Udec Corporation

An exit is the way people get out of a building and the emergency exit is to be used in case of fire or any other accidents within the building. There are separate entrances for both these and there usually are multiple Exit Signs indicating the way to the same.

These sign boards are made using various materials and the most preferred models are the self powered kinds. These don’t need batteries and require no wires or power connection to serve the purpose. Not only this, but the lights are visible from long distances and provide effective guidance to all those in need. Also being cost effective, these last for years together with no maintenance required.

The main purpose of the Exit Signs is to indicate the way out to the people stranded within the premises. They also give a reassurance to the employees or shoppers or visitors that safety is just a few steps away making sure panic doesn’t set in. In places like cinema halls and museums where visitors flow in during the day, these signs enable the staff guide them towards the door and safety. With the lettering in bold and red these signs can’t be missed.

Historical Moment: The 2005 Dutch airport Jail Fire

A fire in a prison complex at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport broke out on Oct 27, 2005 shortly after midnight, started by a discarded cigarette. The fire raged for 3 hours, killing 11 prisoners and injured 15 more, including 4 firemen and policeman.

An unidentified detainee reported that initially the guards did not take the prisoners’ warnings of a fire seriously and told them nothing was wrong. They didn’t open the door,” he said, “They kept us locked up. Our throats started hurting. We were kicking and screaming.”

Approximately 350 prisoners were being held in the complex at Europe’s fourth largest airport when the fire broke out. Some 43 were in the wing that caught fire. Police searched for an unreported number of escaped prisoners. Helicopters were called in to assist during the fire to track down possible escaped detainees.

Nine men and two women from Ukraine, Turkey, Suriname, the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria, Libya, Georgia, and Romania, died trapped in their cells.

The Dutch Justice Minister and the Housing Minister resigned following fierce criticism of their ministries. A report concluded that the fire would have caused fewer or no casualties at all had the government observed fire safety regulations.

Hundreds of cocaine smugglers, mostly from the Caribbean and Curacao, are detained at the airport every year, as are immigrants caught trying to enter the country illegally. Prison cell capacity was greatly expanded in 2002.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see an exit with the light shining, doesn’t mean it works with the power off.

UDEC’S auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. Auto-test makes emergency lighting easy, but more important; it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Exit Signs with Emergency Light Combination: Self-Diagnostic
For areas requiring enough ambient light to allow for a safe evacuation during a power outage.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: 1999 Inchon Karaoke Bar Fire

Fire swept through a four-story building crowded with diners and drinkers, killing at least 55 people, many of them teen-agers on October 30, 1999. Over 80 people were injured.

Most of the victims - mainly high school students were out enjoying themselves at after school festivals - were trapped in a billiard parlor on the third floor, or inside a second-floor bar that illegally catered to underage drinkers.

The fire started in the basement that was undergoing renovations. Workers broke a light bulb, sending sparks into open tins of paint thinner.

The 20-year-old building apparently had no sprinklers and fire alarms and the flames quickly spread. Hundreds of people were trapped on the top two floors. There were few emergency exits and many of the windows were blocked.

Flames raced through a narrow corridor, burning plastic furniture and carpets. Everyone in a ground-floor restaurant got out of the building. But more than 120 people in upper floors were trapped, killed by the toxic gas that quickly filled the building.

When fire engines finally arrived at the scene, it took only 40 minutes to put out the blaze. However, many of those who survive were unable to breathe on their own. One doctor was quoted as saying their lungs had simply burnt out.

The building was in an entertainment district in the center of Inchon, South Korea’s third largest city. A report on state-run television said it was about 20 years old and lacked basic fire prevention systems, like sprinklers.

President Kim Dae-jung ordered a tightening of safety regulations for clubs and bars. The tragedy has once again highlighted South Korea’s lax safety standards.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see an exit with the light shining, doesn’t mean it works with the power off.

UDEC’S auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. Auto-test makes emergency lighting easy, but more important; it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Emergency Light Fixtures: Compact with Remote Capability - Plain Vanilla Choice

Completely self-contained. Fully Automatic Operation.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique

Historical Moment: 2007 Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia

An off-campus 64-unit building was destroyed by fire January 13, 2007. Nine residents died as a result of the fire, including three Marshall students.

