As firefighters, we are called to work in every type of environment imaginable. Sometimes our job requires us to work in complete darkness or in low-light situations, such as searching a smoke-filled house or diving for a submerged vehicle. And although we train to work in the dark, every bit of light helps us complete tasks that much faster. Imagine searching an office complex with more than 200 cubicles inside-wouldn’t it be great if you could illuminate your entire path, from beginning to end? Well, the Head Lites Corporation has developed the ELMO-Lyte, an ingress/egress delineation lighting system designed to do just that.
ELMO, or “enhanced linear mobile optic,” lighting is composed of a heavy-duty cord reel that carries 200 feet of illuminated wire with a large carabiner attached to the end. The system operator’s manual states the ELMO-Lyte can be used in just about every low-light situation, including search and rescue, technical searches, diving, etc. The device is not limited to fire-service applications; it can be used in a variety of fields, including military and law enforcement.
For our purposes, I tested the device under conditions it would face in our line of work, including illuminating an office building in complete darkness, searching a multi-occupancy high-rise structure and searching under water. Specifically, I tested the ELMO-Lyte A200, because it’s the heavier-duty model of those offered, making it the best choice for fire-service applications, but other models are available.
The ELMO-Lyte is incredibly easy to use and operate after carefully reading the instruction manual provided with the unit. The electronic control unit (ECU), which contains the various modes of operation, is located on the side of the cord reel. The three modes of operation include steady on, flash and off. Power comes from 16 AA batteries or a 12-V adapter; a 120-V adapter also comes separately.
An office building in my local response area seemed a great place to get a feel for what the ELMO-Lyte could do. With the lights off, I deployed 25 feet of cord down a hallway to see if I could use the cord’s markers, which are placed every 10 feet from end to end, to find my way back to the base unit. As I activated the ECU, the wire illuminated the entire hallway, and I immediately knew which way to go to reach the base unit. The rope’s markers are color-coded, but in pitch-black situations, firefighters won’t be able to tell the difference. In this instance, simply follow the longest strip out, which should lead you to the base unit.
For my next test, I used the ELMO-Lyte A200 in a search-and-rescue operation in a high-rise simulator. Due to their large number of rooms, high-rise structures provide firefighters with enormous search-and-rescue tasks. In particular, hotel buildings (which prompted this test) are places where firefighters could use the ELMO-Lyte very effectively. Using a high-rise simulator at a training site for my department, I was able to lay about 30 feet of the wire down a hallway with two rooms on the right side. I walked through both rooms and was able to see the illuminated wire in the hallway from anywhere inside them. This confirmed my belief that the ELMO-Lyte is an excellent tool for search and rescue. Firefighters can search every room down a smoke-filled hallway with a lighted path end to end to help lead them to the nearest stairwell. Note: A search line should be attached to the illuminated wire and a thermal-imaging camera should also be used.
The ELMO-Lyte faced its last challenge in a local lake, which has been the location of several calls for Orange County, Fla., dive teams from both the fire department and the sheriff’s department. After my father retired from the fire department, he bought a Key West boat, which provided the platform for my final test. I took the boat out on the lake at dark and dropped about 100 feet of the rope into the murky water in a search pattern used by divers. I followed the course of the illuminated rope from beginning to end and was able to see it the entire way. I believe the ELMO-Lyte could be a great safety tool, providing divers with a lighted path back to the exact point of their entry.
Although firefighters can use the ELMO-Lyte in a variety of situations, it does have a few limitations. The electroluminescent wire is chemically resistant and can operate in hazardous conditions, but it will not work in explosive environments. The ELMO-Lyte is also limited by the length of wire provided, which measures 200 feet for the A200 model. If your squad carries longer air hoses for confined-space entry, this would restrict crews to the cord reel’s length, not that of the air hoses.
After reading about the tests described above, you might wonder if the ELMO-Lyte can operate in a structure fire with active fire showing. The answer is yes, but within certain limits. A representative from the Head Lites Corporation informed me that the electroluminescent wire can withstand 230 degrees F for 30 minutes. There is a time vs. temperature curve, which basically means the higher the temperature, the lower the amount of time the wire can spend in the heated environment.
Undoubtedly, any tool that increases safety is a tremendous asset to any fire department. The ELMO-Lyte is an incredibly versatile tool that helps decrease search and rescue times, manage movement of large crowds to specific areas and increase safety during diving operations; it also increases overall safety for crews working on scene and victim removal from hazardous areas.
You can purchase the ELMO-Lyte from the Head Lites Corporation for $2,700 at www.headlites.com. The price includes the case, the base unit with the ECU and 200 feet of luminescent wire.
