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.
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