Dispatchers were called to the scene of a fully-engulfed building at 11:02 p.m. The Huntington Fire Department rescued 24 people before the flames were extinguished.

The fire, which started at about 11 p.m., engulfed the Emmons Jr. building, and firefighters fought for hours to save the building. Their efforts were futile, as they had to stop combating the fire when they realized the building might collapse.

Since the third, fourth and fifth floors were collapsed and dangerous to the safety crew, firefighters brought in engineers to build support beams to allow them to search through the rubble safely.

An electrical engineer from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms investigated the remains of the building yesterday to determine the cause and origin of the fire, but foul play was not suspected.

Smoke detectors were not present in several apartments and fire extinguishers were only located in some hallways.

As a result of the fire, three of the nine that died are Marshall students. 12 Marshall students were displaced and forced to seek residency within university housing. Other students who were victimized by the blaze blaze went to live with friends or have moved back home.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see an exit with the light shining, doesn’t mean it works with the power off.

UDEC’S auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. Auto-test makes emergency lighting easy, but more important; it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Emergency Lighting Fixtures Accessories: Fluorescent Emergency Lighting Ballasts

The BAL fluorescent emergency Ballast allows the same fixture to be used for both normal and emergency operation. In the event of a power failure, the BAL switches to the emergency mode and operates one or two of the existing lamps for a minimum of 90 minutes.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: Ohio Fraternity House Fire

A fire started by a cigarette thought to have been extinguished, re-ignited during the night, damaging a fraternity house and killing a 19-year old resident.

A campus security officer responding to an early morning disturbance call at a nearby fraternity house notice the smoke coming from a second floor window. He reported the fire to his dispatch center, which notified the fire department.

The guard entered the smoky building, heard the fire alarms operating, and started the evacuation of the students, who heard the alarms, but were not leaving the building.

Three minutes later the fire department arrived, to find smoke and flames coming from the rear of the building. Assured by the fraternity staff that everyone had been evacuated, the firefighters started the battling of the flames. The attack crew reported severe heat and smoke as low as 6+ inches from the floor as they advanced to the origin of the fire, and knocked down the blaze.

A primary search of the fire floor revealed one student dead in a bathroom a few feet from an enclosed exit stairwell.

The fire’s origin was in a room in the middle of the second floor, two rooms away from the one in which the student who died was sleeping. Earlier that night in the first room, the residents had extinguished a small fire at one end of the couch, which was caused by careless smoking.

An hour and a half later, the room’s resident woke to find the fire had re-ignited. He left his room and returned with a fire extinguisher, which didn’t work. Leaving his room again, he left the door open.

The student who was two rooms away tried to escape to the nearby stairwell, but succumbed to the heavy smoke. His elevated blood alcohol level was 0.15, which investigators believed played a role in his death.

The building had passed previous inspections, meeting all safety requirements for fast evacuation.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see an exit with the light shining, doesn’t mean it works with the power off.

UDEC’S auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. Auto-test makes emergency lighting easy, but more important; it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Emergency Light Fixtures: Dual Beveled Integral Incandescent Heads
Completely self-contained. Fully automatic operation.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1998 Göteborg Discothèque fire

Just before midnight on 29 October, 1998, a fire raced through an upstairs discotheque jammed with almost 400 teen-agers at a Halloween dance in Goteborg, Sweden. The investigations after the fire estimated over 400 people to be in the building, for a facility licensed to hold 150 persons.

A group of boys, as a revenge for being thrown out of the party for fighting, set the fire in the emergency exit stairway using furniture stored there, which left only the main stairway free.

The fire grew unnoticed and warm gases filled the stairwell until the DJ smelled smoke and opened the stairwell door to investigate. He left the door open, inadvertently creating a chimney effect. In a matter of minutes the entire dance hall was filled with smoke and the floor covering ignited creating a pool fire. Authorities concluded later that the catastrophe could have been avoided if the door had been equipped with a door-closer.

