Emer Lights - pre flight preparation

[nnc0]

Oh so foolishy I had asked about this same issue in the Tech forum but didn't get the kind of authouritative or experienced reponse I needed. Putting that poor decision behind me now can I ask a similar question here?

We are installing new emergency floor path lighting in our aircraft cabins. They're not electrically powered. They use a light absorbing glow in the dark material instead. I'm a bit concerned about though how the lighting is to be incorporated into our cabin procedures, specifically, for the first flight of the day. The maufacturer seems to clearly spell out that on the Aircraft First Flight Of The Day, before any passengers can be boarded, the floor strips must be exposed to full (brightness) cabin lights for a minimum of 15 minutes with all bin doors closed to initially charge them. This ensures that in the event of losing cabin lighting on the ground, the floor path lights will be charged fully and have max illumination.

Leaving the cabin lights on during boarding and keeping them on for 30 minutes before departure isn't the same thing and according to the material I've read doesn't charge the lights fully.

Does your carrier ensure cabin lights are all on with bin doors closed for 15 minutes before allowing passengers to board?

[CD]

The installation of a photolumiescent FPEEPMS will be performed in accordance with an STC. The STC will contain operating procedures (including initial charge time for the first flight of the day) and where these procedures are to be located. Often, the STC specifies the AFM.

As each aircraft configuration and installation is different, the charging time and procedures may also vary between airlines. I have seen system charge times ranging from 10 minutes up to 60 minutes. For this reason, you should rely upon the information in your company's publications, which should in turn be based on the information from the STC.

Some additional, general information may be found here:

AC 25.812-2 Floor Proximity Emergency Escape Path Marking Systems Incorporating Photoluminescent Elements (http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAdvisoryCircular.nsf/1ab39b4ed563b08985256a35006d56af/10150361280201fd862569d100732a41/$FILE/AC25.812-2.pdf)
FSF Cabin Crew Safety - Photoluminescent Escape-path Marking Alters Few Duties of Flight Attendants (http://safety.sv.net/pdf/ccs_jan-feb04.pdf)
STG Aerospace - The harmonisation of protocols and standards for high-performance photoluminescent way guidance systems in commercial aircraft; A technology review paper (http://www.stgaerospace.com/Images/STGAerospaceTechnologyPaperfinal.pdf)

[nnc0]

Thanks CD. I was already familiar with most of your references.

I guess what I'm encountering is a reluctance of the powers that be to read the material themselves, and to be honest, a concern that I'm overreacting to the situation. Simply stated, our procedure isn't per the AFM spec and even though the risk is miniscule or negligible, I'd prefer that we did.

It would be easy to compromise on the required procedure here and I just wanted a general poll to see if that is in fact what was happenning.