I need emergency backup lights for my hospital... suggestions?

fenix-store
djans1397

djans1397

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 23, 2007
Messages
1,356
Location
Bozeman, Montana
The hospital where I work at as ER director and Physicians assistant recently called upon me for emergency lights when the power went out. Turns out that the main power station went dead and the whole town of about 3500 people was in the BLACK. It was 3am and I was actually up at the time when the phone rang a few minutes after my lights also went out. How privledged and justified I felt about all the razzing I got about my flashlights from my coworkers! It went like this " uh, Dan, can you bring us some of your flashlights up here... we're in the dark." They only had cell service and mine happened to be on at the time as well.

Well, I loaded up my best INEXPENSIVE lights as for fear of loosing them or getting the damaged by non-flashaholics, which my regalight WTS? light actually was dropped and damaged, but that's another story. I grabbed my 4 Milky Candlelights and some cheap leds lights, a surefire with a Malkoff and a cheap coleman mini lanetern light and headed to the hospital. I also took my MAC P7 for myself only! When I arrived they only had one pitiful 2 or 3D cell maglite. Well, after laughing out loud and giving them a little razzing of my own, I quickly gave them instructions on my lights with the specific intructions to take the utmost care of them, like a parent gives a babysitter when they leave their kids with them! LOL.

In the end, the director of nursing quickly arrived and the power came on about a half an hour later. I have since been put in charge of buying back up lights for the hospital. It turns out that there was a problem with the hospitals backup genereator and battery powered wall flood lights. Keep in mind I work at a 20 bed hospital, so not everything runs as it should.

I think now I am truely appreciated for my wealth of lights that I continuosly show off to my coworkers... the light of the week per say ... whom seem to think that I belong to a "flashlight club" as one gal put it! She doesn't quite get the whole forum thing. This constitutes the 3rd and most important rescue I have come to since becoming a Flashaholic and it feels GOOD!:twothumbs:clap:

Now to my question. I want to donate lights to the hospital, say 6 or so, but they need to meet the following criteria;

1. inexpensive
2. reliable
3. easy simple UI, off/on/and or low
4. flood with some spot
5. easy to find cheap batteries
6. long runtime
7. able to sit for long periods, maybe years unused, but can work at a moments notice.
8. tailstanding capability maybe

I have only invested in high end LEDS and know nothing of the cheaper but reliable lights. I'm looking for any suggestions to the above needs. Maybe some place that would give me a bulk discount with everthing needed including batteries.

Thanks in advance to my fellow CPF's,
Dan
 
Last edited:
I would choose the Gerber Infinity Ultra, or if a larger brighter light was needed the Romisen RC-N3 Q5 from Shiningbeam is great light.
 
How much is inexpensive? Maybe some small princeton tec headlights? Being able to sit around for years is going to be hard to do with cheap batteries however.
 
I hate to say it, but maybe some MiniMag LEDs with L91 lithium batteries.

Most folks should be at least passingly familiar with this light, price is good, great warantee, fairly small.
 
You should try a small "NEW" gen set for the backups backup backup... or something....... and some of those construction string light sets.
Then buy some cheap ol lights from the local Walsmart or hardware store.
 
There is also the problem of flashlight stored for emergency use tend to walk off when they are something decent.
 
Forget the flashlights ..what about a backup power generator!

What would you do if you had people on life support?!!
Or a local emergency that swamped your resources?
Granted it sounds like you're in a small town but not having an adequate contingency plan in case of such scenarios is just asking for a disaster followed by litigation.
Wow.
 
Last edited:
You really can't go wrong with Maglite LED's here (C and D sizes). Readily available (for easy replacement), familiar, and common batteries. Also large enough to not "accidentally" walk off, although anyone who really wants it will find a way.
 
The Propoly Derek Dean suggested would be good. Basically something a little bigger than a 2aa light, but smaller than a 2d, lightweight (ie plastic), floody and a bright color body right? Princeton Tec has the AMP series, available in orange, have good runtime and 2 modes, but they don't tailstand and the need to hold the button for 2 second to turn off may be a big PITA after a while.

EDIT:Also try talking your coworkers into buying/edcing their own Fenix E01s or even Streamlight Microstreams just in case they're not near the ones you buy.
 