Despite the rapid response from the Fire and Rescue Service, 63 teenagers died entrapped in the burning building and over 200 were injured. Fire fighters reported that their access to the hall was blocked by a wall of bodies inside the doorway that reached the top of the doorjamb. One firefighter said later, ”It reminded me of the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Medical treatment on the scene was hindered by the reactions of the bystanders and friends of the injured.

A 15- year-old survivor was on the dance floor when the blaze started. He said, ”It was chaos. Everybody was trying to get out and people trampled on each other on the way to the exit. . . . Others kicked out the windows and jumped out.”

The building had passed previous inspections, meeting all safety requirements for fast evacuation. The arsonists were tried and convicted.

Are you aware that not every exit sign, emergency light, or emergency light fixture is safe? Just because you can see the EXIT with the lights shining, doesn’t mean it works when the power is off.

UDEC’s auto-test is the difference between safety and Russian roulette with the lives of the people inside your building. It’s easy, but most important, it is the safest way to ensure emergency lighting is there when it’s needed.

UDEC’S Featured Product: Exit Signs: NYC Approved - Steel

Universal Steel LED Exit Sign w/Battery Backup

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 2005 Shantou Hotel Fire

A fire engulfed the Huanan Hotel in Shantou on June 10, 2005. It killed 31 people, and left 21 injured of which four were seriously injured. Authorities describe it as one of the worst blazes in the China’s southern Guangdong province since 1994.

According to an investigation report, the disaster was caused by sparks from the electric wires on the ceiling in a room on the second floor, kindling the combustible goods nearby.

The blaze broke out shortly after noon at the hotel located in a downtown district of Shantou city. The fire engulfed the top three floors of the four-story hotel at a trade center in the downtown area.

“Many rooms were gutted,” said an officer on duty at the Chaonan district fire brigade, who refused to give any further details. Firefighters put out the fire in three hours. It is unclear how many people were in the hotel at the time of the fire.

Guangdong governor Huang Huahua was quoted as saying by the Nanfang Daily newspaper, “The incident on June 10 was the most serious fire accident in our province in recent years. This lesson of blood serves as a reminder that we cannot be complacent over work safety issues.”
It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.
UDEC’s Featured Product: Udec Classic Systems Central Power: Open Reflector Type Area Light

The UDEC Open Reflector Type Area Lightprovides evenly distributed illumination for energy conservation, night/security and emergency lighting. Model 8R and 14R Series.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. UDEC Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1970 Club Cing-Sept Fire

A ghastly fire at a nightclub in France on November 1, 1970, wiped out nearly a generation of young people from a nearby village. A total of 147 lives were claimed where only 60 of the 180 people in the building are believed to have escaped, but many of the survivors were hospitalized with up to 90% burns.

The nightclub “Cing-Sept was packed with revelers when the fire broke out. The fire, caused by a home-made heating system, started in an upstairs room around 1:45 a.m. Many of the interior fittings, including the ceiling, were flammable and the partly-wooden building “went up like a box of matches”.

Drops of burning plastic fell like rain from the ceiling above engulfing the people below. The revolving doors at the entry quickly became jammed by the number of people trying to escape. Many of the dancers are believe to have been trampled to death in a stampede as people rushed to get out of the dance hall through the main entrance.

Firefighters found bodies piled five deep around the exits which had been padlocked and barred with planks to keep out gatecrashers. The victims perished within 10 minutes.

Relatives were shown only pieces of clothing or charred personal possessions as many victims were burned beyond recognition. Most of the victims came from the close-knit town of St Laurent du Pont where nearly every family suffered a loss.

It was discovered that the night club, built seven months previously, had never been inspected to see if it met fire safety regulations. Two of the club’s three managers were among the fatalities.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s Featured Product: Exit Signs with Emergency Light Combination: NYC Approved
Attractive and easy to install. These units are ideal for any commercial, institutional, or industrial application.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.

Historical Moment: The 1957 Katie Jane Nursing Home Fire.

