SentryLights Installed in Eleven Countries
SentryLights are already installed in eleven countries, and are ready to be shippped to your distribution center for immediate sales.
Whether it’s the self-contained battery unit or the remote head tied to a battery backup with low-voltage wiring, SentryLight is the most economical emergency lighting solution selected in these and other locations:
• LEED Building — Seattle
• NASA International Space Station
• Sheraton Hotel — Massachussettes
• Gramercy Condominiums — New York
• Napoleon Custom Homes — The Hamptons, New York
“SentryLight fixtures provided the best solution to our need for clean, concealed emergency lighting in both wall and ceiling applications. The fixtures were smaller and more economical than other concealed emergency lights. Installation and inspections went smoothly. We will definitely specify SentryLight emergency lights again.”
Michael Scarani of Casaccio Architects
SentryLight Compared to Other Emergency Lights
For over two decades, there has been little innovation in the emergency lighting industry. The conventional emergency lighting design — where the battery pack attaches to the outside of the wall with two “bug eye”  incandescent lamps — has been modified again and again with little overall impact. Architects hate the “bug eyes”. The SentryLight design takes the battery pack and places it behind the wall, and replaces the “bug eyes” with Xenon-powered lamps. Compact, reliable, and able to cut through smoke, Xenon lamps enable a smaller design, while providing bright, even illumination. SentryLight designs are patent protected in the U.S. and Internationally.
ADA Compliant Design Advantage
Building design that accomodates the physically impaired has become law in nations around the world. SentryLight emergency lighting is approved for use in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities where wheelchairs are in use. SentryLights are also Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brian Corbett, CEO of SentryLight, featured in the PEOPLE Section of TED, The Electrical Distributor Magazine, January 2007 Issue
Lighting the way
Maryland firefighter brings innovation
to emergency lighting.
Ever wonder why emergency exit lighting is placed 8' off the floor, where smoke collects during a fire? There are two reasons for this: First, it's ugly. Designers, architects, and owners want the unsightly units out of the way for the 99% of the time when they're not required. And second, the lower these lights are, the more prone to interference they become.
In a single-family home, for example, toddlers are apt to grab things they can reach. In a commercial setting, typical emergency lighting is a big, blocky, "bug-eye" unit. It can get bumped into, even vandalized. Schools have all kinds of emergency and security systems that are vulnerable to pranksters; yet the average student knows that in a fire, close to the ground is where the clearest air will be. Given the current options in emergency lighting, however, that's not where the light is. Until now.
Several years ago, Brian Corbett, a deputy fire chief in Cecil County, Md., began putting a lot of thought into finding a solution to this problem. If a light was less obtrusive and vandal-proof, he reasoned, people would be more inclined to have them placed where they could do the most good-even in residences, where unobtrusive safety lighting simply didn't exist.
His solution? SentryLight-a compact, recessed light fixture designed to provide home and commercial buildings with automatic emergency lighting during power failures. Normally, the light is hidden behind a coverplate that sits on the wall, appearing as if it's a switchplate (the design also includes a surfacemounted version for retrofits onto block or cement walls). When AC power is lost, the hinged lens housing opens outward from the faceplate. Instantly energized with its own extended-life, sealed lead calcium battery, the dual-lamp Xenon light source provides bright, even illumination in key areas. When power is restored, the lamps are extinguished and the lens housing returns to the closed position.
Bringing it to market was Corbett's next step. Five prototypes and four years later, he hired a patent attorney to begin the process of protecting the technology. Then his role as an emergency worker threw him together with a neighbor, Adam Lilien, who had significant international corporate marketing and Web acumen from AT&T and MBNA. Once he saw the concept, he became hooked. He's now a partner in the enterprise.
"We attended our first trade show, LightFair 2005, in New York City, and showed a prototype," said Corbett. "That's when we knew the idea had wheels."
The next hurdle was to win Underwriters Laboratories rating UL 924. "We knew that for this product to be placed in residential and commercial specifications, we'd need UL certification," said Corbett. "The challenge was that the process was time consuming. They have very strict guidelines, and their testing was very in depth-as it should be."
At the Orlando International Builders Show in 2006, Corbett's team received two lucky breaks: They began a partnership with Wizard Industries for distribution and marketing services, and the product was featured on HGTV. That boost has linked them with Donald Trump's corporation for emergency lighting in a luxury condo, and with Disney for executive screening theaters. The devices can be found installed in several countries, including Australia and the Bahamas, along with the United States.
As the product continues to experience success in the marketplace, Corbett is looking forward to expanding into security and other special needs markets. His best moment came when a handicapped, elderly homeowner installed SentryLights in her home. "She called and said she felt safe and had peace of mind-even if the power went out, she'd have light in four seconds so she could get around her home safely. That was a major reward."
The business isn't going to change Corbett's life as a firefighter, however. "Fire fighting is what I do-whether I make a million dollars or fifty cents," he said. |
esigned to supplement the multichannel marketing approach:
hows "When AC Power is ON" and "When AC Power Fails". You can count on the long-life, 36 Watt Xenon lamps to prove that the SentryLight optics outperform conventional "bug eye" lights. The simple form factor, a light swith plate with an electrical back box, will impress your customers that already use those expensive, bulky, difficult-to-maintain concealed emergency lights. With the SentryLight self-contained battery models, simply unscrew the cover plate and change the battery. The remote heads are even easier with the remote battery unit. 
the SentryLight floor display in the Lighting Aisle, or in the Battery and Flashlight section. The packaging for all three models has been designed to clearly communicate the benefits of SentryLight emergency lighting. 