Last edited:
djans1397 said:
In the end, the director of nursing quickly arrived and the power came on about a half an hour later. I have since been put in charge of buying back up lights for the hospital. It turns out that there was a problem with the hospitals backup genereator and battery powered wall flood lights. Keep in mind I work at a 20 bed hospital, so not everything runs as it should.
Click to expand...

You really need to have someone work on getting that generator working. I've run EMS when the power was out and the only buildings left with power in our city were the hospital, dispatch, police departments, and the grocery stores.

Priority one: Fix the generator. Depending on where you live, heat may be an issue too.

Priority two: If people are given lights, how quickly will they be lost / misplaced when an emergency occurs? Simplicity sake, just get a few Mag 3D LEDs and place them in a centralized location: say near the charge nurse's station in a Pelican case. Or mount them on a wall near the entrance, in an area of natural light. Often, you'll find that equipping each person is more cost-ineffective than equipping the facility.

Equip the location, not the people is the route I'd go for. Big objects that seem expensive so people won't walk off with them. Also, cheap, so if they do it isn't hard to replace. MAGLED.

Remember, these lights are your backup. Your primary is the generator.
 
Last edited:
Make it SOP for each and every member when on duty to have a Fenix E01 on a neck lanyard (maybe along with their ID badges). That would solve the need to go look for lights, then whoever is on duty can go get the other lights, like cheap long running lanterns etc which can be stored in an emergency locker or something which only the Duty whoever has access to.

This would ensure that the better lights dont get stolen and the fact that only one person has the key to it ensures accountability, Fenix E01s run rea long on AAAs and are cheap and can serve other day to day uses too, checking pupils, looking under beds in a darkened ward without disturbing other patients etc.

I've used an E01 in really dark conditions and find that its output is ample and more than suitable for my needs.

Fenixes go for about $15 each on 4sevens and come in different colours too.
 
Thanks for the great input so far everyone! I hadn't thought about the simple but effective Maglite LEDS... how is their throw and beam pattern say in the 2D models? I'll also look at the Pelicans as well. E01's are also a nice thought.

I don't plan on equiping every staff member, just the on duty ones, at the most 2 or 3 nurses, a CNA or two and the provider.. as far as the night shift goes. I plan to keep one or two lights strategically placed close at hand and the rest in a case in the lock up drug cabinet to keep them from walking off.

The whole generator thing was a fluke that has been addressed already as well as the battery backup lights. We run a small hospital here and usually pack and ship any serious stuff. Day surgery would be the only concern for us.

BTW, anyone know what the runtimes and lumen ratings are for the 2d and c cells.

Thanks,
Dan
 
Last edited:
djans1397 said:
1. inexpensive
2. reliable
3. easy simple UI, off/on/and or low
4. flood with some spot
5. easy to find cheap batteries
6. long runtime
7. able to sit for long periods, maybe years unused, but can work at a moments notice.
8. tailstanding capability maybe
Click to expand...

Maybe going for Pak-Lites would be a good idea:

http://www.9voltlight.com/

MiniLux
 
I was thinking some more, and how about some of those lights that plug into a power outlet, then glow when the power dies?

You know, one at the help/info/security desk, one in each nurse station, one in the med room, etc.
 
Armed_Forces said:
Forget the flashlights ..what about a backup power generator!

What would you do if you had people on life support?!!
Or a local emergency that swamped your resources?
Granted it sounds like you're in a small town but not having an adequate contingency plan in case of such scenarios is just asking for a disaster followed by litigation.
Wow.
Click to expand...

Way OT, but most life support equipment has a battery backup too. Worse case, you pull off the ventilator, and ventilate by hand. Of course, if all the IV pumps, moniters and vent were running on battery only, there would be a slew of all really annoying alarm whistles going off.

All the while, on the phone screaming for help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

umc
Aviator or Backup for Backup!!
Replies
1
Views
198
scalpel_ninja
scalpel_ninja
S
Surefire Backup Models
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
letschat7
L
bykfixer
Lumens Factory LEDs for Pentagon Lights
Replies
4
Views
485
bykfixer
bykfixer
bigchelis
Surefire McGizmo Mule and E1b backup customized........LEGO TIME
Replies
11
Views
825
bigchelis
bigchelis
Przemo(c)
Dual fuel emergency light
2
Replies
31
Views
3K
Croquette
C

Latest posts

Top