A fire, considered the worst ever at a U.S. nursing home, killed 72 patients at the Katie Jane Nursing Home in Warrenton, Missouri on February 17, 1957.

It started on a Sunday afternoon in a linen closet on the first floor of the annex, one of two buildings housing 149 people. The cause of the blaze still remains a mystery and not known if arson, outdated electrical equipment, or a resident’s smoking was responsible.

It was a Sunday afternoon when a niece visiting her uncles noticed smoke drifting by their room. The woman went to investigate and saw fire shooting out of a wall near the closet. She immediately ran through the building, screaming “Fire!”, but when she returned to help rescue her uncles, it was too late. The dense smoke was too much.

Although townspeople ran to help, the building went up in flames too fast. Screams and cries of elderly patients trapped in the home were quickly stilled by flames which engulfed the 2-1/2 story brick building within minutes.

Police and firemen reported that the two-story brick buildings were engulfed in flames by the time they arrived at the scene within 20 minutes; their efforts too futile to make a difference. They determined that the fire was aided by the wood in the building, which was more than 50 years old and “dry as a tinderbox.”

The home had no evacuation plan, no alarm system to warn residents, no fire escapes and no sprinkler system. Bed patients were housed on upper floors and some of the patients were locked in their rooms. The conditions were commonplace at nursing homes at that time.

Reports claim that the owner Woodrow S. O’Sullivan, who was devasted at the loss of life, ran a good facility.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s signs.Featured Product: Emergency Light Fixtures: Explosion Proof Emergency Lights
Lamp compartment is factory sealed from wiring chamber, eliminating on-the-job sealing.

Model 13EPXS

Optional Exit Sign fits over explosion-proof light

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions with 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exi

Historical Moment: The 1908 Collinwood School Fire

The Collinwood School Fire of Collinwood Ohio, also known as the Lakeview Elementary School Fire, occurred March 4, 1908, killing 172 students, two teachers and a rescuer. It was one of the deadliest disasters of its type in the United States during its era

The fire began shortly after 9 a.m. when a wooden joist caught fire when it was overheated by a steam pipe. The building’s main stair case extended from the front doors of the building and up to the third floor, which caused the stairwell to act like a chimney, helping the fire to spread quickly. Oiled wooden hall and classroom floors also fueled the fire.

At first, it was thought the rear doors of the school opened inward and the children could not open them because they were jammed against the doors by the other panic-stricken children pushing from behind.

But a physical examination of the building later proved that the outer doors did open outward. The doors to the building were equipped with common door knob latches, not the more modern crash bar type latch. The report on the fire concluded that the children’s failure to escape resulted from their own panic.

Besides panic leading to the crush of a large number of students in stairwell vestibules, students also died as a result of smoke inhalation and the fire itself. Some children died jumping from second and third story windows.

Fleeing children also became wedged tightly on the stairs behind a set of inner vestibule doors that were narrower than the outer doors. Community members watched as victims trapped in the building were burned beyond recognition.

Those killed in the fire that could not be identified, or students whose parents could not afford a burial were buried in a mass grave in Cleveland’s Lakeview Cemetery.

The remains of the Lake View School were demolished and a memorial garden planned for the site. A new school, Collinwood Memorial Elementary School (razed in 2004) was later built adjacent to the disaster site.

This tragedy led to numerous school inspections across the country, which resulted in stricter laws; one being that “panic bar” latches are required on outer school doors.

It’s impossible to avoid every calamity or accident, but prevention and safety are our top concerns. UDEC Emergency Lighting provides quality lighting when you need it most.

Udec’s Featured Emergency Lighting Product: Udec Classic Systems Central Power: 914 Flatpack Automatic Relamping Area Light.

UDEC’s 914 Flatpack contains nine 14-watt miniature fluorescent tubes secured with plastic end pieces. When energized by the UDEC ballast, only one tube will operate. When one fails another ignites, until all nine have eventually failed. Built-in light sensors prevent any lamp from burning if ambient light is present.

Emergency lighting and exit signs are about saving lives. Udec Corp. offers powerful, safe, unique solutions and 40 years of experience of emergency lighting and exit signs.