ELS lighting technology alerts JPII Catholic High School to threats

Floor-mounted LED lighting with the Emergent Lighting Systems mass notification system is color-coded for different threats. ELS is active, as shown in this photo, at St. John Paul II Catholic High School. (CONTRIBUTED)

HUNTSVILLE – Emergent Lighting Systems (ELS) has implemented their groundbreaking mass notification and emergency egress system at St. John Paul II Catholic High School.

The ELS system uses static LED lighting technology for immediate mass notification, drastically reducing time for traditional methods to alert the school about a threat, thereby saving lives, ELS founder and patent holder John Peterson said.

Installed at floor-level, colored lighting in blue, red and amber notifies occupants of threats, such as intruders, lockdown and severe weather. “Dynamic green LED lights provide occupants with a clearly marked egress path that strobes to the nearest exit,” Peterson said.

Smoke from fires obscures traditional, ceiling-mounted exit lighting, ELS CEO Pamela Peterson said.

The system can be activated instantly for emergency situations. “Some functions are automated, such as fire/smoke and power loss,” Pamela Peterson said. Personnel can activate other functions at designated locations. “Teachers have a mechanism to immediately activate the lockdown functionality.”

The Petersons’ daughter attended JPII. School shootings across the country convinced John Peterson “there must be a better way of preparing (if) … a shooter enters a public building. We’ve broken ground on a revolutionary product that can and will save lives.”

“JPII is pleased to be a part of the emerging technology created by a local entrepreneur,” school president Nancy Archuleta said.

Principal Vince Aquila said ELS’ mass notification “will assure the entire school population will be adequately warned, prepared and trained should an emergency event occur. We hope the system will NEVER need to be used, but we fully recognize that hope is not a strategy.”

JPII launched the system in August and since has held numerous drills.

JPII is the only North Alabama school with ELS. Peterson said the system is not cost prohibitive, is low maintenance and virtually expense free after installation. LED lights are low energy and last approximately 100,000 hours.

ELS received the Campus Safety 2014 Best Award for Emergency Notification at a recent industry conference in Atlanta. For more information, email to ppeterson@emergentlighting.com or visit emergentlighting.com.