Emergency situations are always critical, often times the smallest details can make the largest differences. The amount of time an emergency response team takes to get from their headquarters to the site of emergency could mean the difference between life and death. Calamities may even be caused by a very simple thing that just got neglected and was blown out of proportion. Even the presence of exit signs could mean a great deal when someone is caught in an emergency situation.

The primary concern of anyone involved in an emergency situation is locating the nearest exit and getting there fast. Consider a burning building; anyone caught in the middle of such a disaster must make his or her way to the nearest exit point before the flames consume everything or before the smoke blocks all his or her vision. It is preferred that the person already has an idea where the exit is so his trouble would only be navigating his or her way from point A to point B. However, if the person is new to the area, he or she would definitely lose critical time in trying out certain paths or even guessing where to go next.

This is one reason why establishments are required to map out exit points and show these mapped out diagrams where people can easily see them. Some establishments even give hand outs to people for use as reference material. Exit signs are also required to be attention grabbing either by make or way of placement. Most signage nowadays is made from material that could be back lit so it could be easily identified even in low visibility situations. Imagine going through a smoke filled room and looking out for the exit, it would definitely help if the sign is back lit as opposed to it being a regular static signage.

There are some establishments that carry a more sophisticated exit signage system. These establishments have specially rigged emergency lights and signs that are trigger when power shuts down or when a certain alarm goes off. The lights would activate and guide people to the exits; some even emanate a sound that one could follow just in case the lights do not help.

Even with the presence of signage and guidance systems it is crucial to walk people through the process of exiting either through drills or orientations. Even if the exit points are easy to find if people are not taught how to access the pathways properly and panic sets in it may cause injury causing accidents such as stampedes. People must be taught the proper mind set and the proper way of exiting. The best way to get rid of panic is knowledge, as long as people know what to do then chances of them panicking is minimal.

Exit signs are very important details, most of the time its sheer simplicity causes people to neglect them and pay them little attention. Although it is important to have signs visible and attention grabbing, it is more important that people are educated on how and why they are used.