30-second function test
The monthly check: press the test button, confirm the lamps come on from battery. Quick, and the one most often skipped because nobody was assigned to it.
TITLE 19 · NFPA 101
Exit & emergency light testing.
The monthly function test and the annual 90-minute load test, done and documented. Almost every failure we find is a battery that died quietly months ago — in a fixture whose light was still on.
- Standard
- Title 19 · NFPA 101
- Interval
- Annual + monthly
- Load test
- 90 minutes
- Record
- Written, archived
What the visit covers
Everything that gets checked, and why it matters.
90-minute load test
The annual one that matters. The fixture runs on battery for a full ninety minutes and has to still be illuminating at the end. A battery that lights up for ten seconds and dies at minute forty fails — and only this test catches it.
Bulb and battery replacement
Failed lamps and batteries get replaced during the visit, not scheduled for a second trip. We carry the common sizes.
Exit sign illumination check
The sign has to be legible and lit, from the distance and angle someone would actually approach it. Faded faces, dead segments and signs blocked by new shelving all get written up.
Documented test record
A dated record per fixture, emailed and archived. Title 19 expects the record to exist; without it the test effectively did not happen.
Service schedule
What the code asks of you, and how often.
| Interval | Work performed | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | 30-second function test | Title 19 · NFPA 101 |
| Annual | 90-minute load test with written record | Title 19 · NFPA 101 |
Intervals follow NFPA 10, NFPA 17A and California Title 19. Your local authority having jurisdiction can require more frequent service — in Alameda County we confirm with the fire district before we quote.
Common findings
What gets written up, in our experience.
Almost none of these are equipment failures. They are dates, positions and paperwork — which is exactly why tracking them is the service.
The battery is dead and the light is on
The most common finding by a wide margin. The fixture is powered from the building, so it looks fine. Cut the power and nothing happens.
No written test record
Even when the fixtures work. If there is no dated record, there is nothing to show an inspector.
Exit sign blocked or illegible
New signage, a shelving unit or a hanging decoration in front of the sign. Also faded faces that no longer read from across the room.
Coverage gaps along the egress path
A remodel moves a wall, and a stretch of hallway ends up with no emergency lighting. We see it most in older Oakland buildings that have been subdivided. The old fixtures still pass; the path no longer does.
Questions
What people ask us about this.
How often do emergency lights need to be tested?
Monthly for a short function test — about thirty seconds, confirming the lamps come on from battery — and annually for a full 90-minute load test where the fixture has to run on battery for the entire duration and still be illuminating at the end. California Title 19 also expects a written record of both — the compliance center lists every interval on one page.
Why do emergency lights fail inspection when the light is on?
Because the light you see is running off building power, not the battery. The battery is what has to work when the power goes out, and batteries degrade quietly over three to five years. A fixture can look perfect and still go dark forty minutes into an outage. Only the 90-minute load test finds that.
What does the fire marshal check on exit signs?
That the sign is illuminated, legible from the approach, not blocked by anything, and that it is actually pointing the way out. They also ask for the test record. A sign that lights up but has no documented 90-minute test behind it is still a finding.
Can my staff do the monthly test themselves?
Yes, and they should — it is a button press. What we handle is the annual 90-minute test, the replacements, and the written record. If you want, we will leave you a simple monthly log sheet so the in-between months are documented too.
How long do emergency light batteries last?
Typically three to five years, less in a hot room or a kitchen. We replace them when the load test shows they no longer hold the full ninety minutes, rather than on a fixed schedule — which usually means fewer replacements, not more.
Coverage
On the ground across the East Bay.
Same-week scheduling in these cities. The rest of the Bay Area by request.
Also on the same visit
One technician, one invoice.
Fire Extinguisher Service
NFPA 10 · TITLE 19ANNUAL
Inspection, certification tagging, recharge, and 6-year maintenance. Class K units for commercial kitchens, hydrostatic testing on schedule, and a dated tag on every unit before we leave.
Kitchen Hood Fire Suppression
NFPA 17A · TITLE 19SEMI-ANNUAL
Semi-annual service on Ansul, Pyro-Chem, and compatible industrial systems. Nozzles, fusible links, cylinder pressure — and we coordinate the hood cleaning so it happens in one window instead of three.
Request a quote
Tell us what you have.
We walk the property, count the units and send a flat-rate quote. No commitment and no sales pressure — if your current vendor is doing fine, we will tell you that too.
Faster than a form
(510) 828-7434Answered 24/7 by our team. If your inspection is tomorrow, call — do not fill out the form.