When I was teaching Technical Writing at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, I used to get a magazine called NASA Tech Briefs <https://www.techbriefs.com/>. The best part for me was a section where readers asked for help solving engineering problems because it provided me with many good ideas for student projects. In 2003 the magazine promoted a "Create the Future" design contest and put out a call for new ideas.
Although I was the first to use computer graphics to create presentation visuals, I am not an engineer and have no technical training. But I entered this contest and, to my surprise, I won a Merit Prize. My idea came when I was a passenger on a commercial airline flight. Before takeoff the cabin attendants demonstrate how to use seatbelts, oxygen masks, and where to find the exits. On one particular flight, they pointed down to the aisle and told passengers that, should the cabin fill with smoke, we could find our way to the exits by following lights along the floor. My idea was to do the same thing in any building where people might need help getting out in the event of a fire.
I still think this is a good idea and I hope someone will turn it into reality. In 2021, there were 3,800 deaths from smoke inhalation in the United States <https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/research/nfpa-research/fire-statistical-reports/fire-loss-in-the-united-states>.
Here is my 2003 contest entry:
GUIDING LIGHT
Smoke is one of the deadliest dangers people face when a building catches fire.
Burning furniture, carpeting, and construction materials can release clouds of dense, toxic smoke that can disorient and, eventually, kill anyone unlucky enough to be caught inside. Recognizing that this same danger exists on airplanes, the airlines found a way to guide passengers out of a burning plane quickly and efficiently. I propose taking a page from the airlines' book and adapting a similar method to make buildings safer.
When passengers board a commercial plane, the cabin crew directs their attention to a row of lights on the floor along the aisle. These lights come on in an emergency and serve to guide passengers to the exits. Smoke is warmer than the surrounding air, so it will rise. The theory behind having safety lights near the floor is that they will remain visible, even if the cabin starts to fill up with smoke.
My plan is to use the same strip of lights to guide people out of burning buildings. Each light is made up of LEDs in the shape of an arrow, pointing towards the nearest exit. Five arrows are mounted on an eight-foot long strip. The light strips would be attached to the baseboards in hallways (Fig. 1) and stairwells (Fig. 2).
Power for the GUIDING LIGHT strips is provided by a combination of wall outlets and batteries. Batteries would be used when a wall outlet is not available. Where a wall outlet is available, batteries act as backup to power from a wall outlet, so that the system will work even if power goes out. A light on the receiver/ activator indicates when batteries are fully charged and/or when the power source is on. (Fig. 3)
The GUIDING LIGHT system includes special smoke detectors equipped with radio transmitters. Each strip of lights has a radio receiver and lights are activated by a radio signal sent from the nearest smoke detector. The lights would be activated whenever smoke detectors go off and they would remain on until manually re-set or until destroyed by fire.
While most building codes require illuminated exit lights to guide people in the event of an emergency, these are almost always mounted on the ceiling or up over doorways. As smoke fills hallways and stairwells from the top down, these exit signs are obscured from view. The GUIDING LIGHT system is attached to the walls just a few inches above the floor-one of the last areas to fill with smoke. Super-bright LED displays make it far more visible than conventional incandescent bulbs. Anyone who crouches or crawls to avoid the smoke will be able to see the GUIDING LIGHT strips.
This system is appropriate for any setting in which people need to be evacuated from a building quickly. In smoke and haze, it offers a way for people to orient themselves. It would be useful in public buildings that have a lot of visitors who are unfamiliar with the premises and who are more likely to get lost. The GUIDING LIGHT is particularly suited to places where the age and physical ability of people might keep them from finding the exits on their own-such as in schools, dormitories, senior citizen housing, and nursing facilities.
