Wilmington/Christiana Hilton Chief Engineer Joe Strong was enjoying New Year’s Eve with his family in Baltimore when he got word that the hotel lost power.
“We were without power for 12 or 15 hours, but the managers said it was so nice and bright in the hallways,” Strong said. “That allowed them the time to respond and get flashlights and get the guests moved.”
A man in Texas was stuck at the top of a ladder when the power went out causing the room around him to go dark. Due to a knee injury, he was worried about how he would get down without light.
But a few seconds later, an emergency lighting system kicked-in and lit up the entire area, allowing him to climb down safely.
And it’s all thanks to Warwick, Md., resident Brian Corbett, who got the idea for the SentryLight system after Sept. 11, 2001. SentryLight is a recessed emergency lighting system that charges while AC, or alternating current, power is on. When AC power fails, the light pops out from its recessed box and turns on automatically.
Corbett, who is a firefighter with the Cecilton Volunteer Fire Company and has applied to join the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown, said people in both of the World Trade Center towers had trouble finding exit stairwells because heavy smoke obscured the regular emergency lighting.
“The emergency lighting was up eight- to 10-feet on the wall, and where does the smoke go? It rises,” he said. “The lights may have been on, but they were ineffective. The people could not see their way to escape. They had to crawl on their hands and knees and guide each other with cell phone lights.”
Corbett realized it would make more sense to have emergency lighting located on the lower portion of walls to light the area where people would need to crawl under smoke.
“It’s just good safety practice to have that light down where you need it,” Corbett said. “It helps for a quick and safe egress.”
He said the idea was to invent a product that can be placed lower and meet codes, but also make the lights vandal-resistant and decorative.
Corbett, president of the SentryLight company, worked with Sean Collins of Peabody, Mass, who engineered the design.
“He took my idea and together we formed the footprint of the light fixture we were going to design and patent,” he said. “The actual unit is behind the wall. It’s just a cover plate that is remaining on the surface of the wall and can be painted to blend in with the decor.”
Walt Disney Studios and the NASA International Space Station training module in Houston, Texas, are a few of the places SentryLights can be found.
Strong said he had 60 of the lights installed in the Wilmington/Christiana Hilton a few months ago.
“It literally saved us tens of thousands of dollars and really made our hotel safer,” he said. “This light was three times less expensive than other fixtures. With 15 years in this business, I like to believe I know a winner when I see it and this product is a winner.”
Strong said the lights serve a double purpose because they remind people to get down low during a fire.
“I’ve been pointing people to consider getting their lights down lower and in order to do that, they have to be recessed,” he said. “SentryLight aren’t only less costly, they’re just better.”
Corbett said his company began to heavily market SentryLight in 2007 under the direction of his business partner and Chief Marketing Officer Adam Lilien. It is now patented in the United States, Canada and Europe.
“We have installations in London, England, Gibraltar, Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Corbett said the lights have done so well he quit working as a surveyor with Pete Lisinki Surveyors to take on SentryLight full time.
“They were very supportive of me during the development phase [of SentryLight],” Corbett said. “I juggled my job, family and firefighting for six years. When we launched the product in 2007, we were able to go more full-time and really get the light out there.”
He said he works with large lighting representative companies and distributors to market the product. They’re looking to expand their market to homes and schools.
SentryLight is currently working with the Syracuse City School District to install emergency lighting there.
“SentryLight is specified as the only emergency light they want to use for any renovation or new school in the Syracuse School District,” Corbett said.
He said he has been contacted by the AARP about installing the product in homes of senior citizens and assisted living facilities.
“The market reach, if you really look at where it could go, is endless,” Corbett said. “There’s a lot of good potential. It’s a tough business environment, but were making our way through it.”
He said he had a tremendous positive response from builders at the International Builders’ Show.
“This is a residential fixture as well,” Corbett said. “In a house, you don’t have emergency lighting unless you have a generator. If have a few of these lights throughout the house, you have an automatic system.”
The main residential model starts at about $149. He recommends having one on each level of a house near exits and entranceways.
Corbett said there are several SentryLight products for sale. The SentryLight SC11 is designed for commercial and residential use and has a self-contained 6-volt battery with two 5.5-watt Xenon bulbs.
The SentryLight SC36 is designed for industrial and commercial emergency lighting and has a self-contained 12-volt battery with two 18-watt lamps.
The SentryLight RM36 is designed for commercial and residential use, has two 18-watt Xenon lamps and connects to the SentryLight remote battery unit.
The remote battery backup for the RM36 connects to the unit with low voltage wiring and can be configured to meet specific installation needs.
Cover plates can be purchased in custom colors, can be painted, wallpapered or made from materials like stainless steel.
Also available is a 20-gauge steel surface mount back box for installation on concrete or old plaster walls.
Corbett said many products are on the market that don’t have the success SentryLight has had, and 2009 should be a great year for his company.
“If this is something that could save a life or prevent an injury, I think we’ve done our job,” he said. “If it makes money and the company grows, that’s just a benefit. It’s an extension of my fire service.”
For more information, go to www.sentry light.com. To watch a video demonstration of SentryLight, go to www.you tube.com/watch?v=bA47ll1yiXQ.
Warwick, Md. —
