and general fear, and you’ve made it very easy to get horribly lost and not be able to find your way out.

Fire exit signs are devices in public buildings that show the way out. They usually have a picture (known as a pictogram) with or without writing, so it can be understood by people who cannot read or who don’t speak the language, as well as those who can.

During a fire, there may be smoke or a failure of the electric lighting, so most signs are illuminated in some way. This might be through electricity – powered either by a rechargeable battery or by the building’s emergency supply, or by photoluminescent phosphorescence – which is a posh way of say that they glow in the dark.

It is now a requirement in many countries that all new commercial buildings include well-marked emergency exits. In the United Kingdom, signs are required to bear a picture or symbol that clearly illustrates the sign.

Well-designed emergency exit signs are necessary for emergency exits to be effective, and in the case of a fire, you will be very glad that you went to the trouble of thinking your emergency exit plans and signage through thoroughly.

The installation of fire safety signs is part of an employer’s responsibility under the law to ensure, so far as is possible, their employees’ and the general public’s health, safety and welfare at work.

Under UK Health and Safety laws it is an employer’s duty to:

• Make the workplace safe and without risks to health to employees and the public – the use of safety signs can alert people to hazards, and show safety procedures
• Ensure plant and machinery are safe and that safe systems of work are set and followed – correct signs can show safe working rules and regulations
• Ensure articles and substances are moved, stored and used safely – your signage can immediately notify persons of any substance hazard

There are a number of styles of fire safety signs. The use of a certain type depends on the message that the sign carries.

So, as a festive treat for you all, here is a selection of fire safety signs. And there is a gold star on offer if you can name all those signs!

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to inspire young people about design engineering.

The winners of this year’s UK James Dyson Award were design students Yusuf Muhammed and Paul Thomas, with a product called Automist.This natty little device fits onto your kitchen tap, and in the case of a fire, it produces a mist which will cool the room temperature, and also help to starve the fire of oxygen. Simple, yet very effective.

So, a wee bit more detail for those of you who are as nosey – or as I like to put it, curious – as I am. The mist-producing unit consists of a mixer tap with multiple mist nozzles which are mounted discreetly underneath the tap, and plumbed in to the mains water supply. Producing the mist needs high pressure though, so a pump is fitted underneath the sink to provide this pressure.

Having this system is all well and good, but you need to be able to detect that there is a fire occurring, and also be able to separate that from normal cooking heat etc. So, a smart fire sensor is fitted in the ceiling, which will activate the system by beaming down a warning to the unit in the sink. It is clever enough that it won’t be fooled by someone (usually me!) burning the toast.

Fires need heat, air and fuel in order to burn. The mist that is produced by this clever invention turns to steam during a fire, cooling down the temperature and pushing out the oxygen that the fire needs to keep burning. In tests, the Automist system suppressed fires in three to four minutes, and best of all, there was no manual fire-fighting involved, making it super-safe.

As 60% of domestic fires occur in the kitchen, this is a jolly good idea. It is also effective on both electrical and liquid fires, unlike the traditional sprinkler systems.

I must say, I was super impressed with this invention. It did get me thinking about the different extinguishers that are used in different situations. I know from my recent post about wet chemical extinguishers that oil fires, for example, should definitely not be tackled with a water extinguisher, but how do you easily know which extinguisher is for which type of fire? Well, fire extinguisher signs are there to help. These clearly show what each type of extinguisher should be used for, and are a must for use in offices and other work premises. Easy and quick to use and understand – always important when it comes to fire safety.

So, congratulations to Yusuf and Paul, I hope we’ll be seeing their brilliant system in homes across the country soon, and in the meantime let’s hope they enjoy their £10,000 prize money…

Picture from http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/uk_james_dyson_award_winner_announced_14583.asp